The U.S. Department of Transportation on June 30 announced that $527 million will be available for a third round of the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) competitive grant program, which funds innovative transportation projects that address job creation and making a significant impact on the nation, a region or a metropolitan area.
In the FY11 budget President Obama signed in April, $527 million was directed to DOT for critical investments in the nation’s transportation infrastructure. States, cities, local governments and other partnerships and groups will have until this fall to prepare their applications for the TIGER program, which has funded high-impact projects including roads, bridges, freight rail, transit buses and streetcars, ports, and bicycle and pedestrian paths.
The previous two rounds of the TIGER grant program provided $2.1 billion to 126 transportation projects in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Demand for the program has been overwhelming, and during the previous two rounds, DOT received more than 2,500 applications requesting more than $79 billion for transportation projects across the country.
Projects will be selected based on their ability to contribute to the long-term economic competitiveness of the nation, improve the condition of existing transportation facilities and systems, improve energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improve the safety of U.S. transportation facilities and improve the quality of living and working environments of communities through increased transportation choices and connections. DOT also will focus on projects that are expected to quickly create and preserve jobs and spur rapid increases in economic activity.