Requests for TIGER Grants Far Exceed Funding Availability (AASHTO Journal)
State transportation departments and other government entities have requested $57 billion in discretionary grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s new TIGER program, the department announced this afternoon.
“We have received an outpouring of creative and innovative transportation project proposals from across the country,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Through the TIGER grants we will begin to seriously address the 21st century transportation challenges of improving our environment, the livability of our communities,
The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program was created by Congress in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Applications for the $1.5 billion in available competitive grants were due last week. U.S. DOT said today that it has received 1,381 applications valued at $57 billion — 38 times the amount of funding available. Every state and four territories have applied for funds.
“The overwhelming response by states to this grant program clearly demonstrates the need for a significant increase in transportation funding,” said John Horsley, AASHTO executive director.
Unlike most American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, which U.S. DOT distributed to states by formula, the TIGER program is discretionary. The secretary of transportation has authority to award grants of up to $300 million per project or state. Projects must show “significant economic and environmental promise for the nation, a region, or a metropolitan area,” according to U.S. DOT. “The TIGER program focuses on longer-term, strategic infrastructure development along with the economic recovery act’s primary focus on immediate job creation.”
Engineering News-Record, with the help of AASHTO, surveyed state DOTs earlier this week to determine how much money applicants are seeking. The trade publication created a partial list of projects that have been submitted. U.S. DOT said it will make the complete application list available online next week.
U.S. DOT said today that more than half of applications are for highway and bridge projects with the rest of requests focused on transit, railroad, port infrastructure, and multimodal investments.
LaHood announced in July that grant awards will be made no later than January, a month prior to the Feb. 17 deadline. More information is available at tinyurl.com/TIGERprogram.
http://www.aashtojournal.org/Pages/092509tiger.aspx
