Department of Transportation Awards $500 Million in TIGER Grants

WASHINGTON — The latest round of TIGER grant funding will disburse nearly $500 million to 47 projects in 34 states and the District of Columbia, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Friday.

The grants were awarded on a competitive basis after states and localities were given an opportunity to apply. The Department of Transportation received 703 applications from all 50 states, U.S. territories, and D.C. In many cases, the DOT said in a release, the federal funds will provide the final portion of funding for approximately $1.7 billion in infrastructure investments around the country. The awards ranged from $1 million to $21.6 million.

The announcement of the new grants came just days after the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on transportation, housing and urban development marked up a bill recommending no funding for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant program, which began as part of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus program, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The program has proven to be extremely popular. The 2012 applications totaled $10.2 billion, about 20 times the amount available. During the three year life of the program, the DOT has received 4,050 applications requesting more than $105.2 billion for transportation projects across the country.

"President Obama's support for an America built to last is putting people back to work across the country building roads, bridges and other projects that will mean better, safer transportation for generations to come," said Secretary LaHood. "TIGER projects mean good transportation jobs today and a stronger economic future for the nation."

Although the House appears ready to slash TIGER funding entirely, the appropriations bill under consideration in the Democrat-controlled Senate would provide another $500 million for a fifth round of grants in 2013.

TIGER grants often supplement bond and public-private partnership financing, since many of the projects awarded federal grants cost far more than the amount allotted to them. An $18 million TIGER grant to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. will help leverage an additional $65 million from a combination of the Florida Department of Transportation, City of Fort Lauderdale, and Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization to build a new streetcar system, the DOT said. New York lawmakers learned earlier this week that New York City would receive a $10 million grant for the Hunts Point Terminal Market in the city's Bronx borough. That project is a $332.5 million P3.

Roughly 35% of the funding will go to road and bridge projects, 16% to transit projects, 13% to high-speed rail, 12% to freight rail, 12% to pedestrian and bike-oriented development, and 12% to port projects.

Under all four rounds combined, the TIGER program has provided $3.1 billion to 218 projects, the DOT said. Over the next six months, 27 projects are expected to break ground from the previous three rounds of TIGER. Work is under way on 64 capital projects across the country.

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