Kansas City’s streetcar is one of the 52 projects to receive a 2013 TIGER grant. Image via PlanningKC.
Yesterday, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the fifth round of DOT’s Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants. The 2013 grants award a total of $474 million to 52 projects in 37 states, with 25 projects specifically for rural communities. A total of 568 applications were submitted for the grants, for projects in all 50 states, Washington DC, Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa.
52 projects in 37 states will receive support as part of this round of TIGER grants. Image via DOT.
Projects funded this year include Complete Streets improvements in Lee County, FL; port enhancements in Baltimore, MD; streetcar construction in Kansas City, MO; shared-use walking and biking trails in Atlanta, GA and many others.
“TIGER projects are the best argument for investment in our transportation infrastructure,” said Secretary Foxx. “Together, they support President Obama’s call to ensure a stronger transportation system for future generations by repairing existing infrastructure, connecting people to new jobs and opportunities, and contributing to our nation’s economic growth.”
TIGER-funded projects strengthen local economies and can be transformative for the communities that receive funding. Rochester, NY’s Inner Loop East Reconstruction project was one of the projects included in this round of grants.
“This is absolutely huge,” said Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, president of Rochester Downtown Development Corp. “This allows us to reconnect neighborhoods, to rebuild or re-knit the fabric of the neighborhoods in this part of the city…There is so much that was torn apart when the Inner Loop was built.”
In its five year existence the TIGER program has received 4,618 grant applications requesting more than $114.2 billion. The initial four rounds of grants have funded 218 infrastructure projects across the country, and awarded more than $3.1 billion.
The DOT’s TIGER Program is part of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a collaboration between DOT, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The TIGER program funds projects that positively impacts the nation, a region, or metropolitan area. As part of the Partnership’s programs, it is helping communities across the country grow in economically vibrant ways. If you want to see more projects like this happen, speak out to support the Partnership today.