The U.S Department of Transportation announced that 42 capital construction projects and 33 planning projects in 40 states will share nearly $600 million from its TIGER II program for major infrastructure projects ranging from highways and bridges to transit, rail and ports. Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) II received nearly 1,000 construction grant applications for more than $19 billion from all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.
The demand for TIGER II project dollars follows a similar demand for TIGER I project dollars. On Feb. 17, 2009, DOT announced 51 grant awards from nearly 1,500 applications for TIGER I grants nationwide. The TIGER I requests were for almost $60 billion worth of projects, 40 times the $1.5 billion available under that program. TIGER I dollars were made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
“These are innovative 21st century projects that will change the U.S. transportation landscape by strengthening the economy and creating jobs, reducing gridlock and providing safe, affordable and environmentally sustainable transportation choices,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Many of these projects could not have been funded without this program.”
Roughly 29 percent of TIGER II money goes for road projects, 26 percent for transit, 20 percent for rail projects, 16 percent for ports, four percent for bicycle and pedestrian projects and five percent for planning projects.
The Port of Los Angeles was awarded $16 million for its West Basin Railyard project. The port says the project will maximize use of rail at the port, create almost 2,000 construction jobs, reduce pollution, ease congestion, enhance safety and improve the livability of the region and sustainability and competitiveness of port operations.
“Our Port needs to stay competitive, and this funding will help,” says Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, whose district includes the port. “This project is of national importance, since it will increase the port’s on-dock rail capacity and move goods to the rest of the country more efficiently. But it’s also a locally significant project, by taking trucks off the road and creating close to 2,000 local jobs.”
