Second round of TIGER grants underway

TIGER II has same criteria

Steve Hawley, May 05, 10.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced its criteria for the second round of TIGER transportation grants, according to the American Association of Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

The first round of the grants, which was included in the stimulus package, was awarded earlier this year and received overwhelmingly positive reviews, especially from transportation reform groups. The DOT distributed $1.5 billion to 51 projects nationwide, including a streetcar line and a highway project in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Most of the money went to alternative modes of transportation such as transit, rail, and ports, which meant that most of the money was awarded to urban areas. According to the Brookings Institution, previous transportation programs have short-changed urban areas in favor of rural and suburban projects.

The second round of TIGER grants (TIGER II) is part of the Obama administration’s Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a collaboration between DOT, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency. TIGER II will distribute $600 million over a two-year period, down from the $1.5 billion in TIGER I.

According to the official Federal Register notice, the primary criteria are creating jobs and improving long-term repair, economic competitiveness, livability, environmental sustainability, and safety. DOT will also consider innovation and multi-agency partnerships as secondary criteria. The criteria are identical to those in TIGER I, generally favoring transit and rail projects over highways and new roads.

The TIGER II pre-application process will begin no later than June 15, while the final applications must be submitted between July 30 and August 23. The funds must be obligated by September 30, 2012.

Federal Register notice (pdf, 136 kb)

(Photo credit: cacophony)