Round 8 of TIGER grant program begins

The U.S. Transportation Department said $500 million will be made available for transportation projects as part of round eight of the administration’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery competitive grant program.    The U.S. Transportation Department said $500 million will be made available for transportation projects as part of round eight of the administration’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) competitive grant program.
   Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx praised the program for improving efficiency and safety of the nation’s transportation system.
   “TIGER has been able to make a valuable contribution to improving our nation’s transportation infrastructure, and I look forward to this year’s competition,” he said in a statement Tuesday.
   As with previous rounds, TIGER discretionary grants for fiscal year 2016 will fund capital investments in multimodal and multijurisdictional surface transportation infrastructure and will be awarded on a competitive basis for projects based on their prospective impact nationally and regionally. 
   DOT said the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations Act does not provide dedicated funding for the planning, preparation, or design of capital projects, but these activities may be funded as part of an overall construction project.
   Since 2009, TIGER has provided nearly $4.6 billion to 381 projects across all 50 states, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and tribal communities. The 2015 TIGER round alone is boasts $500 million in federal investment to support $1.4 billion in overall transportation investments.
   “Demand has been overwhelming, and during the previous seven rounds, the department received more than 6,700 applications requesting more than $134 billion for transportation projects across the country,” DOT said.
   Applications for this round of TIGER funds are due April 29.