The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program has received $9.3 billion in requested funding for this year, a figure that is more than 18 times the amount that will actually be awarded.
USDOT reported 585 applications have been submitted for the $500 million in funding available this year. Most, 337, were applications from urban areas, with the remaining 248 from rural areas.
“Communities across the country know that if we want a strong, multimodal transportation system that will meet our needs in the future, we need to make meaningful investments today,” says Transportation Sec. Anthony Foxx. “As we have seen year after year, there are far more worthy projects than we can fund through TIGER, demonstrating the need for a serious, long-term investment in transportation funding.
Since 2009, the program has provided roughly $4.6 billion to 381 projects, encompassing transportation enhancements in each state as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. This also includes 134 projects that support rural and tribal communities.
TIGER grants are focused on surface transportation capital projects that “generate economic development and improve access to reliable, safe and affordable transportation for communities, both urban and rural.”
The last TIGER round provided for 39 projects across the country. It had 627 applications for projects valued at $10.1 billion—roughly 20 times the allocated amount.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, signed by President Obama on Dec. 18 last year, provides funding for the program. Grants awarded will be announced later this year.