DOT awards $474 million TIGER grants

The Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Thursday that it was awarding $474 million in grants to 37 states. 

The grants, from the agency’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program, were awarded to states that submitted bids for the money through a competitive process, the DOT said. 

Fifty-two projects were selected in total. 

{mosads}Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a blog post on the DOT website that the projects that received grants were just a start on the amount of investment that is needed in the U.S. transportation system.

“The projects we’re supporting today represent the kind of work we should be doing more of across the country,” Foxx wrote. “And that’s a message the House and Senate need to hear loud and clear as they get back from their summer recess. The President has laid out his plan. Now, we need Congress to act.”

The TIGER grant program was first created in the 2009 economic stimulus bill. The program allows states to apply for funding for transportation projects that “will have a significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area or a region,” according to the DOT’s website.

The grant program quickly proved popular with both Republicans and Democrats, and it was expanded in the surface transportation bill that was passed by Congress last year.

Transportation Secretary Foxx said on Thursday that the TIGER program was providing funding for projects that were essential to the future of the American transportation system.

“The projects TIGER supports ensure a stronger transportation system for future generations by repairing existing roads, bridges, rail, and transit; connecting people to new jobs and opportunities; and contributing to our nation’s economic growth,” Foxx wrote.  “These projects are the best argument for increased investment in America’s transportation infrastructure.”

The full list of projects that were awarded money from the TIGER program can be read here.