Gribblenation

The USDOT 2016 TIGER Grants were indeed awarded and announced today. Highlights include:   40 overall awards Awards given to Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands Five different port projects  Many involve complete streets and other multi-modal projects Larger road related projects include: Grant awarded to the City of Pittsburgh to build a deck over the Interstate 579 Crosstown Expressway connecting the Hill District to Downtown A project to widen and improve Interstate 25 in the Ft. Collins, CO area Continuation of the conversion of CT 34 to an urban boulevard in New Haven, CT  Interchange construction at US 169 and MN 41 in Scott County, MN Funds to complete 16 miles of the Foothills Parkway at Great Smoky National Park

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again - that's the motto Mercer County, WV officials and the King Coal Highway Commission as they try to secure up to $20 million in federal TIGER IV Grant money. If received, it would be used to extend the King Coal highway 2.3 miles from US 19 to WV 23.  If they receive the $20 million grant, WV will kick in an additional $4 million. The TIGER IV is a pool of $500 million.  Plans are to build this extension as an Interstate grade freeway with the hopes to have the highway one day signed as Interstate 73. The deadline for final applications for TIGER IV grants is March 19th.  There is not a determined date for when they will be awarded. Story Link: TIGER funds Federal grant would boost King Coal ---Bluefield Daily Telegraph

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, NCDOT only received $10 million in TIGER Grant Funding for the I-85 Yadkin River Bridge project.  The state had applied for the maximum of $300 million for this project.  Though NCDOT was pleased to receive money for the needed project, they were disappointed, "Obviously the $300 million would have enabled us to build it faster, and be able to use those resources for other transportation needs in North Carolina. We’re extremely disappointed," said Ted Vaden, an NCDOT Deputy Secretary. The overall project - building a new eight-lane Yadkin River Bridge, widening a total of eight miles of I-85 on both sides of the new bridge, and rebuilding interchanges - is estimated to cost closer to $400 million. The Salisbury Post reports that the $10 million will basically cover administration costs that will be used to achieve additional funding to construct the bridge.  As part of the awarding of the grant, NCDOT is eligible for "optional...

The US Department of Transportation today announced the recipients of $1.5 billion in TIGER Grant funding. Of nearly 1400 requests for funding that was a combined total of $56.5 billion, 51 projects - or 3.7% of those submitted - received TIGER funding.  The awards ranged from a maximum of $105 million to a minimum of $3.15 million. To see the list of grant winners - go here . Only four of the 51 awarded projects will be fully funded with TIGER financing.  They include a $14 million project that will improve the infrastructure at three Maine seaports , $45 million for a new 1.5 mile New Orleans Streetcar line from Union Station to Canal St. along Loyola Ave. , $35 million to complete 3.7 miles of a US 395 freeway in Spokane (the money will build two missing southbound lanes), and $3.5 million for improvements to US 93 in Whitefish, MT. Specific of interest to this blog, $10 million each was awarded to the I-85 Yadkin River Bridge project and the eventual construction of...

Tonight I was curious in knowing what other projects have other state's applied for the $1.5 billion in TIGER Discretionary Funds that will be awarded next month.  My original thinking was that it was only one project per state, and it would be a neat idea to maybe research and blog about them  Bzzzztttt, was I wrong! The USDOT received 1380, yes 1380, applications from all 50 states, plus Guam, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.  The total amount of requests total $56.5 billion.  That is nearly 38 times the amount that will be awarded!!!!  No wonder why the final decisions have been delayed. Texas led with 125 applications - followed closely by California (117), and Florida (115).  The least amount of applications came from Hawaii with only 1. New Hampshire, South Dakota, and North Dakota only had two applications. It appears that any organization could apply for the TIGER Grants - and that would explain why SCDOT encoura...

Within the next 30 days, we'll know if North Carolina and South Carolina will receive all, some, or none of the maximum $300 million of $1.5 billion highway grant money that can be awarded to states for large highway or bridge projects.  The money is part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. States were allowed to submit applications to the federal government for these funds.  North Carolina's application is for the replacement of the aging I-85 bridges over the Yadkin River.  South Carolina's request is to help construction the first six miles of Interstate 73 in the state.  (I-95 to US 501 near Latta.) The awarding of the grant money should occur by February 17th.  It either state receives funding, construction on either project should begin later this year. Story Links: Yadkin River bridge decision may come next month   --High Point Enterprise