TIGER grants support smart growth
US DOT announced its fourth round of competitive TIGER Discretionary Grants, giving $500 million to 47 projects that run the gamut of transportation modes — many of them multimodal. Our analysis finds that 15 of the projects, totaling $161 million, will support smart growth in the form of complete streets, transit-oriented development, urban bike-ped projects, street networks, and a streetcar system. Many of the other funded projects support freight or passenger rail. Rail garnered $297 million, or 59 percent, of the funding. Port projects also received considerable support. Only a handful of road widenings and highways were funded. Projects funded included:
• The Ranson-Charles Town Green Corridor in West Virginia, designed to transform Fairfax Boulevard and George Street into a walkable, green street anchored by a new commuter center. The “green corridor” will connect the two communities and be designed for mixed-use development. The grant funding is $5 million.
• The Wave Streetcar Project in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The $18 million grant will leverage more than $60 million in state and local funds to build a 1.4-mile downtown streetcar line. The streetcar will serve a congested area and allow more population growth downtown.
• The Concord Downtown Complete Streets Project in Concord, New Hampshire, which will encourage multi-modal use and mixed-use development.
