Multimodal transportation projects in Oregon have another chance to apply for $600 million in federal funding through the TIGER II grant cycle, the US Department of Transportation announced last week.
Like the first round, the TIGER (Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery) competitive grant program offers federal stimulus funding for multimodal transportation projects submitted by local and regional agencies around the country.
Read the America Bikes issue paper (pdf) for more details about the new grant program.
After round one, the BTA was optimistic that bike and pedestrian projects fared well nationally, athough we were disappointed that Metro’s innovative package of four active transportation projects did not receive funding. It’s not confirmed whether TIGER II applications from Oregon will include the same projects submitted during TIGER or if a new package will be created. Either way, Metro and other local and regional agencies will need to consider lessons learned during the previous round.
USDOT Looks Favorably on Bike and Pedestrian Projects
The first TIGER showed that bicycle and pedestrian projects were gaining ground with the federal goverment: twenty four of the fifty-one funded projects integrated bicycle and pedestrian elements, including $23 million to build a network of bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Philadelphia, PA and Camden, NJ, and $20 million to build a bicycle network in Indianapolis, IN.
The volume of active transportation projects submitted during TIGER funds also demonstrated the need for federal funding for projects beyond road resurfacing and highway expansion.
The outlook for active transportation projects became even brighter with the March 23 statement from US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood that “People across America who value bicycling should have a voice when it comes to transportation planning. This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized.” LaHood annnounced that USDOT is now committed to supporting active transportation projects with federal funding and encouraging innovative design to make streets safer and more accessible to all users.
Oregon Gets Second Chance at Funding With TIGER II
The emphasis for TIGER II projects is long-term economic development (as opposed to TIGER’s focus on short-term job creation) but other primary criteria include livability, environmental sustainability, and safety. In order to create a strong TIGER II package, Oregon must consider common characertistics among the first TIGER’s multimodal project winners.
Significantly, both of the big bike/ped winners in TIGER had been on the table for years, demonstrating long-term commitment from their respective communities as well as financial support from other investors.
Indianapolis Cultural Trail from Gail Payne on Vimeo.
A BikePortland story was published earlier this week describing a conversation between journalist Jonathan Maus and Lake McTighe, project manager for Metro’s Active Transportation Partnership, confirming that similar factors are at stake this time around. As Maus reported:
“McTighe says those projects had several things going for them that the Portland area projects didn’t. Key among them was support in the form of matching funds. Both projects already had considerable investment from private foundations. This will be an even more crucial component for TIGER II because the USDOT is requiring a 20% funding match to even be considered.”
Maus also said that McTighe believes the federal government is “less interested in how a project will impact mode share and more interested in how a new trail or network of bikeways might connect disadvantaged communities to areas of employment.”
Several projects in the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 share similar characteristics to the successful projects described above. As the BTA continues to support the development of the strongest possible TIGER II application, we strongly encourage Metro and the City of Portland to include one or more of these projects in its final package.
Thanks for your sharing.I like it very much, thanks!