U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced nearly $500 million will be made available for transportation projects across the country in the eighth round of the competitive Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program.

The program supports innovative projects, including multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects, which are difficult to fund through traditional federal programs. This year’s awards focus on capital projects that generate economic development and improve access to reliable, safe and affordable transportation for communities, both urban and rural.

“For the eighth year running, TIGER will inject critical infrastructure dollars into communities across the country,” said Foxx. “This unique program rewards innovative thinking and collaborative solutions to difficult and sometimes dangerous transportation problems. A great TIGER program doesn’t just improve transportation; it expands economic opportunity and transforms a community.”

Demand for the 2016 TIGER grant program continued to far exceed available funds; the DOT received 585 eligible applications from all 50 States, and several U.S. territories, tribal communities, cities, and towns throughout the United States, collectively requesting over $9.3 billion in funding. During the previous seven rounds, the Department received more than 7,300 applications requesting more than $143 billion for transportation projects across the country.

Among this year’s TIGER awards, $6.2 million went for an inland port in Little Rock, Arkansas, $17.7 million for a highway freight interchange in Scott County, Minnesota, and $9.8 million for a rural freight project that crosses the South Carolina/North Carolina border.

Since 2009, the TIGER grant program has provided a combined $5.1 billion to 421 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and tribal communities. These federal funds leverage money from private sector partners, states, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations and transit agencies. The 2016 TIGER round is leveraging nearly $500 million in federal investment to support $1.74 billion in overall transportation investments.

Of the 40 grant recipients this year, nearly two-thirds are repeat applicants. The U.S. Department of Transportation has made an effort to provide technical assistance to applicants to improve their projects.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced nearly $500 million will be made available for transportation projects across the country in the eighth round of the competitive Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program.

The program supports innovative projects, including multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects, which are difficult to fund through traditional federal programs. This year’s awards focus on capital projects that generate economic development and improve access to reliable, safe and affordable transportation for communities, both urban and rural.

“For the eighth year running, TIGER will inject critical infrastructure dollars into communities across the country,” said Foxx. “This unique program rewards innovative thinking and collaborative solutions to difficult and sometimes dangerous transportation problems. A great TIGER program doesn’t just improve transportation; it expands economic opportunity and transforms a community.”

Demand for the 2016 TIGER grant program continued to far exceed available funds; the DOT received 585 eligible applications from all 50 States, and several U.S. territories, tribal communities, cities, and towns throughout the United States, collectively requesting over $9.3 billion in funding. During the previous seven rounds, the Department received more than 7,300 applications requesting more than $143 billion for transportation projects across the country.

Among this year’s TIGER awards, $6.2 million went for an inland port in Little Rock, Arkansas, $17.7 million for a highway freight interchange in Scott County, Minnesota, and $9.8 million for a rural freight project that crosses the South Carolina/North Carolina border.

Since 2009, the TIGER grant program has provided a combined $5.1 billion to 421 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and tribal communities. These federal funds leverage money from private sector partners, states, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations and transit agencies. The 2016 TIGER round is leveraging nearly $500 million in federal investment to support $1.74 billion in overall transportation investments.

Of the 40 grant recipients this year, nearly two-thirds are repeat applicants. The U.S. Department of Transportation has made an effort to provide technical assistance to applicants to improve their projects.