On January 17th, the President signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014. The bill funds much of the federal government for fiscal year 2014 activities, including a $600 million authorization for National Infrastructure Investments, referred to by DOT as TIGER Discretionary Grants.

Program Background The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER Discretionary Grant program, provides a unique opportunity for the U.S. Department of Transportation to invest in road, rail, transit and port projects that promise to achieve critical national objectives. Congress dedicated more than $4.1 billion to the program: $1.5 billion for TIGER I, $600 million for TIGER II, $526.944 million for FY 2011, $500 million for FY 2012, $473.847 million for FY2013, and $600 million for the FY 2014 round of TIGER Grants to fund projects that have a significant impact on the Nation, a region or a metropolitan area.

TIGER’s highly competitive process, galvanized by tremendous applicant interest, allowed DOT to fund 51 innovative capital projects in TIGER I, and an additional 42 capital projects in TIGER II. TIGER II also featured a new Planning Grant category and 33 planning projects were also funded through TIGER II. In the FY 2011 round of TIGER Grants, DOT awarded 46 capital projects in 33 states and Puerto Rico. DOT awarded 47 capital projects in 34 states and the District of Columbia in the FY 2012 round.  Last year the Department announced 52 capital projects in 37 states.

Each project is multi-modal, multi-jurisdictional or otherwise challenging to fund through existing programs. The TIGER program enables DOT to use a rigorous process to select projects with exceptional benefits, explore ways to deliver projects faster and save on construction costs, and make investments in our Nation’s infrastructure that make communities more livable and sustainable.

For more information on TIGER 6 be sure to stay tuned to the Department of Transportation’s website http://www.dot.gov/tiger for updates including the upcoming Notice of Funding Availability, 2014 Webinar Series, and applicant instructions.