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TIGER VI grants
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Ryan
Court Jester
49 states? Wonder who said "Nah, we're cool. We don't need any money". (or: Wonder which state DoT director is going to get an angry phone call from his/her governor "You MISSED THE APPLICATION DEADLINE!!!!???!!!")
I'll be curious to see which states applied anyway, despite their political leanings...Maybe they put in lousy applications so that when they get turned down, they can blame those nasty bureaucrats in DC.
Some notes on the FY2014 TIGER grant program.
- at least $120 million of the funds are to be used for projects in rural areas.
- up to $35 million may be used for planning grants (NEPA, PE, alternative analysis studies).
- The grants may not be for less than $10 million except for the rural grants which have a minimum of $1 million. There is no minimum for the planning grants.
I have not done much of a search for 2014 TIGER applications that are relevant to Amtrak, either directly or indirectly. Should be a number buried in the 797 applications. I know of or read something about the following:
- Southwest Chief: CO with funding contributions from Amtrak, BNSF, Kansas applied for $15 million grant for a $24 million track maintenance project for a 80 mile segment of the threatened SWC route.
- Long Bridge replacement: VA/VRE and DC DOT were working on a joint submission for a planning grant to cover the NEPA and PE study phase for a 4 track Long Bridge replacement across the Potomac River.
- Ardmore PA station: read that SEPTA was planning to take the lead and submit an application for part of the costs to modernize the Ardmore station and upgrade with high level platforms. Don't know if SEPTA submitted an application this year.
- at least $120 million of the funds are to be used for projects in rural areas.
- up to $35 million may be used for planning grants (NEPA, PE, alternative analysis studies).
- The grants may not be for less than $10 million except for the rural grants which have a minimum of $1 million. There is no minimum for the planning grants.
I have not done much of a search for 2014 TIGER applications that are relevant to Amtrak, either directly or indirectly. Should be a number buried in the 797 applications. I know of or read something about the following:
- Southwest Chief: CO with funding contributions from Amtrak, BNSF, Kansas applied for $15 million grant for a $24 million track maintenance project for a 80 mile segment of the threatened SWC route.
- Long Bridge replacement: VA/VRE and DC DOT were working on a joint submission for a planning grant to cover the NEPA and PE study phase for a 4 track Long Bridge replacement across the Potomac River.
- Ardmore PA station: read that SEPTA was planning to take the lead and submit an application for part of the costs to modernize the Ardmore station and upgrade with high level platforms. Don't know if SEPTA submitted an application this year.
I would guess that Alaska is a good candidate for missing the boat on the grants since their Government is run out of the Governors hip pocket so to speak!
I would not have expected Sen. Inhofe to openly support the HF. He is a rather conservative right wing Senator after all. Good sign for the eventual extension of the HF to Kansas.
neroden
Engineer
He's old (born 1934) and so he's old-school conservative. Not like these young whippersnapper right-wingers.
He probably actually remembers riding passenger trains in Kansas, back when they were good.Unfortunately, this means the support will probably vanish when he retires.
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The FY2014 TIGER grant award selection are being announced by the politicians and the local press. I expect we will have to wait until Thursday September 11 for a complete list of grant awards from US DOT so we can put together a sublist of the selected projects that either directly or indirectly affect Amtrak.
First one in: the joint application for maintenance of the Southwest Chief route in KS and CO was selected for funding.
First one in: the joint application for maintenance of the Southwest Chief route in KS and CO was selected for funding.
Grant that benefits Amtrak indirectly: $24.9 million for the Richmond VA Broad Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. Richmond Main Street station (RVM) will be a stop on the BRT line. Senator Warner's (D-VA) press release on the 2 TIGER grants to VA. I think once the BRT line is running, it will provide an additional incentive for the VA legislature to fund in steps the upgrades necessary to route the Norfolk regional(s), the Silvers, Palmetto, Carolinian through RVM.
neroden
Engineer
I wonder whether the Mulikteo Ferry Terminal (in WA) got its grant. It certainly deserved it. Anyone know?
I would guess not. Sen. Patty Murray has announced a TIGER grant for the Port of Seattle, but nothing else. The state ferry system has had some recent controversies, and the only news today is a new head of the ferry system.
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The port of Seattle got $20 million for "modernizing the Port’s Terminal 46, a container terminal" according to the press release from Senator Murray (D-WA). Since the grants have been carefully distributed by state and region in the past, that could be the only major grant award to WA for this FY. Remember there is only $600 million available against $9.5 billion in applications.
So far, from the grant award announcements I have seen, other than the SWC track maintenance grant, there is not much for intercity passenger rail this year, either for track or intermodal station projects.
neroden
Engineer
Looking at it now, it seems like Mulkiteo managed to get its final lump of money out of a different pot a bit earlier in the year (it was about $10 million short on a $129 million project -- most of which is environmental remediation -- making it a very useful use of money). Not sure what pot.
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The complete list of the FY2014 TIGER grants is now available.
US DOT press release: U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx Announces 72 TIGER 2014 Recipients. Excerpt:
"WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced that the Department of Transportation would provide $600 million for 72 transportation projects in 46 states and the District of Columbia from its TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) 2014 program."
Translation: we succeeded in spreading the funds around to 46 states plus DC to maximize the number of Senators and Congressional districts getting money to improve the chances of TIGER continuing to get funded.
8 MB PDF file with descriptions of the grants.
The grant to CO and KS for the SWC route is the only construction funding directly related to Amtrak service this year that I see. There are planning grants that are relevant starting with $2.8 million to complete the Long Bridge NEPA and PE in DC. There are a number of transit system grants including the RIchmond VA BRT, Providence RI street car, Detroit M-1 street car that will provide improved local transit connections at Amtrak stations.
US DOT press release: U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx Announces 72 TIGER 2014 Recipients. Excerpt:
"WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx today announced that the Department of Transportation would provide $600 million for 72 transportation projects in 46 states and the District of Columbia from its TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) 2014 program."
Translation: we succeeded in spreading the funds around to 46 states plus DC to maximize the number of Senators and Congressional districts getting money to improve the chances of TIGER continuing to get funded.
8 MB PDF file with descriptions of the grants.
The grant to CO and KS for the SWC route is the only construction funding directly related to Amtrak service this year that I see. There are planning grants that are relevant starting with $2.8 million to complete the Long Bridge NEPA and PE in DC. There are a number of transit system grants including the RIchmond VA BRT, Providence RI street car, Detroit M-1 street car that will provide improved local transit connections at Amtrak stations.
neroden
Engineer
It's a really poor list of projects, and does look like "we attempted to pass it to as many districts as possible".
On the upside:
- Providence Streetcar
- Providence Station Transit Center Plan
- quite a number of "complete streets" (sidewalk) projects (however, this sort of thing needs very badly to be funded from permanent taxes)
- M-1 streetcar
- Ruggles station modernization
- Long Bridge NEPA
An awful lot is spent on studies which aren't going to lead to anything. NYC got $25 million for "Vision Zero" (zero traffic fatalities), which would be great if money were the problem there -- which it isn't; the problem is a bad attitude on the part of the NYPD.
Based on this year's round, *I* wouldn't fund TIGER grants again if I were in Congress.
On the upside:
- Providence Streetcar
- Providence Station Transit Center Plan
- quite a number of "complete streets" (sidewalk) projects (however, this sort of thing needs very badly to be funded from permanent taxes)
- M-1 streetcar
- Ruggles station modernization
- Long Bridge NEPA
An awful lot is spent on studies which aren't going to lead to anything. NYC got $25 million for "Vision Zero" (zero traffic fatalities), which would be great if money were the problem there -- which it isn't; the problem is a bad attitude on the part of the NYPD.
Based on this year's round, *I* wouldn't fund TIGER grants again if I were in Congress.
T
the DUCK
Guest
Well, upon the reading of the list of Tiger fund receivers it seams that Colorado request for road work is what Colorado received--- not for railroad improvements. Also close reading the grant says that Southwest Chief currently operates on the line. Key word Currently.
neutralist
Service Attendant
This is very critical as the bridge is the only single-track bottleneck on the entire Black Hawk line. Everywhere else are at least two tracks.
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neroden
Engineer
Didn't get it. :-(
What are you defining as the Black Hawk line?
Following up on this, there were 4 states that did not get selected for FY2014 TIGER grants: Vermont, Delaware, Wyoming, Hawaii. We know VT submitted an application, I would expect that DE and HI did also. Which would leave Wyoming as the likely state that did not apply for a grant, even with 797 applications submitted. It has the smallest population of all 50 states with 582K people as of 2013, so maybe the state DOT did not want to try to spend the time and money to even submit a road or highway project application.
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