WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced a replacement for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants.
DOT published a notice of funding opportunity for $1.5 billion through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development discretionary grant, or BUILD, program.
Although BUILD will replace the TIGER program, it is similar. They both award grants a competitive basis to local or regional entities to fund roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports or intermodal transportation.
The last round of TIGER grants awarded about $500 million to fund 41 projects in 43 states and territories.
“BUILD transportation grants will help communities revitalize their surface transportation systems while also increasing support for rural areas to ensure that every region of our country benefits,” Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said.
DOT said BUILD applicants will be assessed on the basis of safety, economic competitiveness, quality of life, environmental protection, innovation, partnership and additional nonfederal revenue for future transportation infrastructure investments.
A large share of the grants will be awarded to projects in rural areas, including for rural broadband deployment.
The Consolidate Appropriations Act of 2018 made $1.5 billion available for BUILD grants through September 2020, the same amount as the TIGER grants.
The maximum grant award for BUILD recipients is $25 million, and no more than $150 million can be awarded to a single state.
The BUILD grants require that at least 30 percent of funds must be awarded to projects in rural areas, but the secretary of transportation is required to ensure an appropriate balance of addressing rural and urban needs.
National Association of Counties Executive Director Matthew Chase said the BUILD program will serve as another element to the partnership between federal and local government agencies. Chase said that counties invest more than $122 billion each year in infrastructure projects and own 46 percent of the nation’s roads and 38 percent of its bridges.
