Since 2009, the federal TIGER program has made projects in Missouri like the Kansas City Streetcar project and a new MetroLink Station at Cortex in mid-town a reality, directing a relatively tiny $4 billion into smart, ready-to-go transportation projects for a high return on investment.
Unfortunately, in the just-released proposal for a new long-term transportation bill, the Senate Commerce Committee has decided to completely revamp the TIGER program that awards competitive, merit-based grants.
Tomorrow, the Senate Commerce Committee is marking up the bill in the morning, so time is of the essence!
The committee is creating a grant program explicitly for freight projects, but that shouldn’t happen at the expense of TIGER.
When we choose projects on the merits, we can get a greater bang for the buck. In Misosuri alone, we have seen TIGER funding serve as the catalyst for millions in additional local funding to move transit forward.
According to Transportation for America, these TIGER grants have been rewarding communities all across the country that are thinking outside the box to cut congestion, improve safety, promote economic development, or improve access to jobs and opportunities through smarter transportation investments.
The Senate Commerce Committee is marking up the bill on Wednesday morning (7/15), so there’s not a moment to lose! You can weight in today through the link below.
http://action.smartgrowthamerica.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=20872