Project supports President Obama’s Commitment to Improve Ladders of Opportunity

9/6/2013
Contact: Angela Gates
202-366-3669

EL PASO, Texas – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced a $10.3 million grant for the Northgate Transfer Center Development  Project, one of 52 transportation projects in 37 states that will receive a total of approximately $474 million from DOT’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) 2013 discretionary grant program. Among these, nearly half – 25 projects funded at $123.4 million – support rural areas of the country.   Deputy Federal Transit Administrator Therese McMillan was in El Paso along with Mayor Oscar Leeser and local officials to announce the funds
 
“These TIGER projects are the best argument you can make for investment in our transportation infrastructure,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.   “The projects TIGER supports ensure a stronger transportation system for future generations by repairing existing roads and bridges, connecting people to new jobs and opportunities, and contributing to our nation’s economic growth.” 

The $26.9 million Northgate Transfer Center Development Project will transform the site of a former suburban shopping mall into a modern transportation hub in northern El Paso — the fastest growing area of the city —  and connect thousands of transit riders to the Dyer Corridor Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, one of four new BRT lines planned for El Paso. The corridor will serve the U.S. Army Base at Fort Bliss, the Five Points Transit Center and the city’s Central Business District. The new transit hub is also the centerpiece of a planned transit-oriented development project to create a vibrant, walkable community around the transfer center.

“This TIGER grant is a big win for the City of El Paso, where Sun Metro serves roughly 9 out of 10 metro residents who need to get to work, school, medical appointments and elsewhere,” said McMillan. “This is one of the projects we’re funding through TIGER across the country that will specifically help communities create ladders of opportunity for working families eager to succeed and participate in their communities.”

In addition to the TIGER grant announced today, FTA previously announced it is providing $13.5 million for the Mesa Corridor BRT Line, which is currently under construction and expected to open next year. The Mesa BRT Line will serve western El Paso and connect riders to the Dyer BRT Line at the city’s Downtown Transfer Center. 
 
The highly competitive TIGER program offers one of the only federal funding possibilities for large, multi-modal projects that often are not suitable for other federal funding sources.  These federal funds leverage money from private sector partners, states, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations and transit agencies. The 2013 TIGER round alone supports $1.8 billion in overall project investments. 

TIGER has enjoyed overwhelming demand since its creation, a trend continued by TIGER 2013.  Applications for this most recent round of grants totaled more than $9 billion, far exceeding the $474 million set aside for the program.  In all, the Department received 585 applications from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.

The projects funded through this round of TIGER illustrate the President’s goals of creating “Ladders of Opportunity” that connect people to jobs, repairing and replacing aging infrastructure with a “Fix it First” approach and contributing to America’s economic growth. 

On March 26, 2013, the President signed the FY 2013 Appropriations Act, which after sequestration provided approximately $474 million for Department of Transportation national infrastructure investments.  Like the first four rounds, TIGER 2013 grants are for capital investments in infrastructure and are awarded on a competitive basis based on the published selection criteria.  This is the fifth round of TIGER funding. 

Under all five rounds combined, the TIGER program has provided more than $3.6 billion to 270 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.  Demand for the program outweighed available funds, and during all five rounds, the Department of Transportation received more than 5,200 applications requesting more than $114.2 billion for transportation projects across the country.

Click here for additional information on individual TIGER grants www.dot.gov/tiger/.