NEWS RELEASE
February 17, 2010
Contacts:
Jody Ladd Craig, Public Affairs Director, jcraig@marc.org, 816/701-8241
Mell Henderson, Transportation Director, mellh@marc.org, 816/701-8257
Tom Gerend, Asst. Transportation Director, tgerend@marc.org, 816/701-8303
TIGER roars into town with $50 million grant
U.S. Transportation Secretary announces stimulus funds for KC Metro
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood visited Kansas City today to announce $1.5 billion in TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grants, including $50 million for the Kansas City region. The grants are funded by federal stimulus dollars as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Mid-America Regional Council coordinated a regional grant application for the TIGER funds. Partners included the city of Kansas City, Mo.; Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas; the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority; and others.
The U.S. Department of Transportation reviewed more than 1,400 applications nationwide totaling nearly $60 billion, before selecting 51 winning projects. The department's selections were based on the ability of projects to provide economic benefits, improve safety and the condition of the existing transportation system, increase quality of life, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and demonstrate strong collaboration among a broad range of participants.
On average, the 51 grantees each received about 30 percent of the funds they applied for; the $50 million awarded to the Kansas City region represents about 60 percent of the $88 million requested.
"This was one of the most competitive grants in the entire recovery package," said David Warm, MARC?s executive director. "We are very happy to be one of the 51 funded out of the more than 1,400 submitted. This will allow us to make a tangible investment in a regional transit strategy. And some $20 million of this money will be spent in the Kansas side of the region, making this a truly regional project."
The portions of the grant application to receive funding include:
- Investments in the Green Impact Zone, a 150-square block area in the urban core of Kansas City, Mo., which has been identified as a national model for targeting resources to reverse decades of decline and abandonment by creating jobs, improving energy efficiency and building neighborhood capacity. TIGER funds will support sidewalk, street and transit improvements in the zone.
- Investments in regional transit corridors — including the U.S. 24 and U.S. 40 corridors in eastern Jackson County; the North Oak corridor north of the Missouri River; the State Avenue corridor in Kansas City, Kan.; and the Metcalf/Shawnee Mission Parkway corridor in Johnson County. TIGER funds will support transit infrastructure improvements, including additional transit centers, better pedestrian access to transit facilities, bus stop improvements, and traffic signal priority for buses.
For more information about the region?s TIGER grant application, visit www.marc.org/recovery/TIGER. For a list of all 51 projects funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, visit www.dot.gov.
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