Business View - November 2014 95
After evaluating 797 applications totaling requests for
$9 billion for fiscal year 2014 Transportation Invest-
ment Generating Economic Recovery grants, U.S. De-
partment of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx
announced 72 awards totaling $584 million will be
distributed in the sixth round of the multimodal, discre-
tionary grant program. Of those, seven awards totaling
$74,241,904, or about 13 percent of total funding, are
going to projects that USDOT classifies as “maritime.”
Another $54,469,652 comprising five awards, which is
equal to about 9 percent of the total funding, is going
to what USDOT classifies as “freight rail” projects. Like
freight rail, millions more are being awarded to various
road and planning projects which aid in the movement
of freight into and out of America’s seaports.
On the U.S. DOT’s TIGER Grants web page, Foxx said,
“As uncertainty about the future of long-term federal
funding continues, this round of TIGER will be a shot in
the arm for these innovative, job-creating and quality
of life-enhancing projects.” He further noted that more
projects could be getting done if Congress passed the
GROW AMERICA Act, which the American Association
of Port Authorities supports and which would double
the funding available for TIGER.
AAPA President and CEO Kurt Nagle lauded DOT’s rec-
ognition of the critical role America’s ports play and
the federal support provided in TIGER VI grants for
seaports. He also noted that the 13 percent funding
for maritime infrastructure projects in this round of TI-
GER, along with the more than 9 percent funding for
freight rail and road planning and infrastructure proj-
ects, will help improve freight mobility, including con-
nections to ports.
“AAPA urges that 25 percent of TIGER grants be pro-
vided for port-related and connector infrastructure,
since ports are one of the four eligible areas (along
with highways/bridges, transit and freight/passenger
rail) for the TIGER program,” Nagle said. “Furthermore,
LOGISTICS
