There are going to be a lot of unhappy people once the TIGER Grants are awarded

[CanesFan27]

In doing some additional research about the upcoming awarding of $1.5 billion in TIGER Discretionary Grants to various transportation projects throughout the country, I was rather stunned to learn that the USDOT received 1380 total applications from all 50 states plus Guam, The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.

The 1380 applications totals $56.5 billion - nearly 38 times more than what will be awarded.  The applications range from highway/bridges, to transit, to rail, and other (most likely pedestrian and bike projects).

More details at the blog:
http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2010/01/when-tiger-discretionary-grants-are.html

A two page summary from the USDOT:
http://www.dot.gov/recovery/docs/tdgappoverview.pdf

Exit question: What are some of the projects being applied for in your state?  And which of them are the most pressing?

[J N Winkler]

In Kansas, KDOT has applied for $262 million worth of TIGER grants--the lion's share being for the US 54 Kingman bypass ($87.5 million) and the K-18 upgrade to full freeway between Manhattan and Ogden ($79.8 million), with the remainder being railroad and intermodal projects.

It seems unlikely that Kansas can expect more than $15 million from the TIGER program (based on its percentage of the US population) or $30 million (based on its being one of the fifty states), so obviously not all of these projects will get TIGER funding.  In fact the TIGER funding Kansas is likely to get will not amount to 100% of what KDOT has asked for any individual project it has submitted.

I understand that final design is all but complete for the K-18 freeway upgrade.  It is being divided into three segments for construction--"Ogden" (K-18/K-114 interchange, $81 million), "Scenic" (Scenic Drive interchange, $57 million), and "Miller-Davis" (Miller Ave. and Davis Pkwy. interchange, $21 million).  In principle KDOT can let all three contracts at once, as a state tie, and indeed the latest version of its letting schedule (which has not been updated since August 2009 approximately) envisions a letting date of March 2010 for all three.  The wildcard, however, is that K-18 would be drawing not just on TIGER, but also ARRA.  Kansas' total ARRA allocation was $380 million, of which KDOT has budgeted $323 million for state and local projects other than K-18, leaving a hole of $57 million which theoretically could be applied to the $159 million estimated construction cost of K-18.  (In its initial ARRA press release, KDOT kept mum about precisely how much ARRA money it was allocating to K-18.)  I doubt, however, that K-18 will get the entirety of this amount.  KDOT's current-projects database has no information on the funding breakdown for K-18 but I understand that it is somewhat more complex than a straight 80% federal-20% state NHS split because it is linked to Fort Riley expansion and the national bioterrorism research institute at Kansas State University.

Because KDOT is not perfectly insulated from Kansas' budget problems, which this year include a $400 million deficit with the potential for higher deficits in later years, I anticipate that the Ogden section will be let to construction sometime in the next year while Scenic and Miller-Davis will be deferred, possibly to later years.  Ogden is the most complex and expensive portion of K-18, amounting to a little over half the total estimated construction cost, because it involves a stream diversion and multiple bridges ranging in length from simple overcrossings to a long railroad viaduct.  However, of the three sections it delivers the greatest benefit to traffic because it replaces the K-18 TOTSO at K-114 with a partial cloverleaf on a long smooth curve.

I understand that the US 54 Kingman bypass is also in final design but I am not aware that anything like a complete plans set has yet been finished, as is the case for the three K-18 contracts.  I doubt this bypass will get any TIGER funding and I don't think it will be built until the Legislature approves and funds a third comprehensive highway program.

[Revive 755]

Missouri:
* The I-70 truck lanes out in Saline, and maybe Cooper Counties. While something needs to be done for I-70, the sections closer to Kansas City, St. Louis, or the section through Columbia should be higher priorities.  The Saline County portion of I-70 seemed to run fine away from summer weekends and holidays.

This was the only project MoDOT could bother to put in an application for.  Considering the many other needs in the state, there should have been many more projects trying for this grant.

* Phase 3 of MO 364 - Would be nice, but I think getting a new bridge across the Missouri River for WB US 40 or a few other projects ought to be higher priority.

This application came from St. Charles County and/or many of the municipalities located near the planned Phase 3 of MO 364.

* Chouteau's Pond - this one consists of somehow relocating many of the rail lines south of the US 40 viaduct south of downtown St. Louis and putting a small lake in.  A perfect example of pork, and maybe a good example of the "I don't like this transportation facility here, move near someone else" planning/mentality that seems to be common nowadays.

General view of the area, but I don't know the exact location of the proposal:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=38.622596,-90.198387&spn=0.005826,0.013733&t=h&z=17

Iowa
A nice listings of projects, incl plus selection criteria:
[url]http://www.iowadot.gov/RECOVERY/TIGER.html[url]

Out of Iowa's projects, I would call the US 6 viaduct in Council Bluffs a somewhat high priority, while the remaining highway projects
all look equally deserving, but more deserving than the Missouri projects.  I have a slight bias though in favor of the I-80 widening in the Iowa City area.

EDIT:  Found information regarding a few more Missouri applications.  One is for Mississippi port improvements at St. Louis, another for work around the end of the new Mississippi River bridge for I-70, and another for redoing the I-64/22nd Street interchange.  Out of these, the port one seems the best, while the I-64/22nd Street interchange is a complete waste given other needs.

[rawmustard]

I know for certain that Michigan has an TIGER application for paving the Livernois-Junction Yard as part of the broader Detroit Intermodal Frieght Terminal project. As the federal overview points out, Michigan has a total of 45 applications totaling just over $1.1 billion, but so far I've not run across a comprehensive list. MDOT's five-year plan for this year of course does not account for TIGER grants because they haven't yet been announced. MDOT merely refers readers to the federal site, but that doesn't seem to have a specific list. I also am seeing that the city of East Lansing has a TIGER request for renovating its transit station. But trying to gather them all individually might be more effort than it's worth. If MDOT only had a listing like NYSDOT has, then it would be a heckuva lot easier.

[J N Winkler]

I have never been able to find a Michigan DOT STIP that listed the projects that are on the MPOs' TIPs.  Michigan seems to do things a little differently from other states in that the version of the STIP on its website doesn't list MDOT-administered projects which are in MPO areas and thus have to be listed in MPO TIPs.  I don't know if there is a "master" STIP which lists everything in Michigan that is federally funded, but if it exists, I could not find it when I was trying to find a construction date for the Ambassador Gateway a few months before it was let.

[roadfro]

I can't seem to find a list of TIGER grant applications on Nevada DOT's website...  NDOT's website isn't as comprehensive as many other states.

One project I know they've applied for is phase 2B of the Carson City Bypass (US 395/US 50). The project is fully designed and right of way is secured, so NDOT is pretty much just awaiting funding for final construction. Two future side street overpasses and flood control/utilities are going to be constructed in a separate contract that is out to bid now. That leaves the remaining mainline work, another overpass, and the final interchange at the 395/50 junction in south Carson. The total construction price tag is over $110 million.

While completing the Carson City Bypass is an important project to get a lot of thru traffic off of local streets, this final phase isn't the most crucial. Phase 2A, opened in September, was probably the most important priority, as it extended the bypass south beyond Downtown Carson City. With the temporary US 395/50 designation on Fairview Drive, freeway traffic is routed around the narrowest and slowest part of Carson Street near the capitol complex, which should greatly reduce drive times through Carson City until the remaining bypass work can be completed.

[froggie]

MnDOT only submitted five requests, for a total of $621.1 million.  Two of the five are rail-related:  $10 million for planning work on the "Southern Rail Corridor", a proposed rail bypass of Rochester, and $99 million for what is effectively a triple-tracking of the BNSF mainline between I-694 and Coon Creek (where the Hinckley Subdivision splits off to head towards Cambridge and Duluth).  The latter would enable BNSF to grant easement rights for an additional 22 passenger trains per day, which would be used for Northstar commuter rail expansion and the planned "Northern Lights Express" passenger rail to Duluth.  It would also eliminate an at-grade crossing by building an overpass for Foley Blvd (CSAH 11...just north of MN 610).

A third request (asking for $77.1M) is multi-model in the sense that it facilitates freight movement at the Port of Duluth.  It's a combination of four projects:  a new dock at the port (which would expand port capacity), improvements to local streets that serve as truck routes to/from the Port, and two projects on I-35:  a pavement reconstruction/bridge replacement within Duluth (replacing three fracture-critical bridges), and a pavement reconstruction roughly between Cloquet and Proctor.

The other two requests are strictly highway requests.  One is the long-planned "St Croix River Crossing Project" (i.e. replacing the Stillwater Bridge)....this is one of the larger TIGER requests at $300 million.  Doubt it'll happen.  The final request, titled "Twin Cities Freight and Commuter Bottleneck Removal Project", is an interchange project that would build two interchanges...one at MN 13 and former MN 101, the other being the long-needed I-494/US 169 interchange.  This request is for $135 million....as much as it's needed, I doubt they'll get that much.

My hunch is that the most-likely recipient would be the Duluth project set, though I doubt they'll get the full $77M they're asking for.  Given the administration's recent rail mantra, the BNSF project is another probable recipient...

[Revive 755]

The grants have been announced:
http://www.dot.gov/documents/finaltigergrantinfo.pdf

Looks like a lot of mass transit projects.

Best project on the list is the Bella Vista bypass for I-49 (Page 41/58).

[CanesFan27]

And there are gonna be a lot of unhappy people.

SC gets - $10 million for I-73
NC gets - $10 million for the I-85 bridge

Both projects are eligible for 'innovative financing enhancements' for a direct loan for up to 1/3 of the project costs.  The loan sounds similar to what the NCTA received for the Triangle Expressway.

Toll I-85 Yadkin River Bridge anyone?

More on the blog later tonight

[J N Winkler]

The Bella Vista Bypass is getting the same deal ($10 million down and "innovative financing"--i.e., entailing borrowing--for one-third of the overall project cost), and has an estimated cost of $358 million.  If it gets built, it won't be because of TIGER money.

[rawmustard]

The grants have been announced:
http://www.dot.gov/documents/finaltigergrantinfo.pdf

Looks like a lot of mass transit projects.

Best project on the list is the Bella Vista bypass for I-49 (Page 41/58).

Michigan got grants for two of its projects: the Black River bridge reconstruction near Port Huron and a light-rail project along Woodward Avenue connecting the downtown and New Center areas of Detroit. I can definitely see the need of the former (it approaches the busy Blue Water Bridge), although the latter sounds more intriguing than practical.

[shoptb1]

The Bella Vista Bypass is getting the same deal ($10 million down and "innovative financing"--i.e., entailing borrowing--for one-third of the overall project cost), and has an estimated cost of $358 million.  If it gets built, it won't be because of TIGER money.

I'm not even sure what "innovative financing" means, but it sounds a lot like "a wing and a prayer".

[J N Winkler]

Since 33% seems to be the magical percentage for the "innovative financing" on offer, I think TIFIA is being referred to.

Unhelpful FHWA page which sounds like an advertisement for the program

Caltrans webpage with a more lucid explanation

Bond Buyer articles going into detail about how the TIFIA program has been oversubscribed as a result of the credit crunch:  1, 2.

"Wing and prayer" is not a bad shorthand description since sooner or later the leveraging that is involved will have to be unwound, and that will cost money.

[Riverside Frwy]

Hopefully Caltrans gets some money to repave CA-91 in Corona/Riverside.It looks terrible.

[CanesFan27]

My blog entry with a synopsis and links to some of the winning and losing projects:
http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2010/02/us-dot-announces-recipients-of-15.html

[CanesFan27]

My blog entry on the Yadkin River Bridge -
http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2010/02/yadkin-river-bridge-project-only.html

It has links to various additional tidbits specific to the bridge project.  NCDOT is moving forward with replacing the Yadkin River Bridge ONLY.  THe widening and interchange improvements north of the bridge will be put on hold (most likely indefinitely).  So while the 55 year old bridge gets replaced and improved capacity, I-85 from about miles 81-87 will continue to be a four lane choke point.

[Scott5114]

At least money is being thrown at the Bella Vista Bypass. Doesn't guarantee it'll be built, but it's sorely needed and the more money it has sitting in front of it the better the chances...

[3467]

New I 74 bridge in Quad Cities -Loser-Asked for 130 million got nothing