Forty-two capital construction projects and 33 planning projects in 40 states will share nearly $600 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s popular TIGER II program for major infrastructure projects ranging from highways and bridges to transit, rail and ports, Secretary Ray LaHood announced this week.

Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery - TIGER - II received nearly 1,000 construction grant applications for more than $19 billion from all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. 

Roughly 29 percent of TIGER II money goes for road projects, 26 percent for transit, 20 percent for rail projects, 16 percent for ports, four percent for bicycle and pedestrian projects and five percent for planning projects.

The East Bay Regional Park District received the award to support development of infrastructure for alternative transportation via foot and bike - the total construction costs for the proposed project are $43.3 million.

In the Bay Area, EBRPD’s proposal to fill in seven key gaps on the 200-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail system that runs across Alameda and Contra Costa counties was awarded $10.2 million. The funds - along with money  from 2008's Measure WW - will allow the district to create a truly connected network of pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly pathways throughout most of  the East Bay. Each pathway will have a state of the art bike trail, making this one of the longest and most complete bike pathways in the country.

Funds will bridge gap closures along the Bay Trail in Hercules, Berkeley, Albany, Union City and Martinez and build out the East Bay Greenway in Oakland, lengthen the Iron Horse Trail in Pleasanton and Dublin through Hacienda Business Park and a new transit-oriented development. The funds also will be used to connect Brentwood and Antioch along the Mokelumne Trail in eastern Contra Costa County, a path that used to exist before it was cut by the new Highway 4 bypass.

According to the application (see below), the estimate of livability benefits from the EBGTI is approximately $8.12 million annually. This is based on the following assumptions:

• $4.64 million in more attractive and convenient transportation options for cyclists.
• $3.48 million in improved options for pedestrians; $1.15 million in public health improvements from bicycle trips.
• $140,000 in reduced air pollution from bicycle trips. This is one-third of the mid-range benefits from reduced auto use under our BCA.
• $970,000 in reduced air pollution and public health improvements from walking trips.

Even better, the project is expected to create 470 new jobs over four years, roughly 100 jobs per quarter for the first four quarters of project implementation.

East Bay Green Transportation 08-2010 Web