Wisconsin applies for TIGER money for rail bridges

Written by Jenifer Nunez, assistant editor
image description
A typical timber trestle on the P&L Line.
WSDOT

On June 5, 2015, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) submitted applications for three Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants, requesting more than $43 million combined in transportation investments, including $5.39 million for improvements to more than a dozen freight rail bridges.

 

The grant program focuses on projects that generate economic development and improve access to reliable, safe and affordable transportation. In the previous six rounds of TIGER awards, the average award size nationally has been $14.5 million. The maximum award is $200 million and no more than $125 million will be awarded to projects in a single state.

The Connecting the Inland Pacific Hub Multimodal Centers to Global Marketplace – Phase 2 project would repair one steel bridge and three timber bridges and replace 11 timber bridges on the Washington state-owned Palouse and Lewiston (P&L) Branch Rail Line between the cities of Marshall (Spokane County) and McCoy (Whitman County).

The P&L Branch of the Palouse River and Coulee City Rail System passes through some of the nation’s most productive wheat farmland and provides a critical link between a planned container loading facility and the McCoy Grain Terminal. WSDOT is seeking $5.39 million for this project. The Port of Whitman County is a co-applicant with WSDOT for the grant request.

Additionally, WSDOT is seeking a $20 million grant for the Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal Relocation. The project replaces the aging, seismically deficient Mukilteo ferry terminal and relocates it to the site of a former U.S. Air Force tank farm, east of the existing terminal. The new terminal increases efficiency and capacity and features separated, overhead loading for pedestrians, dedicated bicycle and HOV lanes, a six-bay bus transit center and improved connections to the adjacent commuter-rail station.

WSDOT will find out if they will be awarded the funds when the U.S. Department of Transportation announces the TIGER VII Grant awards by the end of the summer or in early fall.

In U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx’s Fast Lane blog, he stated that “the overwhelming demand for TIGER grants reflects the widespread need for additional resources to fund needed projects across the country. The Department received more than 950 pre-applications to fund transformative and innovative capital projects.

“These come from every corner of the country representing large cities and small towns alike. In fact, TIGER grant pre-applications have been submitted from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. territories and more than 80 tribal governments.”

Foxx says that applicants are requesting nearly $14.5 billion in federal funds, 29 times the amount available.

 

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