FY 2017 National Infrastructure Investments

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The FY 2017 Appropriations Act appropriated $500 million to be awarded by DOT for the TIGER Discretionary Grants program. The FY 2017 TIGER Discretionary Grants are for capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure and are to be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant impact on the Nation, a metropolitan area, or a region. The Act also allows DOT to use a small portion of the $500 million for oversight and administration of grants. If this solicitation does not result in the award and obligation of all available funds, DOT may publish additional solicitations. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 specifies that TIGER Discretionary Grants may not be less than $5 million and not greater than $25 million, except that for projects located in rural areas the minimum TIGER Discretionary Grant size is $1 million. Pursuant to the FY Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, no more than 20 percent of the funds made available for TIGER Discretionary Grants (or $50 million) may be awarded to projects in a single State. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 directs that not less than 20 percent of the funds provided for TIGER Discretionary Grants (or $100 million) shall be used for projects located in rural areas. Further, pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, DOT must take measures to ensure an equitable geographic distribution of grant funds, an appropriate balance in addressing the needs of urban and rural areas, and investment in a variety of transportation modes. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 requires that FY 2017 TIGER funds are only available for obligation through September 30, 2020. No FY 2017 TIGER funds may be expended after September 30, 2025. As part of the review and selection process described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, DOT will consider whether a project is ready to proceed with an obligation of grant funds from DOT within the statutory time provided. Under the FY 2017 Appropriations Act, no waiver is possible for these deadlines. The FY 2017 Appropriations Act allows for up to 20 percent of available funds (or $100 million) to be used by the Department to pay the subsidy and administrative costs for a project receiving credit assistance under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 (“TIFIA”) program, if it would further the purposes of the TIGER Discretionary Grant program. Recipients of prior TIGER Discretionary Grants may apply for funding to support additional phases of a project awarded funds in earlier rounds of this program. However, to be competitive, the applicant should demonstrate the extent to which the previously funded project phase has been able to meet estimated project schedules and budget, as well as the ability to realize the benefits expected for the project. DOT expects that each TIGER Discretionary Grant will be administered by one of the relevant modal administrations, pursuant to a grant agreement between the TIGER Discretionary Grant recipient and the relevant modal administration.

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