• 29 percent of the funding will support transit projects like the Westside Multimodal Transit Center in San Antonio.

• 12 percent will help build port projects like the Port of New Orleans Rail Yard Improvements.

• 10 percent will go to freight rail projects like the Muldraugh Bridge Replacement in Kentucky.

• Three grants were also directed to tribal governments to create jobs and address critical transportation needs in Indian country.

• Three grants will provide better multimodal access to airports, including DFW in Texas.

Work has already begun on 33 planning projects while 58 capital projects are under way across the country from the previous two rounds of TIGER, and an additional 13 projects are expected to break ground over the next six months.

In 2009 and 2010, the Department received a total of 2,400 applications requesting $76 billion, greatly exceeding the $2.1 billion available in the TIGER I and TIGER II grant programs. In the previous two rounds, the TIGER program awarded grants to 126 freight, highway, transit, port, and bicycle/pedestrian projects in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

TIGER grants are awarded to transportation projects that have a significant national or regional impact. Projects are chosen for their ability to contribute to the long-term economic competitiveness of the nation, improve the condition of existing transportation facilities and systems, increase energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improve the safety of U.S. transportation facilities, and enhance the quality of living and working environments of communities through increased transportation choices and connections.

The Department also gives priority to projects that are expected to create and preserve jobs quickly and stimulate increases in economic activity. The continuing demand for TIGER grants highlights the need for further investment in the nation’s transportation infrastructure that could be provided by President Obama’s American Jobs Act.

The American Jobs Act would provide $50 billion to improve 150,000 miles of road, replace 4,000 miles of track, and restore 150 miles of runways, creating jobs for American workers and building a safer, more efficient transportation network. It would also provide $10 billion for the creation of a bipartisan National Infrastructure bank. A complete list of grant recipients can be viewed at www.dot.gov/tiger/docs/FY2011_TIGER.pdf.