DOT will make available $500 million for the eighth set of TIGER grants since 2009, Secretary Anthony Foxx announced Feb. 23.

“Like the first seven rounds, 2016 TIGER discretionary grants will fund capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure and will be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area or a region,” Foxx said. The program has provided almost $4.6 billion to 381 projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

DOT must receive TIGER grant applications by April 29. To learn more, click here.

In related news, Foxx testified on President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 transportation budget at a Feb. 24 hearing of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development and Related Agencies.

He cited specifics of the budget including $98 billion in transportation investments for advances in safety, innovative technologies and repair and replacement of aging infrastructure and a 21st Century Clean Transportation Plan that includes several new grant programs, nearly $20 billion for public transit to address the needs of fast-growing communities, more than $6 billion a year for high-performance passenger rail and almost $4 billion over 10 years for research into integrating new transportation technologies.

McCall Convenes Meeting in Cleveland About Republican Convention

APTA Chair Valarie J. McCall, a member of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Board of Trustees, convened a meeting Feb. 22 with Republican National Committee leaders, Cleveland city officials and APTA officials to plan events at the Republican National Convention in July.

APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy and staff joined McCall, Vice Chair Doran Barnes, Secretary-Treasurer Kim Green, BMBG Chair Patrick Scully, with Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and Clarence Anthony, executive director, National League of Cities, for a briefing on the upcoming convention and to begin developing joint efforts. They also met with Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson.

Similar events are being planned for the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia.

See more in the March 7 issue of Passenger Transport.

FTA Continues ADA Circular Training in Webinar Series

FTA’s Office of Civil Rights will hold the fourth webinar in a series examining ADA requirements, “The ADA and Demand Response Service Requirements,” Wednesday, March 2, 2-3 p.m. EST. Topics will include types of demand response service, equivalent service, monitoring and more. The webinar covers materials from Chapters 2 and 7 of the FTA ADA Circular released in October 2015. Attendance is limited. To register, click here.

TrAMS Training, Support Activities Continue

SAVE THE DATE

There's still time to register for the APTA Legislative Conference, March 13-15 in Washington, DC. Join DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, FTA Acting Administrator Therese McMillan and other leaders in the public transportation field.

The Bus & Paratransit Conference convenes May 15-18 in Charlotte, NC. Learn more here.

IN THE MEDIA

Public Transport Agencies Voice Support for Bill to End Assaults on Transit Workers
WCPO, Cincinnati; Feb. 24

Lyft May Share Data on Rides that Start and End at Metro Stations
Los Angeles Times; Feb. 22

In Cleveland, They Built It, and Riders Came, Along with a Whole Lot More
Bridge-The Center for Michigan; Feb. 23

PennDOT Study Touts Transportation Regionalization
The Sentinel-cumberlink.com (Carlisle, PA); Feb. 22

NOTABLE & QUOTABLE

"The president’s budget proposal recognizes that neither the current patchwork funding approach nor the rigid and antiquated distribution of transportation dollars through a formula is going to put our nation’s infrastructure in the best possible position for our kids and grandkids. ... [It] offers the pathway into the future that our transportation challenges demand. I hope Congress will give that pathway the consideration it warrants."

DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx
February 24