TIGER Grants
What criteria will the transportation secretary’s office use to award funds?
The TIGER grants will be awarded based on primary and secondary criteria. The primary criteria consist of a) long-term outcomes, such as livability and sustainability, and b) Job creation and economic stimulus. Two secondary criteria will be given less weight: innovation and partnership. Project-specific criteria may also be used to compare and prioritize multiple, similar projects that are rated similarly based upon the preceding criteria. The TIGER Discretionary Grant program is a unique opportunity because its project selection criteria are strongly aligned with the outcomes and objectives of the Atlanta Streetcar.
Is this project competing for funding with other projects in the city or the state?
Applications will be submitted from cities and states nationwide. The field will be highly competitive. In the Atlanta region alone, we are aware of 16 additional project applications. However, Georgia Transit Connector is the only application submitted by the City.
When will we know if Atlanta receives the funding?
We will find out if we receive the funding sometime after the September 15 grant application deadline. It is likely that we will know if we have been short-listed in December and have a final decision no later than mid-February 2010.
What if we do not receive the TIGER funding?
The completed application will also position Georgia Transit Connector to pursue other available federal grants and funding opportunities. For example, the work completed for the application can be used to apply for Federal Transit Administration funding (e.g., New Starts or Small Starts programs).
What does it cost to compile the TIGER funding application? Who is footing the bill?
Compiling the application will cost about $750,000. Atlanta Downtown Improvement District and Midtown Improvement District will both contribute $300,000 to the effort. MARTA is contributing technical analysis and assistance. The City of Atlanta has provided leadership and professional resources to enable the creation of the current partnership and produce the funding application.
Will the TIGER grant cover all costs for the streetcar? Will there be a toll or tax to fund the streetcar?
The TIGER Discretionary Grant would provide 100% of the $298.3 million capital cost for the Georgia Transit Connector: Atlanta Streetcar Project.
Georgia Transit Connector has studied and considered a variety of operational models to identify the most viable structure for long-term sustainability. All partners involved are dedicated to developing an operational structure that will result in ongoing financial stability for the Atlanta Streetcar. The operations and maintenance costs will be funded with a variety of local sources that include federal funds (for the first three years of operations), fare revenues, advertising, station naming rights, interest income and contributions by the partners of the Georgia Transit Connector through a public-private partnership.
Neither residential nor parking taxes are included among the alternatives proposed for O&M funding. Due to the complexity of factors involved in operations, the details of the public-private partnership structure will be determined upon receipt of the funds.
What if the Georgia Transit Connector receives a TIGER grant, but the amount of money awarded does not cover the full project?
The application for the Atlanta Streetcar proposes a full project consisting of the Peachtree Street route from SCAD-Atlanta to the Five Points MARTA rail station and the east/west route from the King Center to Centennial Olympic Park. Recognizing that full funding may not be awarded, the application also includes potential project phases:
A Midtown MARTA Station phase that ends at 10th Street, a Civic Center MARTA Station phase that ends at Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, and a Downtown Circulator phase (considered the minimum operable segment), consisting of just the east/west route.
If the level of funding awarded cannot initially implement the full project, Georgia Transit Connector will pursue other available federal grants and funding opportunities (e.g., Federal Transit Administration New Starts or Small Starts funding) to extend the streetcar system incrementally to achieve the full project.
