Feds Reject All Three NYC Applications for Latest Round of TIGER Grants

Without a TIGER grant, New Yorkers will have to wait a little longer for the next phase of the Bronx River Greenway (in red). Map: ##http://bronxriver.org/?pg=content&p=aboutus&m1=1&m2=3&m3=110##Bronx River Alliance##

This morning, U.S. DOT announced the winners in the latest round of its highly-competitive TIGER grant program. While upstate New York won grants for two projects — a highway teardown in Rochester and a complete streets project in Olean — New York City missed out, with applications for ferry improvements, a greenway connection in the Bronx, and the redesign of a busy intersection in Downtown Brooklyn failing to make the cut.

DOT had applied for funding to implement the Brooklyn Bridge Gateway project, a long-anticipated reconstruction of the intersection of Tillary Street and Adams Street that would dramatically improve cyclist and pedestrian access to the Brooklyn Bridge. DOT, which had unsuccessfully submitted the partially-funded project for earlier rounds of TIGER funding before trying again this year, told Streetsblog it was looking at other federal funding sources to fill the gap.

The Parks Department applied for $27.5 million from TIGER to match $10 million in city funds for the completion a section of the Bronx River Greenway between Starlight Park and Concrete Plant Park. The Bronx project includes three bridges — two over the Bronx River and one over the adjacent Amtrak corridor. The project, delayed by negotiations over the Amtrak bridge, saw state funds dedicated to its construction expire in 2009.

A third application, from EDC, would have been dedicated to ferry infrastructure. Streetsblog has inquired with Parks and EDC to see how they plan to fund their projects without TIGER; we’ll let you know if we hear anything back.

New York City has previously won TIGER grants for Hunts Point freight rail infrastructure, Moynihan Station, the city’s Sheridan Expressway study, and the redesign of Fordham Plaza.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Bronx River Greenway Gets a $10 Million Boost From TIGER

|
A critical link in the Bronx River Greenway is getting a funding boost from the feds that should help put an end to years of bureaucratic delays. Yesterday the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded New York City a $10 million TIGER grant to build out walking and biking paths and bridges connecting two parks along the Bronx River. The […]

Nine NYC Bike-Ped Projects Get Federal Funds From State DOT

|
Nine bicycle and pedestrian projects in New York City are receiving federal funds distributed through New York State DOT, according to an announcement late last month by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The projects range from pedestrian safety fixes on streets near busy expressways to upgraded plazas and greenways. The New York City awards are: South Bronx […]

State DOT Delays Funding for NYC Bike-Ped Projects [Updated]

|
Last week the Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s Michelle Ernst reported that an important funding stream for bike and pedestrian projects is currently stalled. New York State DOT’s Transportation Enhancements Program, which is largely funded by the feds, normally distributes grants for bike and pedestrian projects every two to three years. As Ernst reports, however, it’s already […]

This Week: Bronx Ped Safety, Brooklyn Gateway, Transit Trivia

|
Last week, we covered the efforts of advocates to get the city and state to complete the missing link in the Bronx River Greenway by building phase two of Starlight Park. That isn’t the only action happening along the greenway: There are two community board meetings this week to improve safety at pedestrian crossings leading […]

Waterfront Plan Provides Timeline for Greenway Expansions

|
The Randall’s Island Connector, part of the South Bronx Greenway, would run underneath an Amtrak trestle and create a new link to bike or walk between the South Bronx and Manhattan. Image: NYCEDC New York City’s greenway system will see steady growth in the next three years, according to city plans released earlier this week. […]