Seven semifinalist cities selected over the weekend in USDOT’s Smart City Challenge
Over the weekend, while appearing at the South by Southwest Interactive festival, USDOT Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the selection of seven cities to continue as semifinalists in the first-ever Smart City Challenge — a competition that will eventually award $40 million to just one city to “use technology to connect transportation assets into an interactive network.”
Interested in learning more about or applying for this year’s TIGER grants? Join us on 3/24
Though the future of the program is perpetually up in the air, $500 million in competitive federal funding is available for smart, local transportation projects this year in the TIGER program, and Transportation for America is here to help you learn more about the program.
Over 170 local elected, business and civic leaders from 45 states call on Congress to support TIGER & public transit funding
Over 170 elected officials and local, civic and business leaders from 45 U.S. states today sent a letter to congressional appropriators urging them to provide at least $500 million for another round of TIGER competitive transportation grants as well as the full amount authorized in last year’s FAST Act for new transit construction.
Massachusetts event highlights the growing trend of states moving to enable more local transportation funding
“Let the voters decide.” It’s a mantra we hear all the time in politics, but not quite as much in transportation. Yet that’s starting to change, as nearly a dozen states have taken steps to empower local communities with new or enhanced taxing authority for transportation over the last few years, putting the question directly in the hands of voters.
Tennessee charting a course to make streets more dangerous & hamstring local authority
A bill moving through the Tennessee state house would severely roll back local control over transportation spending, eliminating the flexibility that cities and counties currently have to invest in a wide range of transportation options — part and parcel of staying economically competitive.
Maryland attempting to bring accountability & transparency into process for selecting transportation projects
Maryland is attempting to join the growing movement of states trying to ensure that transportation projects are selected and built on their merits in a more transparent process. T4America testified today in favor of a bill that would move the needle in that direction.
Carrying the message of Gulf Coast support for passenger rail up to Capitol Hill
After last week’s inspiring rail trip along the Gulf Coast where we witnessed firsthand the massive support from citizens and local leaders alike for restoring passenger rail service along the coast, a member of the Southern Rail Commission testified before the Senate’s key rail committee earlier this week to deliver the same message Gulf Coast citizens so passionately presented at each stop last week.
Refreshed T4America bill tracker for following state transportation funding and policy progress
While at least 23 states have raised new funding for transportation at the state level since 2012, there’s a renewed focus on the underlying policies to make the most of limited infrastructure dollars. Which states are proposing to change to how those dollars are spent? Which states are working to create more transparency and build more public trust in transportation spending?
Though the program’s future is uncertain, $500 million in TIGER grants are now available
Though the future of the program could be in doubt, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced yesterday that $500 million is now available for the best local projects in the next round of the TIGER competitive grant program.
Watch last week’s creative placemaking online discussion
As part of the kickoff for T4America’s brand new online interactive guide to creative placemaking, we hosted an online conversation on the topic last week. If you missed the webinar, you can catch up here.
It’s past time to elevate the national conversation about infrastructure beyond just the price tag. Learn more about T4America's three simple principles for federal transportation investment.
Read our new principles