Continuing Collaborative efforts of DOT and HUD Highlights $15 Million TIGER Grant Funding in the City of Memphis

Left to right - Mayor A C Wharton, City of Memphis, Congressman Steve Cohen, TN-09 (Center) and HUD SE Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr.

MEMPHIS, TN - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) announced a $15 million TIGER grant for bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the city of Memphis. The grant is one of 47 for transportation projects in 34 states and the District of Columbia selected to receive funding under the U.S. Department of Transportation's highly competitive $500 million TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) 2012 program.

"I'm elated to announce that we have secured federal funding for the Main Street to Main Street Multi-Modal Connector Project," said Congressman Cohen, who has worked for nearly three years to secure these funds. "These new federal funds will help improve livability in downtown Memphis, will increase tourism, will drive economic development and create jobs, make our city more attractive to young people, and enable people to bike over the historic, scenic Mississippi River."

"The Obama Administration's commitment to an America Built to Last is clearly evident in this grant announcement and is the consequence of the continuing collaborative efforts of DOT, HUD and EPA and build's on HUD's ongoing Sustainability Community Grant efforts in Memphis," said HUD Region IV Regional Administrator Edward Jennings, Jr. "These efforts will help to create more job opportunities and attract and nurture business growth in the city."

"This is an absolutely critical asset in the continuing revitalization of the core of our city connecting the south part of downtown to the north and Shelby farms to West Memphis," said Mayor A C Wharton. "I applaud Congressman Cohen for the aggressive yet balanced approach he undertook to secure this grant."

"This is huge for Memphis," said Paul Morris, President of the Downtown Memphis Commission. "The Main Street to Main Street Connector Project will make major improvements to our Main Street corridor as well as connect us to West Memphis with a pedestrian and bike trail over the Harahan Bridge. These funds are a product of a public-private partnership that includes city, county and state governments on both sides of the river as well as our federal representatives led by Congressman Steve Cohen."

TIGER funds will improve transportation links between Memphis, Tennessee, and West Memphis, Arkansas. The project includes upgrades to the Main Street Trolley, Main Street Mall, Central Amtrak Station, and Broadway Street. The project will also develop a new bike and pedestrian trail that will provide a crossing over the Mississippi River by way of the historic Harahan Bridge. The TIGER grant will be combined with matching investments from Memphis and, West Memphis, the surrounding counties, states of Tennessee and Arkansas, and private entities.

As part of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, DOT, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Environmental Protection Agency are providing communities like Memphis with the kind of innovative planning and development tools they need to compete in the global economy.

Memphis' TIGER 2012 grant was reviewed by a panel of DOT, HUD and EPA officials and will strongly compliment the upfront investment capital HUD has provided to Memphis through its Sustainable Communities grants. HUD investments are revitalizing the neighborhoods surrounding the Aerotropolis (the urban area around the Memphis International Airport which is a transit and freight hub that suffered from inadequate planning, resulting in blight, concentrated poverty, crime, and poor connectivity to the rest of the city) and constructing a network of greenways around Shelby Farms and -- in conjunction with this TIGER 2012 grant -- will ensure that communities across the metropolitan region have the housing and transportation options they need to attract businesses and create jobs.

Additionally, Memphis was selected by the Obama Administration as one of six cities to participate in the "Strong Cities, Strong Communities" (SC2) initiative which will provide the city with a wide range of resources such as the CityStat performance management system and management fellows. SC2 will ensure that all of the redevelopment efforts under way in the city, from workforce development to neighborhood revitalization, are aligned and work together.

The TIGER program is a highly competitive program that is able to fund innovative projects difficult or impossible to fund through other federal programs. In many cases, these grants will serve as the final piece of funding for infrastructure investments totaling $1.7 billion in overall project costs. These federal funds are being leveraged with money from private sector partners, states, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations and transit agencies.

TIGER has enjoyed overwhelming demand since its creation, a trend continued by TIGER 2012. Applications for this most recent round of grants totaled $10.2 billion, far exceeding the $500 million set aside for the program. In all, the Department received 703 applications from all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

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