Project

TIGER Grant Applications: Benefit-Cost Analysis

US DOT’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program is a highly competitive grant program for innovative transportation projects that not only improve transportation but also help to expand economic opportunity and transform communities. The program also supports multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects, which are difficult to fund through traditional federal programs. A critical element of TIGER applications is the requirement for a well-documented Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA), which may go beyond traditional traveler benefit measures to also include quantified environmental and economic productivity benefits. Local community and economic development impacts may also be presented separately.

Transportation agencies across the US have relied on EDR Group (now EBP) to help them in developing TIGER applications, particularly the benefit-cost and economic impact aspects of those applications. Examples of successful applications that relied on economic analysis by EDR Group include:

  • Missouri – Replacement of the Champ Clark Bridge (US 54 crossing of the Mississippi River between Louisiana, MO and Pike County, IL. The old bridge had become unreliable due to closures caused by seasonal flooding and maintenance problems, causing a 77-mile detour. The new bridge provides room for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as trucks and cars. (Press Release with links)
  • Kentucky – Improvements to the Mountain Parkway in Salyersville, KY. The project enhances safety, reduces travel time, and provides “livability” benefits by enhancing access to recreational activities, cultural amenities, and health-related services for residents of Eastern Kentucky. (Press Release with links)
  • Maine - Reconstruction of the Breakwater at the Port of Eastport (Maine) to help attract international tourism to the area. The project improves harbor operation and safety and helps the region retain traditional industries, maintain competitiveness in the fishing industry, and sustain recreational boating. (Press Release with links)
  • Rhode Island - Improvements to the Apponaug Circulator in Warwick, RI. The downtown traffic bypass project provides user benefits (travel time, mileage and travel cost savings) as well as livability and economic vitality benefits (facilitating business operations in a new downtown facility, more efficiently utilizing downtown’s aesthetic and encouraging non-motorized travel in the downtown area. (Press Release with links)

The application for each of these projects featured an enhanced Benefit-Cost Analysis which included quantified multi-modal traveler benefits as well as wider environmental and economic productivity benefits.