Transportation Infrastructure Grants and Economic Reinvestment Act

Transportation Infrastructure Grants and Economic Reinvestment Act

The bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish a program under which DOT shall provide competitive grants of between $10 million and $200 million to the District of Columbia, to a state, Indian tribe, U.S. territory, local government, port authority, metropolitan planning organization, transit agency, or another political subdivision of a state or local government, or to two or more of such entities working in collaboration, for eligible transportation projects (including highway or bridge, public transportation, passenger or freight rail transportation, and port infrastructure or intermodal projects) that would have a significant beneficial impact on a state, metropolitan area, or region or the United States.

DOT, in providing such grants, must: (1) ensure an equitable geographical distribution of funds, an appropriate balance in addressing the needs of urban and rural areas, and investment in a variety of transportation modes; and (2) give priority to eligible projects that require a contribution of federal funds to complete an overall financing package.

The bill sets forth primary and secondary criteria for selecting eligible projects.

The bill: (1) limits to 25% the amount of grant funds that may be provided to any state, (2) requires at least 20% of grant funds to be provided for eligible projects located in rural areas, and (3) allows up to 20% of the funds authorized to carry out this Act to be used to pay the subsidy and administrative costs of projects eligible for federal credit assistance under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act upon determining that such use of funds would advance the purposes of this Act.