DOT has announced the availability of $527 million in Fiscal Year 2011 for a third round of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) competitive grant program. The purpose of TIGER is to fund innovative transportation projects that will create jobs and have a significant impact on the nation, a region, or a metropolitan area.

States, cities, local governments, and other partnerships and groups will have until this fall to prepare their applications for the program, which has funded high-impact projects including roads, bridges, freight rail, transit buses and streetcars, ports, and bicycle and pedestrian paths. The previous two rounds of the TIGER grant program provided $2.1 billion to 126 transportation projects in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

“Through the TIGER program, we can build transportation projects that are critical to America’s economic success and help complete those that might not move forward without this infusion of funding,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This competition empowers local communities to create jobs and build the transportation networks they need in order to win the future.”

More information is available here.