Thanks
to the hundreds of people and organizations in our community and beyond who
contributed in many ways over the past three year, we
are very pleased to announce that the Lee MPO's complete streets initiative TIGER
grant application has been approved (and the full amount of our request). In addition, USDOT Secretary Foxx selected
Lee County as only one of four locations for his September 5th and 6th national
press conferences. BikeWalkLee,
represented by Darla Letourneau, was honored to speak at Secretary Foxx's press
conference that featured the Six Mile Cypress Slough and a section of the Tour
de Parks route as the backdrop.NOTE: This blog will be updated on ongoing basis--it is one-stop shop on all things TIGER, so bookmark this page and check back for the latest info.
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| USDOT Secretary Foxx making remarks at 9/5 Lee Co. announcement |
"Lee
County's Complete Streets initiative will complete a safe, integrated bike and
pedestrian network, increasing economic activity for local businesses," said
USDOT Secretary Foxx. "It's investment in safety, it's investment in
community, it's investment in mobility and it's investment in transportation
choice." "Thanks
in part to DOT's TIGER program, Lee County, Florida, is on the brink of
transformation." (Click here for video of Secretary Foxx's remarks.)
"We
are deeply grateful to USDOT and Secretary Foxx for demonstrating its support
for Lee County's complete streets efforts through this TIGER grant," said
BikeWalkLee's Darla Letourneau. "It puts us on a new path toward a livable, sustainable, and
economically vibrant future. It could not have been possible without real
public engagement, collaboration, and teamwork. " (Click here for Letourneau remarks at 9/5 press conference.)
 |
| Darla Letourneau speaking on behalf of BikeWalklee |
There are many
pieces of the TIGER story. We want to organize
them for our readers all in one place with links so you can read more in-depth
information and can use this page as a future resource.
Project Overview
As outlined
in our June 8th blog post, the
application for TIGER V funding is for a "Complete Streets
Initiative" tied to the MPO's Countywide Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan, adopted by the MPO Board in June 2011.
The grant
request was targeted on constructing a series of improvements to a network of
pathways, bike lanes, sidewalks, bus shelters and sidewalk connections,
wayfinding signs, bike parking, and bicycle/pedestrian intersection
improvements. These connections will close
the gaps along the Tour de Parks route, the University Loop, and the Bi-County
Connector, as envisioned in the MPO's bike/ped master plan. The result will be
a connected corridor of biking and walking facilities linking downtown Fort
Myers across Lee County south to FGCU and Bonita Springs, and ultimately to
Collier County by transit.
Improving safety
is a key goal of this project. Lee County's
traffic safety record for bicyclists and pedestrians is one of the worst in the
state. Twenty-two percent of recent roadway
crashes involved injuries or fatalities to bicyclists or pedestrians--nearly double
the national average.
Click here
to see Lee County 9/5 press release with map of the planned facilities.
The TIGER grant awards the fully requested amount of $10.5 million, which will be combined with $2.7 million in local and state matching funds, for a total of $13.2 million. The grant application was accompanied by 55 letters of support from a wide variety of agencies, organizations, and businesses, including seven letters from legislators. A special thanks to this list of supporters!
The TIGER grant awards the fully requested amount of $10.5 million, which will be combined with $2.7 million in local and state matching funds, for a total of $13.2 million. The grant application was accompanied by 55 letters of support from a wide variety of agencies, organizations, and businesses, including seven letters from legislators. A special thanks to this list of supporters!
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| Partners in Lee County Complete Streets TIGER project -Lee County Commissioner Pendergrass, FDOT District Secretary Billy Hattaway, FGCU Steve Magiera, BikeWalkLee's Darla Letourneau, Mayor of Sanibel and MPO Chair Kevin Ruane, MPO Staff Director Don Scott, Sustainability Program Manager Tessa LeSage, and LeeTran Director Steve Meyers. |
Exciting
Florida International University complete streets/campus connectivity TIGER
award
It's exciting to see the number
of complete streets-related projects that are included in the national TIGER
awards. We are particularly pleased to
see that one of the two other TIGER V awards received by Florida went to
Florida International University ($11.4 million) for a package of technology,
streetscaping, pedestrian-oriented infrastructure with a complete streets
approach, to connect the town of Sweetwater to FIU. This innovative approach to campus
connectivity is a first-of-its kind effort that will serve as a model for other
communities throughout the nation, and this is the only grant to a university
that was made in this TIGER round.
Congrats to FIU! We look forward
to being one of those communities to learn from this FIU model
Lee County TIGER Application Documents
USDOT Materials on all TIGER V Awards
Media Coverage of Lee TIGER Grant
- Florida Bicycle Association, "The Messenger", Fall 2013: "Major bike/ped project funding: collaboration and persistence pay off" (by Dan Moser--see p. 7)
- · DCStreetsblog, 9/11/13: " How TIGER Grants can transform smaller American cities for the better"
- Secretary Foxx's FastLane blog 9/6/13: "Lee County TIGER Award an Investment in Safety"
- League of American Bicyclists blog post 9/6/13, "Bike/Ped Projects Win Big in Latest TIGER Grant Announcement"
- Link to BWL photo album from 9/5/13 grant announcement event.
9/6: "Transit funds a 'game changer" (front page lead story)
9/5: "Transportation grant expected" (front page lead story)
Naples Daily
News:
9/6: "Lee county gets $10 million to improve roads for cyclists, pedestrians" (front page lead story)
Includes coverage of the grant
announcement event, as well as interviews with Cindy Banyai and Kate Gooderham
about their desire for safer biking facilities for them and their children.
Quotes from officials at 9/5/13 TIGER grant announcement event.
To see what this grant means to the Lee County community from
various perspectives, key quotes from various officials made during Secretary
Foxx's press conference, as well as quotes from other officials and
participants in the event were gathered by BikeWalkLee's Ann Pierce. Click here for quotes from officials.
BWL blog posts on TIGER:
8/23/14 blog post: TIGER grant implementation moves forward: Second of two RFPs issued by Lee MPO
4/28/14 blog post:
1/21/14 blog post:
Lee County's TIGER grant highlighted in USDOT Secretary's blog article
1/17/14 blog post:
9/22/13 blog post: Lee MPO Board adopts Bicycle Pedestrian Safety Action Plan and prepares to implement the TIGER grant
9/10/13 blog post: BikeWalkLee elated by USDOT TIGER $10.5 million grant award to Lee MPO's Complete Streets Initiative
8/23/14 blog post: TIGER grant implementation moves forward: Second of two RFPs issued by Lee MPO
4/28/14 blog post:
TIGER grant implementation moves forward: First of two RFPs issued by Lee MPO
4/2/14 blog post: BikeWalkLee on national webinar panel: Winning Bicycling and Walking Projects in TIGER
3/28/14 blog post: First of two RFPs issued by Lee MPOLee County's TIGER grant highlighted in USDOT Secretary's blog article
1/17/14 blog post:
BikeWalkLee urges Lee MPO to follow NYC example on new multi-agency bike/ped safety campaign (includes update on TIGER)
11/23/13 blog post:Lee MPO Board approves rail study recommendations and goals on land use scenario project (includes update on TIGER)
10/16/13 blog post: Dan Moser Column: We expect a TIGER to roar
9/10/13 blog post: BikeWalkLee elated by USDOT TIGER $10.5 million grant award to Lee MPO's Complete Streets Initiative
6/8/13 blog post: Lee MPO resubmits its Complete Streets Initiative for TIGER V grant
6/22/12 blog
post: USDOT announces TIGER IV grants--Lee County's complete streets initiative not one of the lucky winners
2/13/12 blog
post: Lee MPO will resubmit its Complete Streets Initiative for TIGER IV grant
12/15/11
blog post: USDOT announces TIGER III grant awards--Lee MPO's complete street initiative proposal not among winners
10/28/11
blog post: Forty-six organizations sent letters of support for MPO's TIGER III complete streets project grant application
10/12/11
blog post: MPO submits "pre-application" for bike/ped/complete
streets TIGER III grant
10/25/11
blog post: News-Press: Lee seeks to
secure path funds
5/20/11 blog
post: BikeWalkLee applauds adoption of
countywide bicycle pedestrian master plan
5/16/11 blog
post: Countywide bike/ped master plan scheduled for adoption at 5/20 MPO
meeting
Report by Darla Letourneau (last update: 3/13/15)
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