Seattle residents will be pleased to learn that the City of Seattle was awarded $87,254,000 in transportation grants in 2010. Aggressively seeking external funds in a tight budget year, SDOT secured grant funding for projects that will improve roadways, repair bridges and enhance safety for motorists, transit users, freight, pedestrians and bicyclists.
- $30 million from a federal Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant to fully fund Mercer East
- $25.3 million in federal, state and private grants to cover the remaining costs of King Street Station’s restoration
- $8 million from the federal Highway Bridge Program to rehabilitate and seismically retrofit four bridges critical to SODO and Duwamish area freight and vehicular traffic
- $4 million via a federal Congestion Management Air Quality grant to finalize funding of the Thomas Street Pedestrian Overpass
- $3.5 million for safety improvements at schools and other areas used by pedestrians and cyclists
- $4.5 million from the state Transportation Improvement Board to round out funding for Northgate Way safety and mobility improvements that will serve residents, shoppers, workers and delivery trucks
For 2010 SDOT submitted 37 grant applications and received awards for 21, achieving an astounding 57 percent success rate. Grant professionals typically expect a standard application success rate of 10 to 20 percent. Over the previous five years SDOT averaged approximately $22 million a year in grant awards, with $30.6 million collected in support of local projects in 2009.