SAINT PAUL – In an effort to advance alternative modes of transportation throughout the City, Saint Paul was awarded a $250,000 Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) II Planning grant from the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) today. The grant is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will be used to develop a Complete Streets plan.

“Throughout Saint Paul, residents are choosing different ways to commute. This grant will allow us to create a plan that ensures our streets are accessible for everyone - whether they are traveling by foot, bike, car or light rail,” Mayor Chris Coleman said.

The Complete Streets plan will satisfy several needs, including providing a survey of existing street conditions in the city, clear guidelines for street designs that balance the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, transit, automobiles, and freight as well as to prioritize projects for implementation.

"This grant will allow us to create a plan to ensure that everyone in Saint Paul from an elderly pedestrian to a semi-truck can move around our city safely.  A Complete Streets plan will help the City maximize the benefits to our community of our biggest public asset -- our street system," Councilmember Russ Stark said.

The announcement comes as DOT awards nearly $28 million in TIGER II Planning Grants nationwide allowing communities to implement localized plans that ultimately lead to projects that integrate transportation, housing and economic development. TIGER II Planning Grants are meant to prepare or design surface transportation projects that would be eligible for funding under the TIGER II Discretionary Grant program. These projects include highways, bridges, transit, railways, ports or bicycle and pedestrian facilities.