Oglala and Pine Ridge Highway Construction Becomes First TIGER Grant Recovery Project in U.S. to Break Ground

Federal Highway Administration
July 1, 2010

FHWA 20-10
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Contact: Nancy Singer
202-366-0660

Project Received $10 Million Tiger Grant

OGLALA, S.D. – Federal Highway Deputy Administrator Greg Nadeau and South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds today broke ground on the US-18 highway reconstruction and improvement project in Oglala and Pine Ridge, South Dakota. The project had received a $10 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant, and is the first TIGER grant project in the nation to break ground.

The TIGER grant program, a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, is a competitive grants program to promote innovative, multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional transportation projects that provide significant economic and environmental benefits to an entire metropolitan area, region or the nation.

“Recovery Act dollars are being used to help a region experiencing especially tough economic times and high unemployment,” U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “This money will help address critical transportation and safety needs here in South Dakota and in areas around the county that need it most.”

The project involves the reconstruction of a 15.6 mile segment of road with deteriorated pavement and no shoulders. The funding will be used for rumble strips, resurfacing, shoulder widening, better lighting, additional sidewalks and other measures to make the road safer for drivers and pedestrians.

“A safer road will improve the quality of life for the rural communities of Oglala and Pine Ridge,” Federal Highway Administration Deputy Administrator Nadeau said.

The $10 million Recovery Act grant goes toward the total project cost of $28.6 million.

The Department announced the selection of $1.5 billion worth of TIGER grants for 51 projects as part of the one-year anniversary of the Recovery Act on February 17.