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TIGER II APPLICATION SHELL OUTLINE

Table of ContentsPART I: TIGER II Application Information

Application Cycle and Deadlines Page 2

Pre-Application Shell Page3

TIGER II Discretionary Grants Application Requirements Page5

PART II: TIGER II Application Shell Outline1. Application First Page Requirements Page 72. Application and Project Contact Information Page 73. Application Table of Contents Format suggestions Page 74. Project Description Requirements Page 75. Project Parties Description Requirements Page 76. Project Schedule, Environmental and Legislative Approvals Page 77. Grant Fund Description and Table Format Page 88. Long –Term Outcomes Requirements Page 9

State Of Good Repair Page 10Economic Competitiveness Page 10Livability Page 10Sustainability Page 11Safety Page 11

9. Long-Term Outcomes, Benefit/Cost Analysis Requirements Page 1210. Job Creation and Economic Stimulus Page 1211. Secondary Benefit Discussion Page 13

Innovation Page 13Partnership Page 14

12. Project Readiness and NEPA Page 1413. Evaluation of Project Performance Page 1514. Certifications Page 1515. Appendices and Overall format Requirements Page 1516. Format Page 16

Appendix A from Final TIGER NOFA on Benefit/Cost Analysis Page 17

Note: US DOT TIGER II Guidance requires that the narrative portion of the application, excludingappendices, be no more than 25 pages. The benefit-cost analysis should be summarized in the text of theapplication itself, but the details may be presented in an attachment to the application.

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TIGER II Discretionary Grants Application Cycle and Deadlines

Stage 1- Pre-Application: In Stage 1, applicants must submit a pre-application form to the DOT. This step qualifiesapplicants to submit an application in Stage 2. No application submitted during Stage 2 that does not correlatewith a properly completed Stage 1 pre-application will be considered.

Stage 2- Application: In Stage 2, applicants must submit a complete application packagethrough Grants.gov.

Deadlines:

Stage 1: Pre-application = Friday, July 16, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. EST. The pre-application form will be available onthe DOT website at www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/TIGERII on June 23, 2010, together with instructions forsubmitting the pre-application form electronically to DOT.

Stage 2: Final applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by the Application Deadline, which isMonday, August 23, 2010, at 5:00 p.m. EST. (Applicants must be registered with www.grants.govapproximately 2 -4 weeks prior to application submission). The Grants.gov “Apply” function will open on July30, 2010, allowing applicants to submit applications.

DOT will evaluate all applications and announce the projects that have been selected to receive TIGER IIDiscretionary Grants no sooner than September 15, 2010.

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TIGER II Discretionary Grants Pre-Application Shell

The pre-application form will be available on the DOT website at www.dot.gov/recovery/ost/TIGERII on June 23,2010, together with instructions for submitting the pre-application form electronically to DOT.

1. First Page:a. Name of Applicant (if the application is to be submitted by more than one entity, a lead applicant

must be identified);b. Applicant’s DUNS (Data Universal Number System) number;c. Type of Applicant (State government, local government, U.S. territory, Tribal government, transit

agency, port authority, metropolitan planning organization, or other unit of government);d. Location of the project (State(s), County(s) and City(s));e. Project title (descriptive);f. Project type: highway, transit, rail, port, multimodal, bicycle and pedestrian, or planning activity

(if the project is a multimodal project, the pre-application form will require that applicantsprovide additional information identifying the affected modes);

g. Whether the project is requesting a TIGER II TIFIA Payment;

2. Application and Project Contact Information:a. Contact name, phone number, email address, and physical address for applicant;b. Congressional districts affected by the project;c. Type of jurisdiction where the project is located (urban or rural)d. Whether or not the project is in an Economically Distressed Area;

3. Project Descriptiona. Project description (describe the project in plain English terms that would be generally

understood by the public, using no more than 50 words (e.g. “the project will replace the existingbridge over the W river on interstate-X between the cities of Y and Z” or “the TIGER II PlanningGrant will fund planning activities for streetcar service from location X to location Y”; please donot describe the project’s benefits, background, or alignment with the selection criteria in thisdescription);

b. Total cost of the project;c. Total amount of TIGER II Discretionary Grant funds requested;

4. *Required Assurances:a. *An assurance that the NEPA process is complete or substantially complete (preferably by way of

a website link for DOT review), unless an exception is justified. Absent an acceptable justification,DOT will not evaluate applications for projects that have not made substantial progress in theenvironmental review process, including all Federal, State, and local environmentalrequirements, by the Pre-Application Deadline; applicants for TIGER II Planning Grants do notneed to demonstrate that the NEPA process has been initiated; and

b. *An assurance that local matching funds to support 20 percent or more of the costs of theproject are identified and committed, this requirement is waived for projects located in ruralareas, and these projects do not need to provide this assurance).

* To the extent the pre-application does not provide adequate assurances for the items above, DOT will inform theproject sponsor that an application for the project will NOT be reviewed unless the application submitted on orprior to the application deadline can demonstrate that the requirement has been addressed.

Exceptions to the NEPA Assurance

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DOT will consider exceptions to the requirement that NEPA be substantially complete upon application on a case-by-case basis. An applicant must provide a reasonable justification for why NEPA review was not initiated with aFederal agency prior to the date of this notice, and an assurance that the necessary environmental reviews can becompleted at least 90 days in advance of the September 30, 2012, deadline for obligation of TIGER II DiscretionaryGrant funds.

An example of a reasonable justification for why an applicant has not initiated NEPA review would be if, prior tothe availability of TIGER II Discretionary Grant funds, there was no reasonable expectation of receiving Federalfunding for the project. A project may be selected for award but will not receive award grant monies until NEPA iscomplete and all other necessary environmental approvals have been received.

An applicant seeking to justify an exception to this requirement should submit the information listed below with itsapplication:

a. The information required in the NOFA (Contents of Applications);b. Environmental studies or other documents – preferably by way of Web site link – that describe in detail

known potential project impacts, and possible mitigation for those impacts;c. A description of completed, or planned and anticipated coordination with Federal and State regulatory

agencies for permits and approvals;d. An estimate of the time required for completion of NEPA and other required Federal, State or local

environmental approvals; ande. An identification of the proposed NEPA class of action (i.e., Categorical Exclusion, Environmental

Assessment, or Environmental Impact Statement).

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TIGER II Discretionary Grants Application Requirements

GeneralThe TIGER II program, like its predecessor TIGER, has a number of requirements for its application and grantselection process. What differentiates these programs from most other transportation grant programs is that theTIGER requirements are used by US DOT as thresholds for entry into a competitive process. Accordingly, US DOT’sselection process focuses on how well applications exceed minimum requirements, especially in achieving the longterm benefits.

Applicants should also keep in mind that US DOT uses a two tiered application review process. The first tier of arereviews by teams that are made up of US DOT personnel from each of its modal administrations. These teamsmust reach a consensus rating on each application, with only those rated “highly recommended” going on to thesecond tier review. This team focuses on a technical review of each application and since it is composed ofmembers which have very different backgrounds and professional orientations, it is vital that all applicants makesure that there applications are exceptionally clear and concise.

As the second tier review is done by senior US DOT management, a clear and concise application will also be ofgreat benefit.

Note also that unlike the initial TIGER program, all TIGER II applications must be submitted through Grants.gov.This is the same process that is used for High Speed Rail applications. At NYSDOT, arrangements are being madeso that a single person will input all of the NYSDOT sponsored applications into Grants.gov . More information onthis will be provided at a later date.

Project Narrative

1. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate the responsiveness of a project to any and all selection criteriawith the most relevant information that applicants can provide, regardless of whether such informationshall be considered part of the application, not supplemental, for purposes of the application size limits.

2. Information must be quantified, to the extent possible, to describe the project’s impacts on the Nation, ametropolitan area, or a region.

3. Information provided pursuant to this paragraph should include projections for both the build and no-build scenarios for the project for a point in time at least 20 years beyond the project’s completion dateor the lifespan of the project, whichever is closest to the present.

4. All applications should include a detailed description of the proposed project and geospatial data for theproject, including a map of the project’s location and its connections to existing transportationinfrastructure.

5. An application should also include a description of how the project addresses the needs of an urbanand/or rural area.

6. An application should clearly describe the transportation challenges that the project aims to address, andhow the project will address these challenges. The description should include relevant data such as, forexample, passenger or freight volumes, congestion levels, infrastructure condition, or safety experience.

Protection of Confidential Business Information

1. All information submitted as part of or in support of any application shall use publicly available data ordate that can be made public and methodologies that are accepted by industry practice and standards, tothe extent possible.

2. If the applicant includes information that the applicant considers to be a trade secret or confidentialcommercial or financial information, the applicant should do the following: (1) note on the front cover

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that the submission “Contains Confidential Business Information (CBI);” (2) mark each affected page“CBI;” and (3) highlight or otherwise denote the CBI portions. DOT protects such information fromdisclosure to the extent allowed under applicable law. In the event DOT receives a Freedom ofInformation Act (FOIA) request for the information, DOT will follow the procedures described in its FOIAregulations at 49 CFR Section 7.17. Only information that is determined to be confidential under thatprocedure will be exempt from disclosure under FOIA.

Length of Applications

1. The project narrative should not exceed 25 pages in length.2. Documentation supporting the assertions made in the narrative portion may also be provided, but should

be limited to relevant information. If possible, website links to support documentation (including a moredetailed discussion of the benefit-cost analysis) should be provided rather than copies of these materials.

3. At the applicant’s discretion, relevant materials provided previously to a Cognizant Modal Administrationin support of a different DOT discretionary program (for example, New Starts or TIFIA) may be referencedand described as unchanged. To the extent referenced, this information need not be resubmitted for theTIGER II Discretionary Grant application.

4. DOT recommends use of appropriately descriptive file names (e.g., “Project Narrative,” “Maps,”“Memoranda of Understanding and Letters of Support,” etc.) for all attachments.

5. Cover pages and table of contents do not count towards the 25-page limit for the narrative portion of theapplication, and Federal wage rate certification and one-page update of the pre-application form (ifnecessary) may also be outside the 25-page narrative.

6. Otherwise, the only substantive portions of the application that should exceed the 25-page limit are anysupporting documents (including a more detailed discussion of the benefit-cost analysis) provided tosupport assertions or conclusions made in the 25-page narrative section.

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TIGER II Discretionary Grants Application Shell

1. First Page:a. Project Name,b. Type of project (highway, transit, rail, port or other),c. Location of the project (state, city, county and congressional district),d. Whether the project is in an urban or rural area,e. Amount in dollars of TIGER Grant funds that is being sought.

2. Application and Project Contact Information:f. Name, phone number, e-mail address, and organizational mailing address of the primary point of

contact

3. Table of Contents: A table of contents, similar in form to the one provided above, should be provided onthe second page of the application.

4. Project Description:

g. Project Name,h. Description (including a description of the transportation challenges that the project aims to address,

and how the project will address these challenges),i. General need for project,j. Sponsor,k. Cost and amount of TIGER Grant Request,l. Synopsis of Long-Term Outcome and Job Creation Benefits,m. Is project in an Economically Distressed Area Status? (See accompanying map and footnote 1 on page

4)n. A map of the project location within NYS as well as a map at appropriate scale to show the

boundaries and location of project facilities and phases (if appropriate) within the existing streetnetwork (if applicable) should be included as part of the project description.

5. Project Parties: Information about the grant recipient and other project parties. Explain who the partiesare, what their relationship is to the project, for parties that will be contracting work--- a brief history oftheir experience advancing projects of similar size and complexity.

6. Project Schedule, Environmental and Legislative Approvals (all items must be addressed)

ItemProject Schedule:Provide a detailed project schedule broken down by at least quarterly increments and a briefnarrative which demonstrates that the project can begin construction quickly upon receipt of aTIGER Grant. The following two items must be addressed:

The project schedule should demonstrate that the TIGER Grant funds will be spentsteadily and expeditiously once construction starts.

The schedule should show how many direct, on-project jobs are expected to be createdor sustained during each calendar quarter after the project is underway.

Environmental Approvals: Explain the status of all necessary environmental approvals needed inorder for the project to proceed to construction as specified in the project schedule. ProvideURLs to appropriate Environmental documents and include copies of RODs and other approvalletters in the appendix.

Legislative Approvals: Provide a short narrative which explains the need and status of all

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legislative approvals (including local) required for the project to proceed to construction and tobe operated and maintained as intended.

Can broad support among state and local governments as well as other stake holdergroups be demonstrated? Please provide a short narrative explaining stakeholdersupport and include appropriate resolutions and letters in the appendix.

State and Local Planning: Provide a short narrative explaining whether the project is on anappropriate Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Statewide TransportationImprovement Program (STIP) and provide citations to the appropriate TIP/STIP entries.

Technical Feasibility: Provide a short narrative explaining the status of preliminary engineeringwork as well as the status of PSE development and ROW acquisition for the project. Inclusion ofanticipated completion dates is required.

Provide a narrative describing the technical feasibility of the project including the abilityof the grantee to complete the project.

Financial Feasibility: Please provide a brief narrative which discusses the following:

Assuming the receipt of a TIGER Grant, will the project’s remaining design andconstruction be fully funded?

Is a contingency reserve being assumed as a project cost item? If so, please describe.

Has the proposed grantee successfully managed previous grants of the same amount ormore than the requested TIGER Grant? If so, please describe.

DOT reserves the right to revoke any award of TIGER II Discretionary Grant funds and to award such fundsto another project to the extent that such funds are not timely expended and/or construction does notbegin in accordance with the project schedule.

Because projects have different schedules, DOT will consider on a case-by-case basis how much time afterselection for award of a TIGER II Discretionary Grant each project has before funds must be obligated(consistent with law) and construction started. This deadline will be specified in the project-specific grantagreement.

7. Grant Funds and Sources/Uses of Project Funds– Provide the amount of funding being requested,availability/commitment of fund sources and uses of all project funds, total project costs, percent of coststhat would be paid with TIGER II Discretionary Grant funds, and the identity and percentage shares of allparties providing funds for the project (including Federal funds provided under other programs). Pleaseinclude a table format as follows:

TIGER funds(requested)

State Funds(source)

FederalFunds

(source)Local Funds

(source)Total

FundsProjectApproval/EnvironmentalDocumentPlans,Specifications& EstimateRight of Way(capital andsupport)Construction(capital andsupport)

Total

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8. Long-Term Outcome Discussion (Only include areas with significant and, preferably quantifiable benefits)Successful grant applications must demonstrate significant benefits in at least one of the five areascovered by the Long Term Outcomes. USDOT will look more favorably at applications which addressseveral areas. The more areas addressed and with positive net benefits, the greater the chance ofapproval for the application. There is no need to include discussions of Long-Term Outcomes which donot apply to the project proposal.

Information must be quantified to the extent possible and describe the project’s impact on the Nation,metropolitan area or region. Information should include projections for both the build and no-buildscenarios for 20 years beyond the project’s completion date or the lifespan of the project, whichever isclosest to the present.

The Long Term Outcome areas are:

1. State of Good Repair;2. Economic Competiveness;3. Livability;4. Sustainability; and,5. Safety.

Specific requirements for each of the five Long-Term Outcomes are:

State of Good Repair (all items must be addressed):

Item

Provide a brief narrative that discusses and quantifies the facilities’ (or system’s)current and projected condition and performance. Explain how the project minimizeslife-cycle costs.

Explain how the project will improve the facility (or system’s) condition, performanceand/or long-term cost structure, including calculations of avoided operations andmaintenance costs and associated delays.

Explain how the proposal improves the condition of existing transportation facilities andsystems. Does the project minimize life-cycle costs? If so, please describe.

Is an important aim of the project part of, or consistent with, relevant state, local orregional efforts to maintain transportation facilities or systems in a State of GoodRepair? If so, please describe.

Is an important aim of the proposal to rehabilitate, reconstruct or upgrade surfacetransportation projects that threaten future economic growth and stability due to theirpoor condition? If so, please describe.

Is the project appropriately capitalized up front and will it be subject to assetmanagement approaches that optimize its long term cost structure? Please provide adetailed description of appropriate asset management approaches in the appendix.

o Assuming ARRA funds are granted as requested, will the project be fullyfunded?

o Will asset management approaches be used to maintain the project facilities?Are these approaches currently applied to similar facilities by the applicant? Ifso, please describe.

Is a sustainable source of revenue available for long term operations and maintenanceof the project facilities? If so, please describe.

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Economic Competitiveness:

Short term and construction related economic benefits should not be counted for this Long-TermOutcome. They will be counted as part of the Job Creation & Economic Stimulus criterion.

General: All of the items below need to be addressed in the application.

Item

(Priority Item 1): Does the location of the project qualify as an Economically DistressedArea

1. If so, please describe and provide a copy of the ARRA Economically Distressed

Areas Map in the appendix.

(Priority Item 2): Will the project improve long-term efficiency, reliability or cost-competitiveness of the United States in the movement of workers or goods? If so,please describe and quantify all benefits.

(Priority Item 3): Will the project make improvements that allow for expansion, hiring,or other growth of private sector production at specific locations, particularlyEconomically Distressed Areas? If so, please describe and quantify all benefits.

Over the long-term, describe how the project will measurably contribute to growth inemployment, production or other high value economic activity.

Describe (quantify) the number and quality of jobs that will result over the long-term.

Economic competitiveness may be demonstrated by the project's ability to increase the efficiency andeffectiveness of the transportation system through integration or better use of all existing transportationinfrastructure but only to the extent that these enhancements lead to the economic benefits that areidentified in Priority Item 3, above.

Item

Does the project involve or benefit more than one mode? If so, please quantify anddescribe.

Does the project increase the capacity of other, connecting transportation modes? Ifso, please describe.

Livability:

Livability investments are projects that not only deliver transportation benefits, but are also designed andplanned in such a way that they have a positive impact on qualitative measures of community life. Thiselement of long-term outcomes delivers benefits that are inherently difficult to measure. However, it isimplicit to livability that its benefits are shared and therefore magnified by the number of potential usersin the affected community. Descriptions of how projects enhance livability should include a description ofthe affected community and the scale of the project’s impact.

Item

(Priority Item): Explain how the project significantly contributes to broader travelermobility through intermodal connections (including bicycle and pedestrian), orimproved connections between residential and commercial areas.

Will the project significantly enhance user mobility through the creation of moreconvenient transportation options for travelers? If so, please describe.

Will the project improve existing transportation choices by enhancing points of modal

1For TIGER II Grants, non-county areas which otherwise fit the requirements for Economically Distressed Areas will

be considered if appropriate data is quantified and described in the application.

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connectivity or by reducing congestion on existing modal assets? If so, pleasedescribe.

Will the project improve accessibility and transportation services for economicallydisadvantaged populations, non-drivers, senior citizens, and make services morereadily available to these groups? If so, please describe.

Is the project the result of a planning process which coordinated transportation andland-use planning decisions and encouraged community participation in the process?If so, please describe.

Does the project create new bicycle and/or pedestrian facilities or improvements? Ifso, please describe.

Sustainability:

This is the ability of the project to improve energy efficiency, reduce dependence on oil, reducegreenhouse gas emissions and benefit the environment. All of the below items should beaddressed.

Item

(Priority item): Will the project increase in the movement of people or goods bymore energy-efficient vehicles or systems (include bicycle and pedestrianimprovement impacts)? Will the project implement or encourage the use of moreenergy efficient transportation modes (bicycle and pedestrian or transit, forexample)? If so, please describe.

Can quantitative information regarding expected reductions in CO2 emissions or fuelconsumption due to the project be provided?

Does the project maintain, protect or enhance the environment, as evidenced by itsavoidance of adverse environmental impacts (for example, adverse impacts related toair quality, wetlands, and endangered species) and/or by its environmental benefits(for example, improved air quality, wetlands creation or improved habitatconnectivity).

Can quantitative information be provided that demonstrates how the project reducesenergy consumption or mitigates environmental impacts be provided? If so, pleasedescribe. (Note: Sources are provided in the June 1, 2010 Guidance on calculating thecosts and benefits of a number of items appropriate to this Long-Term Outcome).

Safety:

US DOT will assess the project’s ability to reduce the number, rate and consequences of surfacetransportation related crashes, injuries and fatalities among drivers and/or non-drivers and/orits contribution to the elimination of highway/rail crossings, the protection of pipelines, or theprevention of unintended release of hazardous materials.

Item

Does the project reduce the number, rate or consequences of crashes? If so, can thisbe quantitatively described?

Does the project reduce the number, rate or consequences of injuries and fatalitiesamong drivers and/or non-divers? If so, can this be quantitatively described?

Does the project eliminate highway/rail grade crossings?

Does the project increase the protection of pipelines?

Does the project prevent unintended release of hazardous materials?

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9. Long-Term Outcomes, Benefit/Cost Analysis Requirements:

US DOT is strongly emphasizing the need to quantify project benefits, including the use of Benefit/CostAnalysis (“BCA”) in making decisions about very large project approvals. Accordingly, applicants need togive full consideration to estimating and quantifying benefits (and complete costs for very largeproposals) of their proposals, for the Long-Term Outcomes. US DOT notes that “for BCA to yield usefulresults, full consideration of costs and benefits is necessary. These include traditionally quantified fuel andtravel time savings as well as reduction in GHG emissions, water quality impacts, public health effects, andother costs and benefits that are more indirectly related to vehicle-miles or that are harder to measure”

2.

In addition, BCA should attempt to measure the indirect effects of transportation investments on land useand on the portions of household budgets spent on transportation.” “Estimates of benefits should bepresented in monetary terms whenever possible.” “All applicants will be expected to prepare an analysisof benefits and costs, subject to the following qualifications:.

3:

According to US DOT, “if it is clear to (US DOT) that the total benefits of a project are not reasonablylikely to outweigh a project’s costs, the (US DOT) will not award a TIGER Discretionary Grant to theproject.” Applicants must provide a narrative that provides a quantitative assessment of all current andfuture Long-Term Outcome benefits and a comparison of these benefits to the project’s cost. Detaileddescriptions of all assumptions and methodologies utilized should be provided in the appendix.

US DOT does make allowances to the sophistication of Benefit/Cost analysis for smaller sponsors whichmay not have the expertise or resources available to perform extensive analysis. However, US DOT hasalso noted that even the small areas that were awarded TIGER grants were able to include creative, yettotally credible benefit/cost analysis in their applications, despite having only minimal requirements todo so.

The TIGER II program requirements for Benefit/Cost analysis are extensive and they are described inAppendix A of the NOFA. We have included this appendix at the end of this document.

For planning grant applications, the inclusion of a Benefit/Cost analysis is not required.

10. Job Creation & Economic Stimulus

US DOT will assess whether the project promotes the short- or long-term creation or preservation of jobs andwhether the project rapidly promotes new or expanded business opportunities during construction of theproject or thereafter. Demonstration of a project's rapid economic impact is critical to a project's alignmentwith this criterion. Applicants are encouraged to provide the following information:

Item

The total amount of funds that will be expended on construction and construction-relatedactivities by all of the entities participating in the project.

The number and type of jobs to be created and/or preserved by the project duringconstruction and thereafter. The number and type of jobs to be created and/or preserved bythe project during construction and thereafter.

Any business enterprises to be created or benefited by the project during its construction andone it becomes operational

2The June 1, 2010 provides guidance on an appropriate discount rate as well as estimating costs for travel time,

statistical life, greenhouse gas reduction and other cost/benefit factors.3

See June 1, 2010 guidance for details.

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US DOT is very concerned about employment equity issues as well as the number and qualityof jobs that TIGER Grant investments will create. Accordingly, applicants need to addressthe following:

Item

Describe how the project will promote the creation of job opportunities for low-incomeworkers through the use of best practice hiring programs and utilization of apprenticeship(including pre-apprenticeship) programs.

Describe how the project will provide maximum practicable opportunities for smallbusinesses and disadvantaged business enterprises, including veteran-owned smallbusinesses and service disabled veteran-owned small businesses.

Describe how the project will make effective use of community-based organizations inconnecting disadvantaged workers with economic opportunities.

Describe how the project will support entities that have a sound track record on laborpractices and compliance with federal laws ensuring that American workers are safe andtreated fairly.

Describe how the project will implement best practices, consistent with our nation’s civilrights and equal opportunity laws, for ensuring that all individuals – regardless of race,gender, age, disability, and national origin – benefit from the Recovery Act.

In addition, US DOT would like to know:

Item

Are the populations that will benefit from the project from Economically Distressed Areasi

Is the project’s procurement plan likely to create follow-on jobs and economic stimulus forconstruction industry manufacturers and suppliers? (A key consideration that will be assessedhere will be how quickly jobs are created.)

11. Secondary Benefit DiscussionSecondary criteria will be weighted less than the Primary Selection Criteria in US DOT’s evaluationprocess. There are two Secondary Selection Criteria: Innovation and Partnership.

o. Innovation:US DOT will assess the extent to which the project uses innovative technology to pursue one or moreof the long-term outcomes outlined above and/or to significantly enhance the operationalperformance of the transportation system.

US DOT will also assess the extent to which the project incorporates innovations that demonstratethe value of new approaches to, among other things, transportation funding and finance, contracting,project delivery, congestion management, safety management, asset management, or long-termoperations and maintenance as long as the application clearly demonstrates that the innovation isdesigned to pursue one or more of the long-term outcomes and/or significantly enhance thetransportation system.

Innovative, multi-modal projects are often difficult to fund under traditional transportation programs.DOT will consider the extent to which innovative projects might be difficult to fund under other

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programs and will give priority to projects that align well with the Primary Selection Criteria but areunlikely to receive funding under traditional programs.

p. Partnership:US DOT will assess the project's inclusion of non-Federal entities and the use of non-Federal funds,including the scope of involvement and share of total funding. The US DOT will give priority toprojects that use innovative strategies to pursue the long-term outcomes outlined.Further, priority will be given to projects that can demonstrate the following:

Priority Item

(Priority) Describe how the project Has received financial commitments from, or otherwiseinvolve, State and local governments, other public entities, or private or nonprofit entities,including projects that engage parties that are not traditionally involved in transportationprojects, such as nonprofit community groups.

(Priority) Describe how the project will make effective use of community-basedorganizations in connecting disadvantaged people with economic opportunities.

(Priority) Is the project supported, financially or otherwise, by non-transportation publicagencies that are pursuing similar objectives?

(Priority) Does the transportation project

Will the TIGER funding complete and overall financing package? Please describe.

To what extent can the project be readily and efficiently completed without Federalassistance? Please describe.

To what extent are other sources of Federal assistance (including non-TIGER ARRA funds)available for the project? Please describe.

In addition, US DOT will assess the amount of private debt and equity to be invested in the project or theamount of co-investment from State, local or other non-profit sources. Please describe the amounts ofany private debt and equity investments that will be made in the project.

DOT will assess the extent to which the project demonstrates collaboration among neighboring orregional jurisdictions to achieve National, regional or metropolitan benefits.

12. Project Readiness and NEPA – Information about how ready the project is to move forward quickly,including information about the project schedule, environmental approvals, legislative approvals, stateand local planning, technical feasibility, and financial feasibility. TIGER II Planning Grants do not need toaddress project readiness and NEPA.

National Environmental Policy Act Requirement

Applications must detail whether the project will significantly impact the natural, social and/oreconomic environment.

If the NEPA process is completed, an applicant must indicate the date of, and provide a website linkor other reference to, the final Categorical Exclusion, Finding of No Significant Impact or Record ofDecision. If the NEPA process is underway but not complete, the application must detail where theproject is in the process, indicate the anticipated date of completion and provide a website link orother reference to copies of any NEPA documents prepared.

Exceptions to NEPA requirement

DOT will consider exceptions to the requirement that NEPA be substantially complete uponapplication on a case-by-case basis. An applicant must provide a reasonable justificationfor why NEP review was not initiated with a Federal agency prior to May 26, 2010 (date ofFederal Register Notice for the TIGER II NOFA) and an assurance that the necessaryenvironmental review can be completed at least 90 days in advance of the September 30,

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2012, deadline for obligation of TIGER II Discretionary Grant funds. An example of areasonable justification for why an applicant has not initiated NEPA review would be if,prior to the availability of TIGER II Discretionary Grant funds, there was no reasonableexpectation of receiving Federal funding for the project.

An applicant seeking to justify an exception to this requirement should submit the followinginformation with its application:

i. The information required in the NOFA (Contents of Applications);ii. Environmental studies or other documents-preferably by way of a Website link –

that describe in detail known potential project impacts, and possible mitigation forthose impacts;

iii. A description of completed, or planned and anticipated coordination with Federaland State regulatory agencies for permits and approvals;

iv. An estimate of the time required for completion of NEPA and all other requiredFederal, State or local environmental approvals; and

v. An identification of the proposed NEPA class of action (i.e., Categorical Exclusion,Environmental Assessment, or Environmental Impact Statement).

Environmentally Related Federal, State and Local Actions

An application for a TIGER II Discretionary Grant must indicate whether the proposed project is likelyto require actions by other agencies (e.g., permits), indicate the status of such actions and provide awebsite link or other reference to materials submitted to the other agencies, and/or demonstratecompliance with other Federal, State and local regulations as applicable, including, but not limited to,Section 4(f) Parklands, Recreation Areas, Refuges, & Historic Properties; Section 106 Historic andCulturally Significant Properties; Clean Water Act Wetlands and Water; Executive Orders Wetlands,Floodplains, Environmental Justice; Clean Air Act Air Quality (specifically not if the project is located ina nonattainment area); Endangered Species Act Threatened and Endangered Biological Resources;Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation Management Act Essential Fish Habitat; The Bald andGolden Eagle Protection Act; and/or any State and local requirements.

13. Evaluation of Project Performance – If possible, provide a plan for evaluating the success of the projectand how to measure short and long term performance with respect to the economic recovery measuresand long-term outcomes.

14. Certificationsq. Federal Wage Rate Requirement: An application must include a certification, signed by the applicant,

stating that it will comply with the requirements of subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, UnitedStates Code (Federal wage rate requirements),

r. Section 1511(must be sent separately to USDOT)

15. Appendices should be used for any back-up or support materials for items covered in the narrative. Thefollowing is a suggested format for the appendices.

a. Project Description, Costs and Grant Request amount Back-upb. Shovel Ready Criteria Back-upc. Long-Term Outcome Back-up (Only for areas with significant benefits)

i. State Of Good Repairii. Economic Competitiveness

iii. Livabilityiv. Sustainabilityv. Safety

d. Job Creation Back-up (include map of Economically Distressed Areas and relevance toapplication)

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e. Benefit Cost Analysis Back-upf. Secondary Benefit Back-up (as needed)

i. Partnershipii. Innovation

g. Employment Equity Back-up

16. Format

Visual Format: DOT recommends that the project narrative be prepared with standardformatting preferences (e.g. a single-spaced document, using a standard 12-point font, such asTimes New Roman, with 1-inch margins); bottom footer will be 1” with no columns and plainformat; page numbers will begin with first page and centered at the top of the page footer.Pictures can be black and white or color. Each Section should begin on a new page. Narrativetext can be no more than 25 pages (this is a US DOT requirement).

Final Page of the Application: To the extent relevant, the final page of the application shoulddescribe (in one page or less) any material changes that need to be made to the pre-applicationform, including changes to the required assurances regarding initiation of NEPA and requiredcost sharing.

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Appendix A from the Final TIGER II NOFABenefit/Cost Analysis

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