FHWA 24-13 Tuesday, June 4, 2013 Contact: Nancy Singer Tel: 202-366-0660

TAMPA, Fla. – Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez today joined Mayor Bob Buckhorn to kick-off the start of construction for the Kennedy segment of the Tampa Riverwalk, which will provide greater access to Tampa’s downtown area businesses while improving safety and accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists. The U.S. Department of Transportation provided a $10 million TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant toward the project, which creates a multimodal network along the riverfront with numerous safety improvements.

“This project will create jobs and provide more transportation options for Tampa residents,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “President Obama has said that investing in transportation helps spur economic growth, and here in Tampa, this project is a great example.”

The portion of the project now moving to construction is the Kennedy segment of the Riverwalk, linking MacDill Park to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. When completed, the Tampa Riverwalk will be a 2.6 mile corridor along the waterfront connecting key downtown destinations for tourists as well as residents and will provide a safe pathway to access future commercial and retail development.

“The new Riverwalk will make it easier for businesses along the riverfront to attract customers,” said Administrator Mendez. “It’s an investment that will make Tampa a better place to live and visit.”

The TIGER Discretionary Grant program promotes innovative, multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional transportation projects that provide significant economic and environmental benefits to an entire metropolitan area, region or the nation. Through four rounds of funding, the TIGER program has already funded 218 projects worth a total of more than $3 billion. The Department recently closed its application period for a new round of funding for additional projects.

# # #