The planned Hercules Intermodal Station — expected to start construction later this year — was positioned to receive up to $6m from a federal TIGER grant, however it was not to be. The final list of grant recipients was diverse, although the U.S. Department of Transportation opted for larger profile projects in general, with grants constituting smaller contributions percentage-wise (e.g., $46m for the $1.05b Doyle Drive replacement in San Francisco). The DOT received 1457 grant applications, including 126 from the state of California requesting more than $3.5b.

The prerequisite for a project to receive funding under TIGER was that it “must foster job creation, show strong economic benefits, and promote communities that are safer, cleaner and more livable.” The Intermodal Station clearly met all of the criteria, therefore it is reasonable to conclude that our representatives were unable to secure the funding from a political perspective. Rep. George Miller has also submitted two local projects under the 2010 Water Resources Development Act, including funds to dredge San Pablo Bay in lieu of a ferry terminal in Hercules, however their ultimate inclusion remains to be determined.

UPDATE: One project that did receive funding — the Ames (Iowa) Intermodal Facility — is strikingly similar, in scope, size and name, to the project in Hercules. The Ames facility received an $8.5m grant for the $43.4m project.

UPDATE: Another project of note — Dubuque (Iowa) receiving $5.6m for a multimodal improvements project (total cost: $6.2m) that will “improve livability in the Millwork District by reducing commute times and providing new and improved travel options for walkers, bicyclists and transit riders.” Something that is easy to forget is that one of the modes of transportation for the intermodal (or multimodal) facility in Hercules is walking. It is not just train, ferry and buses (and parked cars).