A number of ‘green’ road transport projects in US have qualified for a share in the recently announced $100m government grant for 43 eco-friendly transportation projects nationwide.

The grant comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment 2009 Act under its Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) grant programme.

The projects include purchase of hybrid electric buses in Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa,/Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington to replace diesel buses as well as upgrading facilities to save fuel.

Money will be also be used to replace the mechanically/hydraulically driven cooling system on buses in Florida with electrically powered devices to save fuel.

Shade structures will also be erected in Georgia with integrated, grid tied photovoltaic cells on the bus storage lot to produce power and electrified stalls will be built in Illinois to deliver electrical power.

The US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the step is a sign of things to come.

“This shows how investing in green transportation not only helps the planet, but creates jobs and strengthens our economy. It also shows how much more we can do,” he said.

Other projects include replacing the existing hydraulically-powered engine cooling system in Oregon with an electrically powered one and installing a Geothermal Heat Pump System in Illinois.

Funds have also been approved for Connecticut to replace diesel buses with composite body electric transit buses as well to install quick-charging stations and buying stationary fuel cells.