Tennessee has landed a $16.2 million federal grant that will help transit agencies buy new buses.

The money is included in $423 million in transit infrastructure grants nationwide that U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced on Friday.

Tennessee's share will go to the state Department of Transportation's Division of Multimodal Transportation Resources so rural and urban transit agencies can buy new vehicles and specialized vehicles to replace older ones.

Demand for funding in the Federal Transit Administration's Buses and Bus Facilities Program far exceed the money available. The agency received applications for 318 eligible projects, worth approximately $1.9 billion in funding requests.