USDOT Navigator – March Biweekly Bulletin

U.S. Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 03/04/2024 03:40 PM EST

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U.S. Department of Transportation

USDOT Technical Assistance Spotlight

  • Interested in learning about DOT’s progress toward implementing the National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS)? Check out the 2024 NRSS Progress Report, which provides a concise update on DOT’s efforts to address serious and fatal injuries on our roadways, details our accomplishments related to addressing the NRSS actions in 2023, and identifies DOT’s new commitments to actions under the NRSS in 2024 and beyond.
  • FHWA funds the National Highway Institute (NHI) to provide training on a wide variety of critical transportation and federal grant management issues. NHI’s course catalog includes hundreds of trainings in more than 18 transportation industry-related program areas, many of which are provided virtually through numerous distance-learning courses. While some courses require a registration fee, many are available at no cost. Two new virtual courses are now being offered to help improve conformity with the federal Uniform Act and 49 CFR Part 24 appraisal requirement, which were established by Congress fifty years ago to ensure property owners and tenants are treated fairly and equitably and receive relocation assistance if affected by federally funded projects government-wide. Register now through the NHI website link and select the Sessions button. For more information about the appraisal training courses, please contact NHI Customer Service, at (877) 558-6873, or Richard (Kevin) O'Grady at (202) 961-0903.
  • The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is making record investments in clean buses. The Clean Bus Planning Awards (CBPA) program reduces barriers to zero-emission bus deployment by providing school and transit bus fleets with free technical assistance to develop comprehensive and customized fleet electrification transition plans. CBPA is managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and funded by the Joint Office. CBPA connects transit and school bus fleets with technical experts to support planning for bus electrification. Fleets also have the option to receive free deployment assistance from NREL at the completion of their plan. CBPA is not an incentive program, and fleets do not receive direct funding—rather, selected applicants will be allocated technical assistance resources by NREL. The Joint Office provides a variety of technical assistance resources to help with Electric Vehicle (EV) deployment for many modes of transportation.

Upcoming USDOT Funding Resources and Opportunities

The USDOT Discretionary Grants Dashboard provides communities with an overview of discretionary grant opportunities that can help meet their transportation infrastructure needs. The Dashboard also includes Federal grant programs outside of DOT that may be of particular interest to rural communities. The below list spotlights just a few of the currently open funding opportunities – visit the Grants Dashboard to find more or check out the calendar of open and upcoming grant opportunities!

New and Notable!

  • Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) just announced the availability of more than $180 million in grants across four different programs to promote roadway safety. These grants, part of the funding included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, are open to state, territorial, and tribal organizations, local jurisdictions, academic institutions, and other training programs and entities to promote commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety-related activities. Grant applications for the fiscal year 2024 cycle are due by 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 19, 2024. The full Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announcements can be found at grants.gov. Details regarding funding amounts, application requirements, and applicant and project eligibility can be found on FMCSA’s Grants website. (For those new to Grants.gov check out this DOT Navigator page with helpful tips).
    • The High Priority Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Grant Program funds CMV safety-related activities that increase public awareness and education on CMV safety, target unsafe driving in high-risk crash corridors, demonstrate new technologies to improve CMV safety, improve safety data, and support other projects that help meet FMCSA’s mission of improving CMV safety nationwide.
    • The Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training Grant Program funds organizations providing CMV operator training with the goal of enhancing training access to current and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families, as well as underserved and refugee communities.  
    • The Commercial Driver’s License Program Implementation Grant Program helps implement and enhance the national commercial driver’s license (CDL) program, which is focused on ensuring each CDL driver has only one driving record and licensing document, commonly referred to as “One Driver — One License — One Record.”
    • The High Priority Enforcement Training and Support Grant Program funds the development and delivery of motor carrier safety training to non-Federal employees who conduct CMV enforcement activities in accordance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR), Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Out-of-Service criteria; and to develop related training materials to increase awareness and education on CMV safety and otherwise improve CMV safety.
  • FHWA is now accepting applications for its $250 million Congestion Relief Program, which offers competitive grants to advance innovative, multimodal solutions to reduce vehicular traffic in the most congested metropolitan areas of the United States. The Congestion Relief Program is accepting applications for the first round through a NOFO, which provides $150 million in grants for fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024. The grants are available to states, metropolitan planning organizations, cities, and municipalities for projects in urban areas with a population of at least one million. Applications are due by April 22, 2024.
  • DOT is accepting applications for its $1.256 billion Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. With the latest award announcement in December 2023, SS4A has provided $1.7 billion in Federal funding to over 1,000 communities in all 50 States and Puerto Rico. SS4A funds help communities in the development of road safety action plans and improve unsafe roadway corridors by implementing effective interventions. Additionally, these funds can be utilized to test out safety features such as separated bicycle lanes or curb extensions at intersections. View the SS4A NOFO. Among the changes to this year’s program to enable more communities to receive the support, the FY2024 NOFO clarifies that Tribal Transportation Program and Tribal Transportation Program Safety Funds may be used as non-Federal match. Applications for Implementation Grants are due by May 16. Planning and demonstration grant applicants will have three opportunities to apply with the deadlines of April 4, May 16, and August 29. The SS4A team is hosting webinars on March 7, 8 and 13 for those interested in submitting applications and learning more about each of the different grant opportunities.

Other Grant Opportunities

Closing in March

  • DOT is offering a $25 million funding opportunity for its Rural Autonomous Vehicle (RAV) research program. Accredited universities are eligible to apply for this competitive, six-year cooperative agreement program. Recipients will use RAV program funding to conduct research regarding the benefits and responsible application of automated vehicles and associated mobility technologies in rural and Tribal communities. The RAV program funds collaborative research and pilot deployment activities to support a future rural transportation system that is safe, advances American competitiveness, and supports good-paying jobs. More information about the competition is posted on the RAV NOFO Questions and Answers page, and you can find a recording from the informational webinar held in January here. Applications are due by March 13, 2024.
  • FHWA is accepting applications for $9.7 billion in multi-year funding to improve the nation’s bridges through the competitive Bridge Investment Program’s “Planning” and “Bridge Project” categories, which fund bridge planning, repair, and replacement projects under $100 million. FHWA has provided a Bridge Project Application Template and Planning Grant Application Template and highly encourages applicants to use the templates for their applications. Visit FHWA's Website to find more information, including an informational webinar recording. Technical assistance is also available to recipients who receive Bridge Investment Program grants. Applications for this round of planning and bridge project funding must be submitted by March 19, 2024 via Grants.gov.

Closing in April

  • FTA is accepting applications for its $1.5 billion FY 2024 Low- or No-Emission Program to support state and local efforts to buy or modernize buses, improve bus facilities, and support workforce development. The funding opportunity will advance FTA’s priorities of strengthening U.S. bus manufacturing, containing vehicle costs, and accelerating the delivery of new vehicles. The opportunity introduces streamlined application requirements for tribes requesting less than $1 million, making it easier for tribes with relatively small requests to apply. Applications are due by April 25, 2024.
  • The Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) is a discretionary grant program administered by the Maritime Administration. Funds for the PIDP are awarded on a competitive basis to projects that improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a port. Find more information about the $450 million available for FY 2024. Applications are due by April 30, 2024.

In preparing your application for any of the above programs, be sure to read the specific Notice of Funding Opportunity and related program materials to ensure your project and organization are eligible and you are meeting other program/application requirements. General information to help prepare for DOT applications can also be found on the DOT Navigator, including the Discretionary Grant Preparation Checklist for Prospective Applicants.

Recent Award Announcements

  • FTA announced $631 million in grants to improve rail transit safety and reliability for passengers through the purchase of new American-made rail cars. This investment, a part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, will improve transportation systems across the nation while creating good-paying jobs and boosting economic competitiveness. The grants announced through FTA's Rail Vehicle Replacement Program will help transit agencies in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Baltimore replace older vehicles with 300 new railcars, making transit safer, opening new opportunities for people with disabilities, and modernizing their transit systems. 

Non-USDOT Capacity Building Resources and Opportunities

With the goal of passing along outside resources specifically designed to build local capacity, especially for disadvantaged urban, rural, and tribal communities, to successfully develop transportation projects and funding applications, the DOT Navigator Bulletin includes opportunities that have been shared with the Department. Their inclusion does not indicate USDOT endorsement.

  • The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s $3 billion Clean Ports Program funds zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure as well as climate and air quality planning at U.S. ports. The Clean Ports Program includes two separate funding opportunities: the Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition and the Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition. The two NOFOs will be used to fund approximately $2.8 billion in zero-emission technology deployment at ports, as well as approximately $150 million for climate and air quality planning. Both NOFOs are open now, until the application deadline at 11:59 p.m. on May 28, 2024. EPA anticipates notifying selectees by September 2024 and awarding the grants by December 2024.
  • EPA is hosting a series of webinars related to the Community Change Technical Assistance grant program. The next webinar will be on March 12 at 3:00 p.m. ET and will focus on complying with federal grant requirements and developing a compliance plan.
  • The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) released the final episode of a four-part Environmental Technical Assistance Program (ETAP) equity podcast series. The four-part series explores ways to make mobility systems across the United States more attractive, equitable, and inclusive for all users by interviewing transportation leaders. Interviews were conducted at the 2023 AASHTO Annual Meeting and highlight the ways mobility-focused organizations work to create meaningful partnerships with underserved communities. References to episode one, two, and three of the ETAP series are provided, along with more information about an accompanying AASHTO knowledge session titled, “Stop, Look, Listen: Engaging Communities to Put Equity into Action.” 

Popular USDOT Navigator Grant Application Resources

If you have information or resources you would like to be considered for inclusion in future USDOT Navigator biweekly bulletins, reach out to USDOTAssist@dot.gov.

Click the link below to join the listserv or visit the USDOT Navigator to find information and resources on applying for USDOT grants and planning for and delivering transformative infrastructure projects and services.

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