Upcoming Events and Webinars
-
DOT is hosting a two-part webinar series to help communities use data to effectively tell their story in planning, development, and applying for DOT grants. Part 1 of the webinar series (July 22) will focus on how to identify and describe a project and its goals, identify users of the infrastructure or system, and determine the project’s impact area. Participants will receive step-by-step information and presenters will use examples to illustrate each of the concepts in the planning, project development, and/or grant application process. The webinar will conclude with a brief Q&A session. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the DOT Navigator. Part 2 of the webinar series (August 15) will introduce participants to DOT’s Equitable Transportation Community (ETC) Explorer tool and provide detailed information on how to use the tool to map a project area, identify how a community is experiencing disadvantage, and evaluate project benefits to a community. This information will build on the content presented during Part 1 of the webinar series. Participants are encouraged to register for both or review the Part 1 materials before attending Part 2. Register for the webinar series here.
-
The last of a three-part, in-person series of public engagement workshops organized by the DOT Office of the Secretary’s Office of Public Engagement will be held in Chicago, IL, on July 30, 2024 from 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. The workshop will engage transportation practitioners on ways to deliver opportunities for meaningful public engagement, as well as community leaders and members of the public on the transportation decision-making processes and how stakeholders can ensure their voices are heard. It will include a plenary session about making equitable transportation decisions and breakout sessions and small-group activities focused on highlighting meaningful public engagement strategies in transportation planning. In this training, community leaders will learn how their involvement can make a difference in the transportation system in their communities, while transportation professionals will learn how to deliver more meaningful public engagement activities that influence transportation decisions, promote equity and civil rights in projects, and build strong partnerships with community leaders. Registration is free and on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here for more information.
-
Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a new category of projects eligible for assistance under DOT’s TIFIA and RRIF loan programs. The Build America Bureau (Bureau) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) are committed to supporting project sponsors as they explore these financing opportunities and federal requirements tied to financial assistance. The Bureau and FTA are hosting informational webinars concerning National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental requirements for TIFIA and RRIF TOD projects. The webinar content is introductory and is intended for private developers, public agencies, and other stakeholders considering TIFIA or RRIF financing for a TOD project. All webinars will feature the same information and include a Q&A session. Register to join an upcoming webinar on July 9 (1:00-2:30 p.m. ET) or July 15 (3:00-4:30 p.m. ET). Participants are encouraged to register at least five business days before the webinar date. Registration is free but required.
Technical Assistance Resources
- DOT’s Project Delivery Center of Excellence has released a new resource to help ensure consistency and quality in design and construction contracts. Recipients of federal aid for construction projects must create thorough construction contracts to keep projects on time, on task, and on budget. These legally binding contracts, or project agreements, outline the roles, responsibilities, terms, and conditions for a project’s successful delivery. The Project Delivery Center of Excellence has worked in partnership with several national associations to identify templates and model language for transportation construction contracts. This new resource provides a central repository of those templates and model language that are available for purchase and from high-quality sources. Visit the Project Delivery Center of Excellence website to explore transportation-related, off-the-shelf templates that help develop robust project agreements efficiently.
- DOT recently updated its Navigator FAQ on using DOT funds for public involvement activities, including language on how transportation program funds can be used to support arts, culture, and/or creative placemaking.
- The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a video (passcode: KfB6Q.2?) that discusses effective best practices for setting appropriate speed limits to improve safety for all road users. Transportation agencies from Minnesota, Washington, and Oregon share their collective resources and strategies to address speed and its impact on safety. Facilitating safer speeds is a core principle of the Safe System Approach, the guiding paradigm of the National Roadway Safety Strategy.
- DOT is preparing for the 2024 update to the Equity Action Plan and will issue a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input on which activities being advanced through the plan would be most meaningful in advancing equity. The RFI will be posted to the Federal Register. A sign-up to receive transportation equity updates is available now.
-
Rural Road Safety Funding at USDOT: Example Projects from 2022 compiles a selection of recently awarded projects from certain DOT discretionary and non-discretionary grant programs that aim to address rural road safety. This compilation is meant to support prospective rural applicants understand how DOT grants have previously been used to improve rural road safety, and to showcase the underlying importance of safety across DOT grant programs.
- On June 26, DOT announced $1.8 billion in awards from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program for 148 projects across the country, bringing the total amount of Biden-Harris Administration RAISE grants to more than $7.2 billion for over 550 projects across the country. The RAISE program supports a diverse slate of communities with projects of local and regional significance. Funding is split equally between urban and rural areas, and a large percentage of grants support regions defined as historically disadvantaged or areas of persistent poverty. The eligibility requirements of RAISE allow project sponsors, including state and local governments, counties, Tribal governments, transit agencies, and port authorities, to pursue multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to fund through other grant programs. Learn more about the awarded projects.
- On June 20, FHWA announced that it is awarding $60 million in grants under the Saving Lives with Connectivity: Accelerating V2X Deployment program to advance connected and interoperable vehicle technologies. The grants to recipients in Arizona, Texas and Utah will serve as national models to accelerate and spur new deployments of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies.
- On June 18, FHWA announced $108 million in grant awards for 85 projects that will improve transportation and reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries on Federal and Tribal lands. The grants, from FHWA’s Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects and Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund programs, are the latest in a series of efforts by the Biden-Harris Administration to invest in transportation improvements and improve safety, mobility, economic development, and equity on Federal and Tribal lands.
- On June 18, FHWA announced a $22 million grant to the National Park Service to modernize and reconstruct a 0.7-mile segment of the Norris to Golden Gate roadway segment of the Grand Loop Road in Yellowstone National Park. The road is a critical transportation link to Yellowstone’s major destinations and the millions of people who visit the park each year, as well as local residents and communities. The project will significantly improve the exceptionally difficult and challenging roadway, improve safety and pedestrian access, alleviate rockfall hazards, upgrade vehicle pullouts and parking areas, and add new pedestrian facilities to separate people from traffic.
- On June 6, the FTA announced $7.8 million for 17 projects that will improve public transportation for people with disabilities, older adults, and low-income individuals. The grants, funded through the Innovative Coordinated Access & Mobility (ICAM) Pilot Program, support organizations that coordinate public transportation for underserved groups, allowing them to access healthcare, community services, education, and jobs by building partnerships among health, transportation, and human services providers.
- The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Program recognizes that while transportation projects can create significant value for a community, additional support systems and strategies must be in place to ensure equitable distribution of benefits. The FY 2023 Equitable Development Fact Sheet provides insights into the equitable development strategies being put into action by communities awarded RCN funding. Find more information about the FY 2023 RCN recipients.
Deadline Extended!
- FHWA extended the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) application deadline for the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP). Applications must be submitted electronically through grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. For more information regarding the NOFO, please visit the ATIIP website or reach out to atiip@dot.gov.
New and Notable!
-
On June 25, FHWA announced the availability of at least $196 million for FY2023 Culvert Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) grants as part of the FY23-26 Culvert AOP NOFO. The National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program (Culvert AOP Program) is a competitive grant program that awards grants to eligible entities for projects for the replacement, removal, and repair of culverts or weirs that meaningfully improve or restore fish passage for anadromous fish. Anadromous is the term that describes fish born in freshwater who spend most of their lives in saltwater and migrate back to freshwater to spawn. The deadline to apply for FY23 funding via grants.gov is September 23, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Learn more about the Culvert AOP Grants.
-
FHWA is now accepting applications for its Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program (WCPP), a competitive grant program with the goal of reducing Wildlife Vehicle Collisions (WVCs), while improving habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species. The WCPP provides funding for construction and non-construction projects. Construction projects include engineering, design, permitting, right-of-way acquisition, and other activities related to the construction of infrastructure improvements, such as the building of a wildlife crossing overpass or underpass. Non-construction projects include planning, research, and educational activities that are not directly related to construction of infrastructure improvements, such as a hot spot analysis of WVCs. Applications must be submitted electronically through grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on September 4, 2024. Find more information in the NOFO.
Grants Closing in July
- DOT is accepting applications for the third year of its Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program. The program will fund up to $500 million in grants over five years to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart community technologies and systems that improve transportation safety and efficiency. Through this SMART NOFO, DOT will accept applications for Stage 1 Planning and Prototyping grants. During Stage 1, the SMART program will fund technology demonstrations and prototypes that solve real-world transportation problems and build data and technology capacity for State, local, and Tribal governments. Later this year, recipients of Stage 1 grants will be eligible to expand their projects through the first of several Stage 2 grant opportunities. Applications are due July 12, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. ET. For more information on applying, see the resources under How to Apply. A webinar on How to Apply for the FY 2024 Stage 1 SMART Grant NOFO was held on May 28 – view the webinar recording here.
-
FTA has made available nearly $10.5 million in competitive grant funds for agencies to plan transit-adjacent development. FTA's Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning supports local planning and investment near transit hubs to promote sustainable, livable, and equitable communities, with a focus on projects that plan for affordable housing. Applications for areas with a lower population density or lower average income compared to surrounding areas will receive a higher federal funding share; applications with a substantial focus on affordable housing may receive up to 100% federal support. To apply for funding, an applicant must be an existing FTA grant recipient – either a project sponsor of an eligible transit project or an entity with land use planning authority in the project corridor. Learn more at FTA's TOD webpage. The application period will close on July 22, 2024.
Grants Closing in August
-
FHWA is accepting applications for its Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) discretionary grant program. The CFI Round 2 NOFO offers up to $1.3 billion in funding for new applications and for previously submitted applications. The CFI Program is a competitive grant program created by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places people live and work – urban and rural areas alike – in addition to designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs). CFI Program investments will make modern and sustainable infrastructure accessible to all drivers of electric, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas vehicles. This program provides two categories of grants: (1) Community Charging and Alternative Fueling Grants (Community Program); and (2) Charging and Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program). FHWA hosted a grant overview webinar on June 6 and a webinar on reconsideration of Round 1 applications on June 11 – view the webinar presentations and recordings. Applications are due by August 28, 2024.
-
The final deadline for Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Planning and Demonstration Grant applications is August 29, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Late applications will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted through Valid Eval. For more information, please visit the How to Apply page of the SS4A website. Applicants are encouraged to review the NOFO amendment, published on April 16, 2024, for the latest updates on the SS4A FY24 funding opportunity. A final round of questions and answers is available on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page of the SS4A website. New FAQs as of April 1, 2024, can be found by searching for *NEW* in the title.
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.
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 Department of Justice (DOJ) released a joint interagency statement reaffirming the commitment to support State, Tribal, and local governments receiving Federal funding for efforts related to advancing environmental justice and civil rights law. These efforts include providing technical assistance to recipients, conducting award cycle reviews, addressing discrimination complaints, and carrying out appropriate enforcement actions. The statement highlights environmental justice as a core civil rights issue affecting communities historically underserved by the Federal government and overburdened with pollution and underinvestment in local transportation infrastructure.
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.
|
