TEA-21 - Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century Moving Americans into the 21st Century
	Fact Sheet
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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM
Year	1997(ISTEA)	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Authorization*	$4,097M	$4,798M	$5,540M	$5,592M	$5,703M	$5,795M	$5,905M

* Authorizations shown here will be augmented by a portion of Minimum Guarantee funds.

Program Purpose

The STP provides flexible funding that may be used by States and localities for projects on any Federal-aid highway, including the NHS, bridge projects on any public road, transit capital projects, and intracity and intercity bus terminals and facilities. A portion of funds reserved for rural areas may be spent on rural minor collectors.

Distribution of Funds

The following funds are to be set aside from authorized amounts:

Railway-Highway Crossing Hazard Elimination in High Speed Rail Corridors - Increases setaside from $5 million per year to $5.25 million per year; adds three additional high speed rail corridors, expands one of the original five corridors and authorizes the Secretary to select up to three additional corridors." [1103(c)]

Operation Lifesaver - Authorizes setaside for Operation Lifesaver, which was previously funded from the administrative takedown; increases amount from $300,000 to $500,000 per year. [1103(c)]

Apportioned funds are to be distributed based on the following new formula [1103(b)]:

• 25% based on total lane miles of Federal-aid highways (FAH) in the State as a percent of total FAH lane miles in all States.

• 40% based on total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on lanes of FAH in the State as a percent of total VMT on lanes of FAH in all States.

• 35% based on estimated tax payments attributable to highway users in the State paid into the Highway Account of the HTF in the latest fiscal year for which data are available, as a percent of total such payments by all States.

State suballocations of apportioned funds are retained with some changes --

• Retains 10% setaside for safety improvement projects including railway-highway crossings. [23USC133(d)(1)]

• Retains 10% setaside for transportation enhancements. [23USC133(d)(2)] •1570

• Retains setaside for urbanized areas with populations over 200,000. [23USC133(d)(3)]

• Extends the provision requiring States to make available obligation authority to urbanized areas over 200,000 population, but in two 3-year increments rather than one 6-year period as in ISTEA. Adds the requirement that the State, affected MPO, and Secretary ensure compliance with this provision. [1108(e)]

• Retains the special rule for areas of less than 5,000 population [23USC133(d)(3)]. Permits up to 15 percent of amounts reserved for rural areas to be spent on rural minor collectors. [1108(f)]

Transfer of Funds [1310]

Transportation Enhancement (TE) setaside - Up to 25 percent of the difference between the amount set aside for TE for the fiscal year and the amount set aside for TE for FY 1997 may be transferred to IM, CMAQ, NHS and/or the Bridge Program. [1310]

Safety setaside - Safety setaside funds equivalent to the funds made available for FY 1991 for the Hazard Elimination and Railway-Highway Crossing Programs (23 USC 130 and 152) may not be transferred. Up to 25 percent of the difference between the remainder of the safety setaside for the fiscal year—the "optional safety" funds—and the comparable amount for FY 1997 may be transferred to IM, CMAQ, NHS and/or the Bridge Program. [1310]

Suballocation to areas - STP funds allocated to sub-State areas (rural, urbanized areas with population over 200,000) may not be transferred. [1310]

Transfers to STP from the IM, NHS, CMAQ, and Bridge Programs will not be subject to further STP setasides or suballocations.

Eligible Activities

Expands STP eligibilities to specifically include the following [1108(a)]:

• sodium acetate/formate, or other environmentally acceptable, minimally corrosive anti-icing and de-icing compositions

• programs to reduce extreme cold starts

• environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects, including retrofit or construction of stormwater treatment facilities (limited to 20% of total cost of 3R-type transportation projects)

• natural habitat mitigation, but specifies that if wetland or natural habitat mitigation is within the service area of a mitigation bank, preference will be given to use the bank

• privately owned vehicles and facilities that are used to provide intercity passenger service by bus

• modifications of existing public sidewalks (regardless of whether the sidewalk is on a Federal-aid highway right-of-way), to comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act

• infrastructure based intelligent transportation system capital improvements

Program Administration

See fact sheet on Program Administration for important changes in program delivery and project oversight that affect the STP.

September 14, 1998