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Federal-aid Programs and Special Funding

 

ARCHIVED: 2011 Discretionary Grant Programs

Delta Region Transportation Development

Selection Criteria and Additional Information

BACKGROUND:

The Delta Region Transportation Development Program (DRTDP) provides grants to: (1) support and encourage multistate transportation planning and corridor development; (2) provide for transportation project development; (3) facilitate transportation decision making; and (4) support transportation construction in the Delta region. The Delta region includes the portions of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee under the authority of the Delta Regional Authority (http://www.dra.gov/about/maps.aspx).

States and metropolitan planning organizations are eligible for DRTDP discretionary grants for multistate highway planning, development, and construction projects that are consistent with the continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive planning processes required by sections 134 and 135 of title 23, United States Code.

Additional information on the (DRTDP) can be found at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/ind1308drtdp.htm

STATUTORY REFERENCES:

SAFETEA-LU Section 1308

FUNDING:

Funded by contract authority; funds are not transferable. Funds are subject to the overall Federal-aid highway obligation limitation. Funds are to be allocated by the Secretary to States, or metropolitan planning organizations.

FEDERAL SHARE:

The Federal share payable shall be 80% or subject to the sliding scale rate under 23 USC 120(b).

ELIGIBLE USE OF FUNDS:

Funds may be used to carry out multistate highway planning, development, and construction projects that:

  • are consistent with the continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive planning processes required by sections 134 and 135 of title 23, United States Code;
  • are located in an area under the authority of the Delta Regional Authority;
  • are located on a Federal-aid highway;
  • have the endorsement of the project by the State department of transportation; and
  • have evidence of the ability of the recipient to complete the project.

PRIORITY CONSIDERATION:

The Secretary of Transportation will make grants under the program priorities:

  • to encourage State and local officials to work together to develop plans for multimodal and multijurisdictional transportation decision making; and
  • to give priority to projects that emphasize multimodal planning, including planning for operational improvements that--
    • increase the mobility of people and goods;
    • improve the safety of the transportation system with respect to catastrophic natural disasters or disasters caused by human activity; and
    • contribute to the economic vitality of the area in which the project is being carried out.

PROJECT SELECTION CRITERIA:

FHWA has not established regulatory criteria for the selection of DRTDP projects; however, FHWA notes that the following criteria will also be considered in the evaluation of candidates for this program:

  1. Livability - Improvements must be on a Federal-aid highway. Priority will be given to requests that address livability, especially from a highway perspective, including rural areas. This would include, but is not limited to, activities such as:

    1. Operational improvements
    2. Safety improvements
    3. Complete street strategies
    4. Traffic calming
    5. Street connectivity improvements

  2. State of Good Repair - Improving the condition of existing transportation facilities and systems, with particular emphasis on projects that minimize life-cycle costs.

  3. Safety - Improving the safety of U.S. transportation facilities and systems.

  4. Expeditious completion of project - Consideration is given to requests that will expedite the completion of a viable project. This is a project's ability to be obligated quickly after award and be completed within the limited funding amounts available, and evidence of the ability of the recipient of funds provided under the program to complete the project.

  5. State priorities - For States that submit more than one project, consideration is given to the individual State's priorities.

  6. Leveraging of private or other public funding - Because the requests for funding far exceed the available DRTDP funds, commitment of other funding sources to complement the requested DRTDP funding is an important factor.

  7. Geographic distribution - Geographic distribution of funding in both urban and rural areas within the area under the authority of the Delta Regional Authority.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

Applications are due from the State departments of transportation (State DOTs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) division offices by June 3, 2011.

The following information must be included to properly evaluate the candidate projects. The appropriate division office must submit the applications by electronic mail in Microsoft Word format. Those applications that do not include these items are considered incomplete and will not be considered in the evaluation selection process.

  1. State in which the project is located.
  2. State Priority - Indicate what priority this project is for the State of the applications submitted; i.e. Number 1 priority of 4 applications submitted
  3. County in which the project is located.
  4. U.S. Congressional District No (s) in which the project is located. This is the U.S. Congressional District, not the State district.
  5. U.S. Congressional District Member's Name(s). This is the U.S. Congressional District representative, not the State legislature.
  6. Project Title - This should be a very short project description that readily identifies the project, or is commonly used to describe the facility or project.
  7. Project Location - Describe the specific location of the project, including route number etc.
  8. Project Narrative - Describe the project and the expected results, including project goals and time frame.
  9. Functional Class - List the functional class of the facilities to be improved. (Note: DRTDP projects must be located on a Federal-aid highway. The term "Federal-aid highway" means a highway other than a highway classified as a local road or rural minor collector.
  10. Amount of Federal DRTDP Funds Requested - Indicate the total cost of the proposed work along with the amount of DRTDP funds being requested (the maximum Federal share for this program is 80 percent). If the State is willing to accept partial funding of the request, that should be indicated.
  11. Commitment of State or other Funds - Indicate the amounts and sources of any private or other public funding being provided as part of this project. Only indicate those amounts of funding that are firm and documented commitments from the entity
  12. Can the project be obligated this fiscal year? Funds will only be allocated this fiscal year to projects that are ready to be obligated.

The applications must be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format (see Attachment). When submitting the project applications, the division office shall transmit them via email to the attention of Wesley Blount at Wesley.Blount@dot.gov. Transmittal should include:

  1. a statement from the division office that the submittal has been reviewed by the division office and that it meets the submission requirements;
  2. the applicants submission e-mail or letter to the FHWA division office;
  3. endorsement by the State department of transportation for projects submitted by MPOs;
  4. each Microsoft Word application as an attachment.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF AWARDS / ALLOCATION OF FUNDS:

After the applications are received and projects are selected for funding, it is required that Congress be notified before the funds are allocated to the States. When this Congressional notification process is completed, the Office of Planning, Environment and Realty will issue an announcement by email to all FHWA division offices, announcing the DRTDP projects that will be funded and the amount of funding for each project.

At that time, States/or MPO's may request that funds be allocated for any projects for which the funds are ready to be obligated. The State transportation agency shall send an email to the FHWA division office indicating the project, the amount requested for allocation, and the date by which the funds will be obligated. The Office of Planning, Environment and Realty will issue the allocation memorandum within a few days of receiving the allocation request from the division office.

STATE TRANSPORTATION AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  1. Coordinate with State or metropolitan planning organizations to develop project applications.
  2. Ensure that the applications are completed for candidate projects in accordance with the submission requirements outlined above.
  3. If required, establish priorities if submitting more than one project.
  4. Submit the applications electronically to the local FHWA division office on time so that the submission deadline can be met.
  5. Submit request to FHWA division office for allocation of funds, after awards are announced, and when project funds are ready to be obligated.

FHWA DIVISION OFFICE RESPONSIBILITIES:

  1. Provide the solicitation memorandum and this program information to the State transportation agency/or MPO electronically to facilitate their electronic submission of applications.
  2. Request candidate projects be submitted by the State to the FHWA division office electronically to meet the submission deadline established in the solicitation.
  3. Review all candidate applications submitted by the State prior to sending them to FHWA Headquarters to ensure that they are complete and meet the submission requirements.
  4. Submit the candidate applications electronically to FHWA Headquarters Office of Planning as outlined in the solicitation memorandum. Include the following with the transmitting email message:
    1. Statement from the division office that the State's submittal has been reviewed by the division office and that it meets the submission requirements.
    2. State transportation department submission email or letter to the FHWA division office.
    3. Each Microsoft Word DRTDP grant application as a separate attachment.
  5. Forward award announcement to the State.
  6. Forward allocation requests from State to the Office of Planning, Environment and Realty

FHWA HEADQUARTERS PROGRAM OFFICE RESPONSIBILITIES:

  1. Solicit applications from the States through annual solicitation memorandum.
  2. Review applications and compile appropriate program and project information for the Federal Highway Administrator.
  3. Issue award announcement via email to all FHWA division offices.
  4. Allocate funds upon receipt of request from State through the FHWA division office.
Updated: 02/27/2019
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000