2012 Discretionary Grant Programs
This collection of information is voluntary and will be used to support and encourage multistate transportation planning and corridor development, provide for project development, facilitate decision making, and support construction in the eight States comprising the Delta Region. Public reporting burden is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Please note that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 2125-0615 with an expiration date of July 31, 2013. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, Federal Highway Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590.
DELTA REGION TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM DISCRETIONARY GRANTS FOR FY2012
SELECTION CRITERIA AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Statutory References
SAFETEA-LU Section 1308
Program Summary
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-us/eight-state-map.aspx).
Additional information on the (DRTDP) can be found at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/ind1308drtdp.htm
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 of Transportation to States, or metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs).
Federal Share
The Federal share payable shall be 80% or subject to the sliding scale rate under 23 U.S.C. § 120(b).
Eligible Use of Funds
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 23 U.S.C. §§ 134 and 135.
Statutory Priority Consideration
It is a DRTDP priority to encourage State and local officials to work together to develop plans for multimodal and multijurisdictional transportation decisionmaking. In selecting projects for DRTDP grants, the Secretary of Transportation shall 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.
Statutory Selection Criteria
The Secretary shall select projects to be carried out under the program based on –
- whether the projects is located in an area
- under the authority of the Delta Regional Authority; and
- on a Federal-aid highway;
- endorsement of the project by the State department of transportation; and
- evidence of the ability of the recipient of funds provided under the program to complete the project
Project Selection Criteria
FHWA has not established regulatory criteria for the selection of DRTDP projects; however, FHWA will use the following criteria in the evaluation of candidates for this program:
- 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:
- Operational improvements
- Safety improvements
- Complete street strategies
- Traffic calming
- Street connectivity improvements
- State of Good Repair - Improving the condition of existing transportation facilities and systems, with particular emphasis on projects that minimize life-cycle costs.
- Safety - Improving the safety of U.S. transportation facilities and systems.
- 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.
- State priorities - For States that submit more than one project, consideration is given to the individual State's priorities.
- 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.
- Geographic distribution – Geographic distribution of funding in both urban and rural areas within the area under the authority of the Delta Regional Authority.
Policy Considerations
Restoring economic health and creating jobs through improvements to transportation infrastructure are among the highest priorities of the FHWA. In furtherance of these priorities, the FHWA will give priority consideration to projects and activities that create new jobs in the short-term and contribute to the economic competitiveness of the United States over the long-term. Applicants are encouraged to explain how their project will contribute to increased employment and enhance economic competitiveness.
In addition to a project's transportation and economic benefits, when allocating funds to carry out the FY 2012 discretionary programs, the FHWA will also give consideration to providing an equitable and geographic distribution of funds.
Submission Requirements
Applications are due from the State departments of transportation (State DOTs) and MPOs to the FHWA division offices by January 6, 2012.
The following information must be included to properly evaluate the candidate projects. Those applications that do not include these items are considered incomplete and will not be considered in the evaluation selection process.
- State in which the project is located.
- State Priority -Indicate what priority this project is for the State of the applications submitted; i.e. Number 1 priority of 4 applications submitted
- County in which the project is located.
- U.S. Congressional District No (s) in which the project is located. This is the U.S. Congressional District, not the State district.
- U.S. Congressional District Member's Name(s). This is the U.S. Congressional District representative, not the State legislature.
- 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.
- Project Location– Describe the specific location of the project, including route number etc.
- Project Narrative - Describe the project and the expected results, including project goals and time frame.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
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 DOT 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.
FHWA Point of Contact
Wesley Blount
Office of Human Environment
202-366-0799
wesley.blount@dot.gov