Introduction

TCSP Program Objectives

How Does the Program Work?

First Year Awards

Project Descriptions

TCSP Accomplishments

TCSP Looks to the Future

Strategic Priorities:
TCSP Looks to the Future

While the response to the first year of the TCSP program was larger than expected, and the benefits of the program already are being demonstrated, TCSP represents a 5-year TEA-21 initiative. The program is designed to grow over this period in terms of scope, size, and demonstrated impact. 

During this first year, many worthwhile proposals could not be funded. The increased funding levels authorized for FY 2000 and projected for future years, however, will play a key role in supporting additional innovative planning, implementation, and research grants. The Transportation Appropriations bill for FY 2000 provided $35 million for the TCSP Program, of which $25 million is reserved for 39 special projects and $10 million is designated for discretionary planning, implementation, and research grants. Recipients for this FY 2000 funding will be selected from the 292 grant applications from 48 States and the District of Columbia which represent funding requests totalling $151 million.

Projects selected for future funding will not necessarily duplicate strategies funded in FY 1999. Instead, future projects will further broaden the knowledge of how transportation investments can be used to accomplish community and system preservation goals. In FY 2000, it is anticipated that more projects will focus on:

• Integrating community health and safety goals with transportation to promote livable communities. 
• Planning or implementing regional and local strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
• Using technology and communications that provide people and businesses with improved access to goods and services to promote livable communities. 
• Enhancing intermodal and freight access to promote economic growth and access to jobs in communities.

In addition to funds for planning and implementation activities, the FY 2000 TCSP program includes a separate budget for research projects. Proposals were requested that address the following areas:

• Evaluation of the results of current community preservation practices. Information is needed on the specific outcomes of current statewide, regional, and local community preservation practices. Practices to be evaluated might include green corridors, smart growth, urban growth boundaries, higher-density development, and land-use controls to improve transportation efficiency.
• Development of needed tools and methodologies. Enhanced transportation-related tools and analytical techniques will help support State and local decisionmakers in taking a longer-term view and balancing economic, social equity, and environmental goals.

Together, the planning, implementation, and research activities funded under the TCSP program will demonstrate new ways of linking transportation choices with community livability and system-preservation goals. The results will help communities across the Nation make more informed decisions to guide their future.