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Grant Community.com Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Descriptions |
CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC
ASSISTANCE
20.205: Highway Planning and Construction
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| PROGRAM AND AWARD | FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS |
| ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS | FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO. |
| APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS | INFORMATION CONTACTS |
| RELATED PROGRAMS | ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS |
| PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS | POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS |
Applicant Eligibility: Most projects are administered by or through State transportation agencies or Federal agencies. Projects related to Indian Reservation Roads may be proposed by Tribal governments and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Projects related to Park Roads and Parkways may be proposed by the National Park Service. Projects related to Refuge Roads may be proposed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Funding for public lands highways, which include forest highways, may be proposed by counties and other political subdivisions or agencies through the State transportation agencies or by Federal agencies. Territorial highway projects are funded in the same manner as other Federal-aid highway projects, with the territorial highway/transportation agency functioning as the State transportation agency.
Beneficiary Eligibility: State transportation agencies, and in some instances, Federal agencies, other State agencies, local agencies, and private, community-based organizations.
Credentials/Documentation: Eligible activities and allowable costs will be determined in accordance with Title 23 and the OMB cost principles applicable to the recipient/sub-recipient.
Preapplication Coordination: Projects in metropolitan planning areas must be included in an approved Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) by the MPO in cooperation with the State and transit operator. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O.12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. An environmental impact assessment is required for most projects under this program, although the level of review varies with the project.
Application Procedure: In general, projects/programs proposed for Federal-aid funding must be included in a fiscally constrained STIP submitted by the State transportation agency and approved jointly by the FHWA and the FTA. In addition, the States must submit statements of work or plans, specifications, and estimates for certain proposed projects to the FHWA division office located in each State for approval. In general, projects on the National Highway System (NHS), projects; except for new or reconstruction projects costing more than $1 million on the Interstate System, and all non-NHS projects are not subject to FHWA oversight of design or construction. For the discretionary portion of public lands highways, State transportation agencies submit desired projects to the FHWA division office located in each State; for the Forest highway portion of public lands highways submissions are made by the Forest Service and the State transportation agencies to the Federal Lands Highway division engineers. Tribal governments, with assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), develop a priority program of projects for Indian Reservation Roads, the National Park Service (NPS) develops a priority program of projects for Park Roads and Parkways, and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) develops a program of projects for Refuge Roads. The BIA, NPS, and FWS submit the programs to the FHWA. Projects funded under the Federal Lands Highway Program are subject to the Metropolitan and Statewide Planning requirements. Grants to Indian tribal governments are covered by OMB Circular No. A-102 and 49 CFR Part 18.
Award Procedure: The State transportation agencies generally decide which projects will be developed within funding levels but the FHWA division office located in each State makes the final decision on the eligibility of specific projects for funding. There are several categories where limited assistance is allocated at the discretion of the Secretary of Transportation and administered by the FHWA. Candidate projects for discretionary allocations are usually solicited before the start of the Federal fiscal year (October 1) and must be submitted by the State transportation agencies. The FHWA approval constitutes a commitment to pay the Federal share of the project's cost.
Deadlines: With regular formula programs, there are no deadlines. For discretionary project allocations, applications are usually considered late in the fiscal year before the year for which the funds are available. Allocations to specific projects are generally made early in the fiscal year. Contact Federal agency for deadline date(s). All allocations are made through the State transportation agency which is advised of schedules for submission of candidates.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: From 5 days to 5 months.
Appeals: None.
Renewals: None.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals: To be eligible, most projects must be located on public roads that are not functionally classified as local. The major exceptions are the Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program, which provides assistance for bridges on and off the Federal-Aid highways; highway safety activities; and planning, research, development, and technology transfer. Legislative language restricts authorizations to most projects on Federal-Aid Highways such as the designated National Highway System, which includes the Interstate System, and other authorizations to particular types of projects (bridge replacement and rehabilitation, emergency relief, etc.). Proposed projects meeting these and other planning, design, environmental, safety, etc., requirements can be approved on the basis of State and local priorities within the limit of the funds apportioned or allocated to each State.
Examples of Funded Projects: (A) In fiscal year 1998, $442 million in Emergency Relief funding was obligated for the repair and reconstruction of Federal-aid highways and bridges, and Federal roads damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic failures. During the year, emergency assistance was extended to 43 new disasters in 27 States and territories. (B) The replacement or rehabilitation of about 2,800 additional deficient bridges was initiated in fiscal year 1998. Over $614 million were obligated for Forest Highways, Public Lands Highways, Indian Reservation Roads, Refuge Roads, and Park Roads and Parkways in fiscal year 1999.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance: $91,556,279 to $1,965,378,143; $394,284,571.
The Federal-aid Highway Program has made significant contributions to the safer operation of the nation's highways, to the better intermodal connectivity of roads to other forms of transportation, and to the improvement of pavement and bridge conditions throughout the country, while helping to safeguard environmental conditions. It has provided funding for a wide range of alternatives to traditional highway construction projects to better serve transportation needs. It has developed and advanced critical new technologies, such as Intelligent Transportation Systems, and shared them with the States. FHWA also works to deliver access to national parks and forests, National Wildlife Refuges, and Indian reservations by carrying out its own direct road building program to and within these areas.
Federal Agency: FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Type of Assistance: Formula Grants; Project Grants.
Obligations: (Grants) FY 99 $25,989,370,000; FY 00 est $28,478,072,000, and FY 01 est $30,321,332,000.
Budget Account Number: 69-8083-0-7-401.
Authorization: 23 U.S.C. 401 et seq., as amended.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature: 23 CFR, "Highways" and 49 CFR, "Transportation."
Regional or Local Office: State-level offices of the Federal Highway Administration (as listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog) or State transportation agencies.
Headquarters Office: For Forest Highways, Indian Reservation Roads, Refuge Roads, and Park Roads and Parkways, contact Program Manager, Federal Lands Highway, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Phone: (202) 366-9494. For all others, Director, Office of Program Administration, Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. Phone: (202) 366-4853.
(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)
Formula and Matching Requirements: Most Federal-aid highway funds are distributed by statutory formula. Eligibility requirements for most programs are also determined by legislative criteria. Some categories, including part of the bridge and Interstate Maintenance funds, are distributed on a discretionary basis. The normal maximum Federal share is 90 percent for the Interstate projects, and 80 percent for most other projects. The Federal share for some programs may be increased in the case of States with large areas of Federal lands. Some projects, including territorial highway projects and Federal Lands Highway Program projects, require no matching of Federal funds.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: Federal-aid highway funds generally become available at the beginning of the fiscal year for which they are authorized and must be obligated within 3 years after the close of that fiscal year.
Uses and Use Restrictions: Federal-aid highway funds are generally apportioned by statutory formulas to the States and generally restricted to roads open to the public and not functionally classified as local. Exceptions to this include planning and research activities, bridge and safety improvements which may be done on any public road, and the Federal Lands Highway Program. Federal-aid funds may be used for surveying, engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and relocation assistance for capital improvement projects classified as new construction, reconstruction, improvements for functional, geometric, or safety reasons, and 4R projects (restoration, rehabilitation, resurfacing, and reconstruction); planning; research, development, and technology transfer; intelligent transportation systems projects; roadside beautification; wetland and natural habitat mitigation, traffic management and control improvements; improvements necessary to accommodate other transportation modes, development and establishment of transportation management systems; billboard removal; construction of bicycle facilities and pedestrian walkways; fringe and corridor parking; car pool and van pool projects; and transportation enhancements such as scenic and historic highway improvements. These funds generally cannot be used for routine highway operational activities, such as police patrols, mowing, snow plowing, or maintenance, unless it is preventative maintenance. Also, authorizations for the Surface Transportation Program (STP) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program, may be used for capital improvements to mass transit; CMAQ funds are for projects and programs in air quality, non-attainment and maintenance areas for ozone, carbon monoxide, and small particulate matter, which reduce transportation related emissions. Eligibility criteria for the programs differ, so program guidance should be consulted. Projects in urban areas of 50,000 or more population must be based on a transportation planning process carried out by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) in cooperation with the State and transit operators, and be included in metropolitan plans and programs. Projects in non-metropolitan areas of a State must be consistent with the State's Transportation Plan. All projects must also be included in the approved Statewide transportation improvement program (STIP) and are developed as part of the required Statewide transportation planning process.
Reports: Except for exempt projects, the FHWA division office in each State monitors and reviews State projects and programs during highway project location, design and construction. After the project is completed State maintenance of the project is reviewed periodically. Similar procedures apply to Federal agencies. Certain non-construction activities, such as transportation planning, require periodic progress reports. In addition, projects of greater than $1,000,000,000 require an annual financial plan.
Audits: In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records: Project records and documents must be retained by the State or subrecipient as specified in 49 CFR Part 18. For the Federal Lands Highway Program, the Federal Lands Highway Divisions maintain the project records.
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Last Updated, November, 2000
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