U.S. DOT Announces Funding for Livability Grants, State of Good Repair, Energy Reduction

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the availability of $175 million in livability grants. Local transit agencies will be able to compete for these funds, which are intended to improve transportation options for urban, suburban, and rural communities. A goal of the livability grants is for transportation and housing decisions to be made jointly.

The news release from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the following:

Up to $150 million of the livability funding being announced comes from the Bus and Bus Facilities Program, which provides money to purchase or replace buses and to build bus-related facilities. The remaining funds come from the Alternatives Analysis Program, which provides money to help communities evaluate and select the best transit options to meet their transportation needs. The money can be spent on a broad range of projects within those two categories.

Proposals must be submitted by July 29. For more information, see the June 27 Federal Register (pdf).

The FTA also recently announced the availability of funding in support of its State of Good Repair initiative. This initiative will be funded with up to $750 million in unallocated Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 discretionary Bus and Bus Facilities Program funds. Proposals must be submitted by July 29.

At least $101 million in funding is also available for the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) program and Clean Fuels Grant program. The intent of these programs is to promote the usage and development of energy efficient technologies that reduce energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. Proposals must be submitted by August 23.

For more information on these funding opportunities, the FTA website provides links to the announcements in the Federal Register.