Transportation Enhancement Program

 The planning staff, in conjunction with NACOLG's member governments, prepares applications for the Transportation Enhancement Programs. In 1991, the U.S. Department of Transportation focused its efforts on developing a more modally balanced transportation system which consisted of extensive research and studies, in addition to construction and infrastructure. Therefore, the development of a transportation system now involves consideration of environmental, cultural, economic and social conditions in an effort to create a more balanced transportation system enabling governments to better understand their own needs and growth patterns in weighing their available options.
 

What are Transportation Enhancements?

In 1991, the U.S. Department of Transportation turned its sights on developing a more modally balanced transportation system by encouraging projects that are "more than asphalt, concrete, and steel." The focus of building our transportation system now involves consideration of environmental, cultural, economic, and social conditions in an effort to create a more balanced transportation system, which provides people with choices and with a richer experience. An important program at the heart of this thinking about quality of life is transportation enhancements (TE). With funding intended to improve communities, the end goal of the TE program is to "leave a place better than we found it."

Project Eligibility

Transportation Enhancements (TE) are twelve different community focused activities defined in TEA-21. The twelve activities are:

1. Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities

2. Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety and Education Activities

3. Acquisition of Scenic or Historic Easements and Sites

4. Scenic or Historic Highway Programs, Including Tourist and Welcome Centers

5. Landscaping and Scenic Beautification

6. Historic Preservation

7. Rehabilitation and Operation of Historic Transportation Buildings, Structures, or Facilities

8. Preservation of Abandoned Railway Corridors

9. Control and Removal of Outdoor Advertising

10. Archaeological Planning and Research

11. Mitigation of Highway Runoff and Provision of Wildlife Connectivity

12. Establishment of Transportation Museums

The basic Federal eligibility requirements for TE projects is that they are one of the 12 defined activities and are related to surface transportation. States can have additional eligibility requirements. Each state must set aside ten percent of its Surface Transportation Program funds for use on TE activities. Transportation Enhancements are Federal-aid reimbursement activities; TE is not a grant program. In most cases, the Federal government pays 80% of the project cost, and the project sponsor is responsible for the remaining 20%, also called the matching funds.

Since Congress introduced TE in 1991, more than $2.4 billion has been invested around the country in facilities for walking and bicycling, historic preservation, scenic beautification, land acquisition, and environmental mitigation. In 1998, the TE program was reauthorized in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), ensuring that through 2003, about $620 million in annual funds will be made available to State transportation agencies for these types of projects.

Transportation Enhancement Programs proved to be very successful for the region. All twelve applications developed by NACOLG were funded yielding over $1.5 million in awards. In preparation for the 2003 TE Program, the Planning Department hosted a Transportation Enhancement Workshop. Conducted by representatives of the ALDOT Multimodal Bureau, the workshop addressed many questions and concerns regarding the program.

What are Transportation Enhancements?

20 Tips to Transportation Enhancements

Department Contact:
Jesse Turner - (256) 389-0513