The Federal Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act of 1991 offered new and exciting opportunities
for states to enhance the transportation system with the introduction
of the Transportation Enhancement Program. ISTEA provided all
levels of government and the private sector with the opportunity
to work together to plan and develop intermodal transportation
systems. Intermodal transportation systems involve various forms
of transportation that are both integrated and interconnected
while tailored to the specific needs of particular geographic
areas.
One part of ISTEA directed
that at least 10 percent of Missouri's Surface Transportation
Program funds must be allocated toward transportation enhancement
activities, which go beyond the normal elements of a transportation
improvement project. By federal law, these funds must be used
for transportation enhancements and for no other purpose. The
Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission approved this program
in July 1992.
The Transportation
Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) continues this tradition.
Approximately $14 million will be available annually for federal
fiscal years 1998 through 2003 for enhancing Missouri's transportation
system. The actual dollar amount will be dependent upon congressional
and state appropriations. A portion of these funds will be retained
by MoDOT for landscaping and bicycle/pedestrian projects to enhance
highway and bridge projects. The remainder will be made available
to the local public agencies to be programmed over a four-year
period constituting larger rounds than the standard six-year cycle.
The Federal Transportation
Enhancement Program offers extensive opportunities to take unique
and creative actions to integrate transportation into our communities
and the natural environment. Transportation enhancement activities
can be stand-alone projects or implemented as part of an ongoing
transportation project. In either case, the project must relate
to the intermodal transportation system in terms of function,
proximity or impact. For example, an independent bike path is
a functional component of the intermodal transportation system.
Removal of outdoor advertising within an individual's view of
a highway is justified in light of its proximity. Retrofitting
an existing highway by creating a wetland to filter runoff from
the highway would qualify based on the impact of the highway in
terms of water pollution.
Enhancement projects
must be projects that are over and above what is considered routine
construction or maintenance. By effectively using the Transportation
Enhancement Program, transportation enhancement activities can
increase the value of a project and/or make it more aesthetically
pleasing.
Transportation
Enhancement Funds Project Guide (130
kb, 31 pages)
Transportation
Enhancement Funds Program Application (112
kb, 8 pages)
Eligible Enhancement
Categories include:
- Facilities for Pedestrians and Bicycles for Transportation
Purposes.
- Acquisition of Scenic Easements and Scenic or Historic Sites.
- Scenic or Historic Highway Programs.
- Landscaping and other Scenic Beautification.
- Historic Preservation.
- Rehabilitation and Operation of Historic Transportation Buildings,
Structures or Facilities Including Historic Railroad Facilities
and Canals.
- Preservation of Abandoned Railway Corridors Including Conversion
and Use for Pedestrian and Bicycle Trails.
- Control and Removal of Outdoor Advertising.
- Archaeological Planning and Research.
- Mitigation of Water Pollution due to Highway Runoff.
- Establishment of Transportation Museums
Project Eligibility Requirements
include:
- Project must meet at least one of the 11 transportation enhancement
fund categories (listed above).
- Project has a direct relationship to the intermodal transportation
system in terms of function, proximity, or impact.
- Project must be open for public access in perpetuity. (Property
must be owned by the Project Sponsor or involve a permanent
lease).
- The project sponsor must provide a match of at least 20 percent
of the total project costs.
- The project sponsor must be a local government or public agency.
(If the applicant is a state or federal agency then the state
or federal agency applicant must include a resolution from the
local governing councils or commission supporting the project.)
- The project must involve activities that are over and above
normal transportation practice.
- The project must meet a minimum score, which is given by the
selection committee.
For more
information, please contact Danica Stovall-Taylor via
e-mail or
by calling 573-526-4800. MoDOT Customer
Service can be reached at 1-888 ASK MODOT.
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