THE LATEST: The CRTPA is scheduled to adopt the Draft Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 – FY 2030 Transportation Alternatives (TA) Project Priority List (PPL) at the April 16 CRTPA Meeting.  Public comments related to the Draft TA PPL may be provided in the following ways:

• Provide comments live (in-person or virtual):
  – April 2 CRTPA Committee Meetings (Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) or Citizens Multimodal Advisory Committee (CMAC))
  – April 16 CRTPA Board Meeting
• Provide written comments by clicking here (please provide written comments by noon, April 16)

The CRTPA initiated the solicitation of new TA applications on November 1, 2023 and applications were due on January 19, 2024 (see timeline, below).  A virtual public meeting was held on Thursday, November 30 to briefly discuss the CRTPA’s TA Program.  The applications received are available for review at the bottom of this page.

The CRTPA’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) is a competitive program that coordinates the solicitation and ranking of TA programs and projects that encompass a variety of smaller-scale transportation projects such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities, recreational trails, safe routes to school projects, community improvements such as historic preservation and vegetation management, and environmental mitigation related to stormwater and habitat connectivity.  Funding for the TAP was most recently authorized in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” (BIL)) which provides a set-aside of Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program funding for transportation alternatives.  The following types of activities are eligible for TA funding:

• • Pedestrian and/or Bicycle facilities (Construction, planning, and design of off-road trail facilities or on-road facilities for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other nonmotorized forms of transportation); Safe Routes for Non-Drivers (Construction, planning, and design of infrastructure related projects and systems that provide safe routes for non-drivers, including children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities to access daily needs); Conversion of Abandoned Railway Corridors to Trails (Conversion and use of abandoned railroad corridors into trails for pedestrians, bicyclists, or other nonmotorized transportation users); Scenic Turnouts and Overlooks (Construction of turnouts, overlooks, and viewing areas); Outdoor Advertising Management (Inventory, control, or removal of outdoor advertising); Historic Preservation and Rehabilitation of Historic Transportation Facilities (Projects providing historic preservation or rehabilitation of historic transportation facilities); Vegetation Management (Vegetation management in public transportation ROW to improve roadway safety, prevent invasive species, and erosion control); Archaeological Activities (Archaeological activities related to impacts from transportation projects funded by FHWA); Stormwater Mitigation (Environmental mitigation activities addressing stormwater management, control, and water pollution prevention or abatement related to transportation projects); Wildlife Management (Wildlife mitigation and reduction of wildlife mortality, or to restore and maintain connectivity among terrestrial or aquatic habitats); Boulevards (Boulevards, defined as a walkable, low speed (35 mph or less) divided arterial thoroughfares in urban environments designed to carry both through and local traffic, pedestrians, and bicyclists. These may be high ridership transit corridors; serve as primary goods movement and emergency response routes; and use vehicular and pedestrian access management techniques that promote economic revitalization and follow complete street principles); Recreational Trails Program (Recreational trails compliant with 62-S-2, Florida Administrative Code, and 23 U.S.C. 104 (b)); Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) (SRTS projects, codified as 23 U.S.C. 208, that substantially improves the ability of kindergarten through 12th grade students (vulnerable road users) to walk and / or bicycle to school]. Traditionally includes sidewalks, traffic calming and speed reduction, traffic diversion improvements, pedestrian and bicycle crossings, on-street bicycle facilities, off-street bicycle facilities, and bicycle parking facilities at public schools).

Recent changes  to the TA Program associated with the BIL include the requirement to prioritize “high need” such communities in project selection.  The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has created an updated TA application incorporating some of the changes to the TA Program.

As the region’s Transportation Planning Organization, the CRTPA manages the solicitation, ranking and submittal of eligible TAP projects prior to provision to the FDOT for annual funding consideration. Applications are solicited every two years and the initial review and draft ranking of applications is performed by the CRTPA’s TA Subcommittee (consisting of members from the CRTPA’s two committees) prior to consideration and adoption of ranked projects on the CRTPA’s annual Transportation Alternatives Project Priority List by the CRTPA.

2023/2024 CRTPA TA Program Timeline

What type of projects are eligible for transportation alternatives program funding?

See information at top of page regarding eligible projects.

Who can apply?

The following are eligible entities to receive TAP funds pursuant to 23 USC 133(h)(4)(B):

• local governments;
• regional transportation authorities;
• transit agencies;
• natural resource or public land agencies;
• school districts, local education agencies, or schools;
• tribal governments; and
• any other local or regional governmental entity with responsibility for oversight of transportation or recreational trails (other than a metropolitan planning organization or a State agency) that the State determines to be eligible, consistent with the goals of subsection (c) of section 213 of title 23.

Under the TAP, nonprofits are not eligible as direct grant recipients of the funds. Nonprofits are eligible to partner with any eligible entity on an eligible TAP project.  The TA application may be downloaded by clicking here.

Important

Submitted applications are required to include proof of right-of-way ownership from the submitting agency. Only applications that identify that the proposed project is located within public ownership will be considered. Such proof includes the provision of plats, deeds, prescriptions and certified surveys.

Questions?

For more information, contact Greg Burke at the CRTPA (891-8626)

2024 Applications Received

Spring Creek Highway (CR 365) Phase I - Multi-Use Path
Funding Sought: $763,081 (Sponsor: Wakulla County) (Total Project Cost: $763,081)

Dr. MLK, Jr. Memorial Road Phase II - Multi-Use Path
Funding Sought: $947,633 (Sponsor: Wakulla County) (Total Project Cost: $947,633)

Highland Drive Sidewalk
Funding Sought: $1,647,814 (Sponsor: Leon County) (Total Project Cost: $2,554,111)

Waverly Road Sidewalk
Funding Sought: $ 1,320,000 (Sponsor: City of Tallahassee) (Total Project Cost: $3,500,000)