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American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) is a job and economic stimulus bill intended to help states and the nation restart their economies and stimulate employment during the worst economic downturn in over 70 years. In drafting this bill, President Obama and Congress recognized that investment in transportation infrastructure is one of the best ways to create and sustain jobs, stimulate economic development, and leave a legacy to support the financial well-being of the generations to come. ARRA spans across a wide spectrum of federal agencies and their programs, which are used as a conduit for these funds. The information below reflects funding available through the United States Department of Transportation Agency to the Bay Area Region.

ARRA Project Status

General Background Information

The following sources provide general information about ARRA including program guidance:

MTC's Selection of ARRA Funded Projects

ARRA funds through FTA were distributed using the formulas for the FTA Section 5307 and Section 5309 programs to urbanized areas.  Also, ARRA funds through FHWA were distributed to the States based on the formulas used for the Surface Transportation Program.  In turn, the State of California sub-apportioned 62.5% of what it received to urban areas of the State, which are administered by metropolitan planning organizations.  MTC as the designated FTA grant recipient and as the metropolitan planning organization for the Bay Area has authority for choosing projects using the above specified ARRA funding sources.

Below are the latest listing of projects and associated policies as of May 27, 2009, for the ARRA funding distributed to the MTC for projects in the Bay Area Region.  There are two ARRA funding components, which encompass all of the ARRA funding under MTC’s discretion to date:

1. Regional ARRA funds
$495 million of regional ARRA formula distribution funds found in Resolution Number 3885. These include projects funded by the FTA ARRA programs and the initial increment of ARRA funding received from FHWA by way of the State.

2. State ARRA funds
The state provided an additional increment of ARRA funding to the regions including MTC under State legislation (AB3X 20).  Of this funding MTC has received and distributed approximately $167 million found in Resolution 3896

San Francisco Bay Area Project Funding Details

This list shows how FTA ARRA funding was suballocated by urbanized areas:

These listings provide detail for FHWA Local Streets and Roads (System Preservation) projects by county:

Additional Funding Opportunities:
ARRA Discretionary Programs

The ARRA Discretionary Program Summary (PDF) provides an overview of ARRA programs that are competitive on the national level. Note that this funding is not subject to the discretion of MTC but is available through other agencies. It was last updated on June 23, 2009.

Please note that the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (#13 on the ARRA Discretionary Program Summary, above) provides nearly $57 million in direct, formula grants to approximately 40 Bay Area cities and counties. Applications are due June 25, 2009.

MTC Adopts Regional Priorities for Federal TIGER Program

On July 22, 2009, MTC approved the following list of four Bay Area projects totaling $133 million in grant requests as part of the statewide advocacy effort for the federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program:

  1. Doyle Drive Replacement - $50 million
  2. California's Green Trade Corridor - $28 million
  3. BART SVRT Extension: Revenue Vehicle Storage at Hayward Yard - $50 million
  4. BART Oakland Airport Connector (TIFIA) - $5 million

Project Sponsor's Resolution of Local Support

Prior to the programming of ARRA funding to any project, MTC requires that the project sponsor adopt and submit a resolution of local support through its respective congestion management agency. Transit agencies do not need to go through their CMAs.

Use the following resolution of local support model for funding under the potential Jobs for Main Street Act of 2010 pending federal approval

Routine Accommodations of Pedestrians and Bicyclists Policy

Prior to the programming of ARRA funding to any non-transit project, MTC requires that the project sponsor complete a checklist addressing MTC's Routine Accommodations Policy using the Web based database no later than February 20, 2009.

Instructions on accessing the database and completing the checklist for the ARRA projects can be found in the following document:

ARRA Project Certification - Section 1511 Transparency and Oversight

State and local government agencies, including transit operators, must complete several certifications required under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for their ARRA funded infrastructure investments. Under Section 1511, State of California must certify that the infrastructure investment has received the full review and vetting required by law and that the chief executive accepts responsibility that the infrastructure investment is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. A description of the investment, estimated total cost, and the amount of ARRA funds used must be provided and published on the federal ARRA Web site. Funds may not be provided to State or local agencies until this certification is made and posted on this Web site.

MTC is responsible for submitting Section 1511 Transparency and Oversight Certifications to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) on behalf of ARRA project sponsors in the Bay Area region. After state certification, Caltrans then submits the information to the U.S. Department of Transportation to complete the certification process. Below are links to certifications which address Bay Area ARRA funded projects: both those certified by U.S. Department of Transportation and those projects pending certification:

Certified Pending Certification

Local Streets and Roads
Regional ARRA Funds

Additional Local Streets and Roads
State ARRA Funds Submitted to Caltrans on May 21, 2009

Additional Local Streets and Roads
State ARRA Funds Submitted to Caltrans on July 1, 2009

Additional Local Streets and Roads
State ARRA Funds Submitted to Caltrans on July 17, 2009

Transit
Regional ARRA Funds

Additional Transit Projects
State ARRA Funds Submitted to Caltrans on August 14, 2009

Additional Local Streets and Roads
State ARRA Funds Submitted to Caltrans on August 14, 2009

Additional Transit Projects
State ARRA Funds Submitted to Caltrans on July 27, 2009

Additional Local Streets and Roads and Transit Projects
State ARRA Funds Submitted to Caltrans on August 27, 2009

Additional Local Streets and Roads
ARRA Funds Submitted to Caltrans on October 9, 2009

Additional Local Streets and Roads
ARRA Funds Submitted to Caltrans on November 25, 2009

 

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