STP/CMAQ

I. PROGRAM INFORMATION

New Surface Transportation Authorization Act

Approximately every six years, the U.S. Congress adopts a surface transportation act — Congress’s authorization to spend tax dollars on highways, streets, roads, transit and other transportation related projects. The majority of Surface Transportation Authorization Act funding flows to the states, and in California these funds are administered by Caltrans. However, Caltrans assigns a significant portion of two of the programs, the Surface Transportation Program (STP) and the Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) to MTC and other regional planning agencies to be used at their own discretion, subject to federal regulations. MTC develops and administers its own funding programs using STP and CMAQ funds to target Bay Area transportation needs according to the priorities of our Regional Transportation Plan, Transportation 2035. Funding from these two programs in the Bay Area totals approximately $160 million annually.

The most recent surface transportation act, called Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA), ended on September 30, 2009. In anticipation of the new federal surface transportation act (new act), on December 16, 2009, after six months of outreach to our transportation partners, advisory committees, and stakeholders, the Commission adopted an overall framework for the investment of roughly $1.4 billion of federal funding over the six-year New Act period (MTC Resolution 3925). The New Act time frame spans six years from fiscal year FY 2009-10 through FY 2014-15.

To date the U.S. Congress has yet to enact a new authorization act. Instead it has passed several extensions to SAFETEA which run through September 30, 2011 to continue the flow of funding to transportation programs. It is nowanticipated that the passage of the new act will be completed by this date.

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Cycle 2 STP/CMAQ

A proposal to establish the OneBayArea Grant program was approved for release to the public by the MTC Planning Committee and ABAG Administrative Committee at their joint meeting on July 8, 2011. This proposal is an alternative to the Cycle 2 STP/CMAQ framework approved by the Commission in December 2009 that better integrates the region’s federal transportation program with land-use and housing policies by providing incentives for the production of housing with supportive transportation investments.

Feedback from stakeholders and technical working groups is being sought over the next several months. Additional information, and the preliminary timeline for development and approval of the OneBayArea Grant and Cycle 2 STP/CMAQ Program is located at the OneBayArea Grant program web page.

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Cycle 1 STP/CMAQ

Overview:

Out of the $1.4 billion six-year estimated revenues coming to the MTC region over the new authorization act period, the Commission has made firm funding commitments totaling $633 million to programs and projects during the first three years only (Cycle 1, FYs 2009-10 through 2011-12). The following program categories are funded: Planning, Regional Operations, Freeway Performance Initiative, Climate Initiatives (including MTC funded Safe Routes to School Program), Regional Bicycle Program, Transportation for Livable Communities, Regional Streets and Roads Rehabilitation and Strategic Investments. Note that while we are technically operating under SAFETEA through legislative continuations, we are categorizing this funding as “Cycle 1” of the New Authorization Act. In addition to commitments for the Cycle 1 three-year funding period, the Commission also approved a six-year overall framework. The Commission will use this framework once it begins to develop policies and make funding commitments for Cycle 2 at the same time addressing any new requirements of the new act.

Cycle 1 CMA Block Grants

Cycle 1 programming policies also established a CMA Block Grant approach, which delegates program management and project selection to the county congestion management agencies for three programs: the County Transportation for Livable Communities Program, the Regional Bicycle Program, and the Local Streets and Roads Shortfall Program. The objective of the block grant is to provide additional flexibility to the CMAs in order to better coordinate grant decisions to address various transportation program needs. Once the CMA selects projects, MTC staff reviews projects to ensure they are consistent with our Regional Transportation Plan and Cycle 1 programming policies and they are added to the Cycle 1 program (Resolution 3925, Attachment B) and the Transportation Improvement Program. The CMA Block Grant Guidance outlines how the block grant approach functions, and programming rules for each program:

MTC Safe Routes to School Program (SR2S)

Within the Climate Initiatives Program, MTC has newly established a Safe Routes to School Program in the region which provides funding to the counties, further augmenting the federal and state SR2S programs, administered by Caltrans, and local programs.  A total of $17M will be distributed to the counties proportionately according to their share of total school enrollment in the region.  Initially, the county congestion management agencies (CMA) are responsible for convening a collaborative county process in order to decide which investments make sense given that each county faces unique SRTS implementation challenges and which agency will implement the program.

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Archived Programming from Previous Transportation Acts

The below downloads provide a historical record of MTC funding actions pertaining to the STP and CMAQ funding that has come to our region over the three prior authorization acts.

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II. Project Delivery and Program Monitoring

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Project Sponsor's Resolution of Local Support

Prior to the programming of STP or CMAQ funding to any project, MTC requires that the project sponsor adopt and submit a resolution of local support through its respective congestion management agency. Adjustments to currently programmed STP/CMAQ funding levels do not trigger this requirement.  Once completed, the sponsor will upload the resolution via the Fund Management System at the same time the sponsor programs STP/CMAQ funds into the TIP. Please note that revisions to the language provided in the model resolution below are not permitted.

• Resolution of Local Support (Word)

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III. WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

MTC staff develops STP and CMAQ funded programs and supports projects at numerous points throughout the planning and programming continuum. Depending on the nature of project concerns there are ideal points during the life of a project for you to get involved. Below is a chart that outlines the life of a project from the time it is proposed all the way through to the implementation of the project along with opportunities for participation. Another useful place to learn about projects MTC funds is our Transportation Improvement Program which is the repository of federally funded projects. There is a searchable database to learn about each project in the TIP.

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IV. FURTHER INFORMATION

MTC Staff Contact

Craig Goldblatt
510.817.5837
cgoldblatt@mtc.ca.gov