The Transportation Alternatives (TA) Set-Aside program is designed to help expand transportation choices and enhance the transportation experience. Federal regulations define categories of eligible activities encompassing 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 storm water and habitat connectivity. With the passage of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, the TA Set-Aside program replaced the similar Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP).
2019 Program Solicitation
The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) will expire in 2020. To be prepared for subsequent legislation, in March 2019 CRCOG issued a request for TA Set-Aside Program proposals for projects to be funded with anticipated Federal Fiscal Year 2021 through 2025 funds. Under this solicitation, CTDOT required that prioritized TA Set-Aside projects be submitted by Transportation Management Area (TMA). The Hartford TMA, though composed mostly of CRCOG towns, also includes towns from two other MPOs: the Naugatuck Valley COG (NVCOG), and Lower Connecticut River Valley COG (RiverCOG). In September 2019, as a result of the solicitation and coordination with the other Hartford TMA MPOs, four proposals representing projects from New Britain, Mansfield, Thomaston (NVCOG), and Simsbury were submitted to CTDOT for funding consideration.
Previous Program Solicitations
In September 2016, CRCOG issued a request for TA Set-Aside Program proposals for projects to be funded with Federal Fiscal Year 2016 through 2020 funds. In January 2017, as a result of the solicitation, four proposals representing projects from Rocky Hill, Hartford, New Britain, and Ellington were submitted to CTDOT for funding consideration.
In October 2011, CRCOG issued a request for STP-Enhancement proposals for projects to be funded with Federal Fiscal Year 2013 through 2016 funds. In February 2012, as a result of the solicitation, three proposals representing projects from Bloomfield, Manchester and Rocky Hill were submitted to CTDOT for funding. With the passage of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) federal transportation bill the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) replaced the STP-Enhancement program, and the selected projects that advanced were scheduled to utilize TAP funding.
Contact Cara Radzins for more information on the TA Set-Aside Program.