The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) this week announced an opportunity for cities and states, tribal governments, and federal lands agencies to compete for $70 million in Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) grants.
These will be the second grants awarded under the program, and will help to construct and repair roads and bridges serving tribal or federal lands.
“By enhancing key rural routes, this program is one tool of many that will help to restore the economic vitality of rural America,” Federal Highway Administrator Nicole Nason said in a statement. “In a time of limited budgets, these grants are a critical resource for tribal governments and federal land management agencies needing to build or repair highways and bridges."
The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act established the NSFLTP Program to provide federal funding for the construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of transportation projects providing access to or located on federal or tribal lands. In 2018, the first NOFO for the NSFLTP grant program generated 39 applications, with estimated construction costs approaching $2 billion. Ultimately, $321.4 million was awarded to six projects.
Under the NSFLTP Program, the federal share of a project can be up to 90% and can be used to improve the condition of a critical transportation facility. FHWA says large-scale projects with estimated construction costs of $50 million or more are given priority consideration for selection, but the program accepts projects with estimated construction costs of at least $25 million.
To better address the needs of rural America, which the administration says has historically been neglected, FHWA will consider projects located in rural areas that deliver positive benefits for these communities, consistent with the Department’s Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) initiative.
--------
SOURCE: Federal Highway Administration
