DOT FASTLANE Grants for Freight & Related Projects: If Interested, Act Fast!

On November 3, 2016, the US DOT invited applications for its second round of “FASTLANE” grants. It’s an interesting, if challenging, opportunity for certain kinds of transportation projects. Below are some programmatic details; see if you can identify some potential opportunities. If so, though, you need to move quickly, as applications are due December 15, 2016.

For general information, visit the DOT’s FASTLANE page at https://www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/FASTLANEgrants. To read the specific FY 2017 Notice of Funding Opportunity, go to https://www.transportation.gov/build-america/fastlane/fastlane-ii-notice-funding-opportunity, or read the November 3, 2016, Federal Register at page 76688 (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/11/03/2016-26496/notice-of-funding-opportunity-for-the-department-of-transportations-nationally-significant-freight)

·      Total funding estimated to be available: $787 million

·      Who can apply: states, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and subdivisions of state or local government, special purpose transportation districts (including port authorities), federal land management agencies, tribal governments

·      Types of eligible projects: improvements to the National Highway Freight Network; improvements to the National Highway System, including mobility improvements (among the selection criteria for grants are factors such as community engagement, connectivity to health care, jobs, etc., improved accessibility and enhanced personal mobility), rail/highway grade crossing improvements, and other freight-related transportation projects

·      Matching fund requirements: FASTLANE grants can cover up to 60 percent of an approved project’s costs, other federal funds can be used to bring the federal share up to 80 percent, and non-federal funds must be used for at least 20 percent of the project’s costs

·      Other considerations:

o   90 percent of FASTLANE grants are for “large” projects of at least $25 million, and 10 percent of grants are for small projects of between $5 and $25 million

o   There’s a flexible small community set-aside, meaning that 25 percent of grants are to be spent on projects in rural and small-urbanized areas with populations less than 200,000, but if there’s an insufficient number of approved applications, that 25 percent threshold can be lowered

o   There’s a FAST Act lifetime ceiling on the amount of FASTLANE grant funding that can be awarded to non-highway projects

This is the second year of FASTLANE funding. A list of the projects funded in FY 2016 is on the DOT’s website at https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/FASTLANE%20Project%20Awards_9_16.pdf. Last year, DOT received 212 applications, and funded 19 projects; they expect many of the qualifying applications that weren’t funded last year will be resubmitted for this new round of awards, but are inviting new applications, as well.