Search This Blog

Pages

Monday, April 6, 2009

LHTAC Opens Second ARRA Application Phase

Due to substantial changes in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC) is opening a second application phase so all local highway jurisdictions that are eligible for the Rural Federal Aid Incentive Program will have an opportunity to apply for stimulus funds on the same footing.

Initially, LHTAC elected to limit eligibility to those that had submitted projects under early versions of the federal stimulus bill. The final law provides more time to prepare projects for readiness and also covers preliminary engineering costs though, prompting the second application phase. Time is short to submit a second phase application. The due date is Wednesday, April 15, 2009 by 5 p.m.
Click here for more information and to obtain an application form.

Here are some of the guidelines for the second phase:

- Approximately $2 million dollars will be distributed in each ITD District.
- Projects will be capped at $500,000.
- Rating criteria are different than usual as the objectives are different.
- Applications will be limited to one per Highway Jurisdiction.
- Applicants will compete with others within the same district.
- Applications will be sent to all rural highway jurisdictions that submitted stimulus projects.
- All projects must comply with FHWA regulations.
- Projects must be eligible under the current Surface Transportation Program.
- Projects must be located on major collectors based on the most recent functional class map as approved by the Idaho Transportation Department.
- Applications will be rated by the LHTAC Council.
- The top two phase one applications in each district will be funded and programmed immediately. Second phase applications will be added to the unfunded first phase applications and the highest rated projects will be selected until funds are exhausted.
- CMAQ and Enhancement projects are specifically not eligible under this program.

No comments: