Ohio Grantee Meeting

1. Ohio Grantee Meeting Large, Small Urban and Rural Systems SAFETEA-LU Update September 19, 2006

2. Marisol Simon Regional Administrator Donald Gismondi Deputy Regional Administrator Nancy-Ellen Zusman Regional Counsel Dwight Sinks Regional Civil Rights Officer Rhonda Reed--Director Office of Planning & Program Development Dominick Gatto, P.E.--Director Office of Program Management & Oversight Vanessa Adams Victor Austin Stewart McKenzie David Werner Bill Wheeler Community Planners Linda Glover Andrew Minyo Transportation Representatives Melody Hopson, P.E. Cyrell McLemore Andrea Orr General Engineers Derek Davis Lisa Joiner Oscar Waller Transportation Program Specialists

3. Region 5 Organization Office of Planning and Program Development • Planning – TIP/STIP reviews, planning certification reviews • Grant development and approval • Environmental reviews Office of Program Management • Post grant award activities • Oversight activities

4. Job Access and Reverse Commute Program • Supports the development and maintenance of transportation programs that offer job access and reverse commute services to people with lower incomes • Includes capital and operating costs • Now formula program instead of discretionary • States and designated recipients must select grantees competitively • Formula-Funds Apportioned to States • Direct Apportionment to UZA >200,000 • Operating Match is 50-50 • Capital/Planning Match is 80-20 • 10% for Administration, Planning, and Technical Assistance

5. New Freedom • New formula program • Enhances transportation for people with disabilities • “New” public transportation services • Alternatives to public transportation “beyond the ADA”

6. New Freedom • Based on Population of People with Disabilities-identified by US Census (over age 5) • Apportioned to the State • Direct Apportionment to UZA > 200,000 • Operating at 50-50/Capital at 80-20 • 10% for Administration, Planning, and Technical Assistance

7. New Freedom • New Fixed Route • New Routes or Services • All New Service has to meet ADA requirements • Environmental Modifications • beyond what is required in ADA • Enhancements including signage, curb cuts, technologies to enhance customer access

8. New Freedom PARATRANSIT: • Expanded Hours for Paratransit • Paratransit Beyond ¾ mile • Same Day Service • Door THROUGH Door • Flex Route for Commuter bus or rail access

9. New Freedom • Accessible Taxi • Administration of Volunteer Programs • Travel Training • Mobility Management

10. Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities • Grants to states for capital costs for services for elderly persons and persons with disabilities • No change in formula based on number of elderly persons and persons with disabilities • States must select grantees competitively

11. Human Service Transportation Coordinated Plan Three programs must be included: • Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities (Section 5310) • Job Access and Reverse Commute (Section 5316) • New Freedom (Section 5317)

12. Coordinated Plan • Coordinate services so as to minimize the duplication of efforts, enhance services and service options for people with disabilities, people with lower incomes, and seniors • Must be developed through a process that includes representatives of public, private, and non-profit transportation and human services providers, as well as the public • Coordinated plans are created for entire regions or jurisdictions

13. Coordinated Plan Elements • Assessment of available services (public, private, non-profit) • Strategies to address gaps and achieve efficiencies • Priorities for implementation

14. Coordinated Plan Partners • Transportation providers - public and private and non-profit • Human service agencies • MPOs • Consumers/Advocates • Others

15. The Plan Lists Both Objectives and Outcomes for Coordination The process of building a coordinated plan involves several important steps: • Collaboration • Public Involvement • Assessment of Needs and Resources • Identification of Strategies

16. Designated Recipient • Responsible for implementing a competitive selection process and managing the program • A state agency designated by the Governor to administer the JARC and NFP in small urban and rural areas • A public entity designated by the Governor in coordination with local officials in urban areas over 200,000 in population

17. Designated Recipient • Elderly program funds are allocated to the states • States may make grants to private non-profit organizations and to public agencies if they are designated to provide coordinated service

18. Competitive Selection • Designated Recipients in large urban areas must coordinate with the MPOs in conducting the competitive selection process • In regions under 200,000 in population, the State is the recipient of funding and is solely responsible for conducting the competitive selection process

19. Competitive Selection • Develop Process for Competition • Frequency of competition • Selection process • Public notification • Open competition • Evaluation criteria and project selection • Certification of Fair and Equitable Distribution

20. Relation to Metropolitan and Statewide Planning • May occur within the context of the metropolitan transportation planning process or it may outside the confines of that process, depending on local choice • Projects selected from the coordinated plan must be included in the Transportation Plan, TIP and the STIP

21. JARC/New Freedom/Sec. 5310 September 6, Federal Register Notice • Draft Program Circulars - JARC, New Freedom, Section 5310 available for public comment • Includes guidance for implementing the coordinated plan

22. United We Ride • Use the United We Ride Framework for Action for creating the coordinated plan • www.unitedweride.gov

23. New Starts • New Small Starts Program • New Discretionary Program for Alternatives Analysis (Sec. 5339) $25 million in FY 06 • Ratings – Five Levels (formerly three) • Revised Criteria • Revised Project Development and Project Evaluation Procedures

24. Small Starts • Capital Grants for New Fixed Guideway Systems and Extension and Bus Corridor Improvements • For projects requesting less than $75 million in New Starts Funds • Total project cost must be less than $250 million • Streamlined criteria and process • Separate funding category beginning in FY 07 ($100 million proposed)

25. Small Starts Definition • Must be a fixed guideway; or • Have at least 50% of the project in fixed guideway during peak periods; or • Be a corridor-based BRT with stations, signal priority, low floor vehicles, corridor branding, 10 minute peak/15 minute off-peak headways

26. Small Starts • Non-Fixed Guideway Corridor Improvements (e.g., Bus Rapid Transit) allowed • Large Starts projects may not be sub-divided into several “Small Starts” projects • Exemption for Projects Under $25 Million Eliminated • All projects receiving funding must be analyzed and rated

27. Small Starts Simplified Development Process • Planning and Alternatives Analysis • Project Development • Eliminates separate approval into PE and FD • Construction • Multi-year Project Construction Grant Agreement

28. Very Small Starts • Proposed minimum current ridership requirement - 3000 average weekday • Less than $50 million in cost or less than $3 million per mile • “Small Starts” projects may not be sub-divided into several “Very Small Starts” projects

29. Very Small Starts • Simplified technical approaches to estimating costs and benefits. • Develop project “warrants” based on the nature of the project and effect on mobility and land use benefits.

30. New Starts/Small Starts • Guidance on New Starts Polices and Procedures - May 16, 2006 • Proposed Small Starts Interim Guidance June 5, 2006 • Small Starts Interim Guidance – August 8, 2006 • New Starts NPRM – Fall 2006 • Final Rule - 2007

31. Non Urbanized Area Formula Program Sec. 5311 • For public transportation in rural areas and small urban areas under 50,000 in population • State administered program • Funds apportioned on a formula basis to the states for transportation services in rural areas

32. Section 5311 cont • The Program of Projects must provide maximum feasible coordination with transportation services funded by other Federal sources • State must expend at least 15% for intercity bus including activities such as: • Coordinating rural connections between transit operators and intercity bus carriers, or certify that needs are met • The 15% allowed for state administration can support, coordination, planning, and technical assistance

33. Section 5311 continued • Recipients must submit data on service levels, costs, and revenues to the National Transit Database (NTD) • total annual revenue • sources of revenue • annual operating and capital costs • fleet size • type and related facilities • revenue vehicle miles • ridership

34. National Transit Database • FTA's primary national database for statistics on the transit industry • State DOT provides a consolidated report to NTD for Section 5311 • www.ntdprogram.com

35. Transportation Cooperative Research Program Reports • Effective Approaches to Meeting Rural Intercity Bus Transportation Needs, Report 79 • Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated Transportation Services, Report 101 • www.tcrponline.org • www.trb.org

36. 5307 Urbanized Area Program • Transit enhancement activities are no longer a “set-aside”. • All recipients must certify that 1% is being used for security.

37. Statewide and Metropolitan Planning NPRM • Safety/Security de-coupled to emphasize each • Expanded environmental factor to “promote consistency” with planned growth and economic development • Plans must discuss environmental mitigation • New consultations • Expanded Participation Plan

38. Planning NPRM • Transportation planning should be consistent with regional transit security strategies. • Plans should incorporate or summarize emergency relief and disaster preparedness plans, strategies, and policies that support homeland security and safeguard the personal security of all motorized and non-motorized users

39. Planning NPRM • 4-Year Plan update in nonattainment and maintenance areas for transportation plans, TIPs, and STIPs • TIPs and STIPs are 4-year programs, funds for first two years must be available and committed

40. Planning NPRM • Consistent with Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan • Annual listing of obligated projects, in cooperation with MPO, state and transit operator • Visualization techniques to improve understanding of transportation plans and programs

41. Planning NPRM • Published June 9, 2006 • Target Final Rule Publication: Early 2007 • SAFETEA-LU Phase-In Date: July 1, 2007

42. Environmental Determinations & Grant Requirements • Categorical Exclusions (CE) Activities known to have little or no adverse effects Requirement for grant -Choose applicable citation in the grant application

43. Environmental Determinations & Grant Requirements • Documented CEs Activities that may, under certain circumstances, have adverse effects Grant Requirement – additional information on project site and surrounding land use must be submitted with grant application. Use FTA CE Checklist & Attach to Grant Application

44. Environmental Determinations & Grant Requirements • Environmental Assessment Activities /projects where the significance of environmental impacts cannot be readily determined Grant Requirement – complete EA; receipt of FONSI necessary to proceed with grant

45. Environmental Determinations & Grant Requirements • Factors to be considered when deciding between a documented CE and an EA • The likely level of public interest or controversy associated with a project • The need to consider alternatives, and • The need to mitigate multiple categories

46. Environmental Determinations & Grant Requirements • Environmental Impact Statement Major projects that significantly effect the environment Grant Requirement – Prepare EIS; Record of Decision required to proceed with grant

47. SAFETEA-LU Environmental Review Process (Section 6002) • Changes to existing FHWA & FTA procedures for implementing NEPA • New review process for projects developed as EIS • Promote efficient project management by lead agencies • Enhance coordination with other federal, state, local & tribal government agencies during project development

48. Grant Processing • All information must be in TEAM • Certifications and Assurances • Civil Rights Requirements • Recipient Information Updated • Grant Numbers • Project Information • Budget • Milestones • Environmental Findings • Fleet Status

49. Grant Processing Cont’d • Planning Documentation All project must be in the current approved STIP Include in grant application: Copy of TIP/STIP page(s) Copy of TIP cover page Copy of FTA approval letter

50. Grant Processing, Cont’d • ITS Projects • CMAQ Transfers & Documentation • Toll Revenue Credit Letter • Land Acquisition Documentation