Transportation
Enhancement Program

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Criteria

FUNDING ELIGIBILITY

A. ELIGIBLE TRANSPORTATION ACTIVITIES

To be eligible for funding, enhancement projects must fall into one or more of the following 12 general enhancement activities:

1. Pedestrians and bicycle facilities that provide a transportation purpose (Recreational “loop” trails are not eligible). See Trail Design Guidelines
2. Safety and educational activities for pedestrians and bicyclists.
3. Acquisition of scenic easements and scenic or historic sites.
4. Scenic or historic highway programs (including tourist and welcome center facilities).
5. Landscaping and other scenic beautification.
6. Historic preservation. See Historic Preservation Design Guidelines
7. Rehabilitation of historic transportation buildings (including historic railroad facilities).
8. Preservation of abandoned railway corridors (including conversion to pedestrian and bicycle trails).
9. Control and removal of outdoor advertising.
10. Archeological planning and research.
11. Environmental mitigation.
12. Establishment of transportation museums.

The 12 eligible enhancement activities identified above have been further refined by the Nebraska program into three general categories: Historic Preservation, Scenic or Historic Byways, and Bicycle/Pedestrian Facilities.

The Nebraska Transportation Enhancement Program reserves the right to prioritize categories for funding.

B. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Only state and local governmental agencies or political subdivisions within the State of Nebraska are eligible to receive funding. This includes most local units of government (villages, cities and counties), Natural Resource Districts, Nebraska State Agencies, the University of Nebraska, and Tribal Governments. Certain other governmental entities may also be eligible to receive funding.

The NDOR recognizes that many fine private nonprofit and civic organizations will have strong interest and support for use of these funds. Therefore, we encourage interested advocacy groups to work with appropriate local, regional, and state governmental units (including the NDOR’s eight district offices) to develop project applications.

C. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

In order to receive funding through the Transportation Enhancement Program, project proposals must meet all the criteria outlined below:

1. The proposed project must fit one or more of the 12 general enhancement activities listed above in Section A;

2. Projects must relate to surface transportation;

3. The applicant must provide at least a 20% cash match of the total project costs;

4. The applicant must commit to providing future maintenance of the project;

5. Projects must comply with all federal and state guidelines and regulations.

D. FUNDING CAP & REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS

The Select Committee set a policy awarding no more than $500,000 for any individual project. This amount represents the maximum federal funding limit (80%) exclusive of the matching funds provided by the applicant.

It is important to note that the Enhancement Program is not a grant program. Instead, funding will take the form of monthly reimbursements of eligible expenditures paid by the applicant. Therefore, applicants must have funds available to pay progress estimates prior to receiving their reimbursements. Reimbursement will be made up to the maximum amount of funding approved by the Select Committee. If project bids come in lower than the funding maximum, the project scope cannot be increased (i.e. trail lengthened) in order to use the maximum funding allowed. If project bids come in higher than the maximum, the applicant is responsible for covering all costs above the maximum.

E. LOCAL CASH MATCH

Applicants for enhancement funding will be required to provide a minimum of 20% non-federal cash match of the total eligible project costs in order to be eligible for funding. Eligible project costs include preliminary engineering, construction engineering, project construction, and utility adjustments. The 20% local match generally may not be federal funds from other sources. The funds must be available at the time of application from state or local governmental entities. Local private organizations (historical societies, trail organizations, etc.) may donate their funds to help the local governmental entity meet the 20% match. The value of local property (right-of-way, easement or depot) may not be applied as a portion of the local match.

In-Kind Match. Local donated labor and materials (in-kind) may not be used as part of the 20% match; however, providing a non-cash in-kind match is taken into consideration by the Select Committee as a demonstration of community support. In the preparation of the budget, the in-kind match is subtracted from the total project costs which in turn reduces the applicant's share of project funding.

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FUNDING APPLICATIONS

A. APPLICATION PROCESS

Step 1: Complete the Intent-to-Apply Form above. (NOTE: ALL Forms Should Be MAILED - Please do NOT use e-mail to submit forms)

R. James Pearson
Transportation Enhancement Administrator
Nebraska Department of Roads
P. O. Box 94759
Lincoln, NE 68509-4759

Step 2: The Intent-to-Apply will be reviewed by NDOR for preliminary eligibility based on the minimum requirements listed above in Section II. If your project meets requirements for eligibility, you will be asked to continue by filling out a full application form. An application packet containing this instruction booklet and application form will be mailed to the contact person listed on the Intent-to-Apply Form. Site visits to proposed project locations will be conducted by the Program Consultant after the completed application has been returned.

Step 3: Select Committee meets to review project applications and make funding recommendations to the Department of Roads Director.

Step 4: Notification by the Department of Roads on the funding status of your project.

B. GENERAL APPLICATION SCHEDULE

Deadlines for submitting the intent-to-apply and final application forms will vary with each fiscal year. Specific dates for application deadlines are not established until March of each annual funding cycle. However, previous funding cycles have followed these general guidelines:

• April: Announcement of available enhancement funding.
• June: Intent-to-apply form due.
• July: Draft application due.
• September: Final applications due.
• December: Final selection of projects.

C. PROGRAM CONSULTANTS

Since 1994, Sinclair Hille Architects have been retained by the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) to assist in the management of the Nebraska Transportation Enhancement Program. Sinclair Hille Architects works with local communities from initial concept to ribbon-cutting to help them understand state and federal requirements. After your Intent to Apply has been reviewed for preliminary eligibility, we will assign a Plan Reviewer to work directly with you on your project.

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PROJECT SELECTION

A. TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT SELECT COMMITTEE

Selection of projects is made by the Nebraska Transportation Enhancement Select Committee, a state-wide committee of volunteers with expertise in the various funding categories. This 12-member committee meets annually to rank applications using an established 100-point scoring system.

The Select Committee set a policy awarding no more than $500,000 in enhancement funds for any individual project. This amount represents the maximum federal funding limit (80%) exclusive of the matching funds provided by the applicant.

B. 2008 SCHEDULE

*Note: the following schedule is for 2008 (FY2009 funding cycle) only. Deadlines for future funding cycles will vary.

• April 1, 2008: Application process opens.
• April 14-17, 2008: Spring Workshops (Workshop Schedule).
• June 13, 2008: Deadline for Applicants to submit Intent-to-Apply Forms.
• July 25, 2008: Deadline for Applicants to submit Draft Application & Preliminary Budget.
• September 22, 2008: Deadline for Applicants to submit Final Application.
• December 10, 2008: Select Committee Meeting.

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Intent To Apply Form

ALL Forms Should Be MAILED - Please do NOT use e-mail to submit forms

The purpose of this form is to review the eligibility of the initial project concept.

The first step in applying for enhancement funds requires the submittal of an intent-to-apply form no earlier than April 1, 2008, and no later than June 13, 2008. If you have not submitted the intent-to-apply by June 13th, you CANNOT submit an application for funds.

If your project is eligible and you meet the June 13th intent-to-apply deadline, you will receive a packet with a draft application form and instructions. For your convenience, you may download the intent-to-apply form from the link above.

The Intent to Apply Form should be mailed to:
(ALL Forms Should Be MAILED - Please do NOT use e-mail to submit forms)

R. James Pearson
Transportation Enhancement Administrator
Nebraska Department of Roads
P. O. Box 94759
Lincoln, NE 68509-4759
 

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