Criteria, Instructions, & Application Forms

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News Release 2-16-2012   Subscribe NOW! to be notified by email whenever info on this page changes

 

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

Local Public (LPA’s) 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 LPA must provide at least a 20% non-federal cash match of the total project costs;

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

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

6. The LPA must appoint (after funding award) a full-time public employee, qualified by NDOR, to be in responsible charge of the project.

D. FUNDING CAP

Federal funding requests are recommended not to exceed $1,000,000.  This amount represents the maximum federal funding limit (80%) exclusive of the matching funds provided by the applicant.  NDOR anticipates funding a maximum of 10 projects for Fiscal Year 2012.

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, right-of-way, 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, these non-participating expenses are subtracted from the total project costs, which reduce the applicant's share of project funding.

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FUNDING APPLICATIONS

A. APPLICATION PROCESS 

Step 1: Complete the Intent-to-Apply Form located above and send by May 20, 2011 either by mail or email to:

Deana McKinstry
Sinclair Hille Architects
700 Q Street
Lincoln, NE 68508
dmckinstry@sinclairhille.com

Step 2: The Intent-to-Apply will be reviewed by NDOR for preliminary eligibility based on the minimum requirements listed above. If your project meets requirements for eligibility, you will be asked to continue by filling out a full application form. Information on completing a full application form will be mailed to the contact person listed on the Intent-to-Apply Form. Site visits to proposed project locations may also be conducted.

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:

• March: Announcement of available enhancement funding.
• May: Intent-to-apply form due.
• August: 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 with 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 Project Coordinator 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 13-member committee meets annually to rank applications using an established 100-point scoring system.

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Michael Kleffner, Transportation Enhancement Engineer

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