In 2014, US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx launched the Safer People, Safer Streets Initiative where the USDOT works with transportation agencies and communities to create safe bicycling and walking networks. There are a variety of funding options available, some of which are summarized below. Each of these programs has different requirements; to be eligible, the pedestrian and bicycle project must meet each program’s requirements.
- A complete list of funding programs can be found here
- FTA program and bicycle-related funding opportunities can be found here
- Common misconceptions related to bicycle and pedestrian funding, design, and environmental review can be found here
Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP)
TAP is a popular source of funding for on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects that improve non-driver access to public transportation, recreational trail projects, safe routes to school projects, and projects for planning, designing, or constructing boulevards and other roadways largely in the rights-of-way of former divided highways.
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ)
CMAQ funds must be used for projects that benefit air quality. The CMAQ program supports surface transportation projects and other related efforts that contribute air quality improvements and provide congestion relief.
Surface Transportation Program (STP)
The STP provides flexible funding that may be used by states and localities for projects to preserve and improve the conditions and performance on any federal-aid highway, bridge, or tunnel project on any public road, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and transit capital projects, including intercity bus terminals.
Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)
The goal of the HSIP program is to achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads, including non-state-owned public roads and roads on tribal lands. HSIP projects must address a highway safety problem and use a data-driven, strategic approach to improving highway safety on all public roads that focuses on performance.
National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)
The NHPP provides support for the condition and performance of the National Highway System (NHS) for the construction of new facilities on the NHS. It ensures that investments of federal-aid funds in highway construction are directed to support progress toward the achievement of performance targets established in a state’s asset management plan for the NHS.
Federal Lands & Tribal Transportation Programs
The FLTTP funds projects that could be used for bicycle and pedestrian accommodations that provide access to or within federal or tribal lands (tribal lands, national forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges, national recreation areas, and other Federal public lands).