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On November 13, 2007, the U.S. Department of Transportation ("USDOT" or "the Department") published in the Federal Register a Solicitation of Applications for Funding of Congestion-Reduction Demonstration ("CRD") Initiatives. Through this solicitation, the Department expects to award funding for CRD proposals that would implement congestion pricing along with complementary transportation solutions, including transit service and innovative technology. Where appropriate, the Department may also support jurisdictions with dedicated expertise and/or regulatory flexibility.
CRD applications should describe, with respect to the metropolitan area proposed, (i) the severity of traffic congestion, (ii) the community's acknowledgement of the problem, (iii) the readiness of the metropolitan area's political leadership to solve the problem and (iv) a solution to congestion that integrates transit, technology, and congestion pricing on highways. The application must also meet the more detailed specifications and criteria set forth in the solicitation. Applicants may apply to one or more of the programs described in the solicitation via a single CRD application, provided that this application meets the standard eligibility requirements of each of the programs to which it applies.
CRD applications are due to DOT by December 31, 2007. USDOT will consider late-filed applications to the extent practical. The Department intends to announce agreements with selected jurisdictions at some point in Fiscal Year 2008 ("FY08"), and to sign agreements and begin implementation activities as soon as possible thereafter.
In evaluating proposals, the Department will consider the statutory criteria for each of the programs from which an applicant seeks funding, as well as the following factors: (1) the extent to which the proposal would reduce highway congestion; (2) the extent to which the proposal would enable improvements in regional transit service; (3) any incorporation of innovative technology applications; (4) the project's national demonstration value; and (5) the technical feasibility and political probability of the project being implemented in the near term (that is, generally, by September 2009).
The Department is currently operating under a Continuing Resolution, and it awaits Congressional action regarding the size of USDOT's FY08 discretionary funding appropriation. Consequently, the notice indicates neither the total amount of funding it expects to award to support CRD proposals nor the likely amount that an individual applicant might receive. However, the Department expects to fund CRD proposals with some portion of the amount available for obligation in the Department's discretion during FY08 under one or more of the following Federal Highway Administration ("FHWA") or Federal Transit Administration ("FTA") grant programs:
For additional information, please see the CRD solicitation, which is available via the following weblink: http://frwebgate4.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=7902813734+3+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve