Recreational Trails Program - Guidance

The following guidance will help States and project sponsors meet Recreational Trail Program (RTP) requirements and provide best practices for trail accessibility, and trail design, construction, and maintenance.

On this page:

• Program Guidance
  • Recreational Trails Program Guidance
  • Related Guidance
  • Financial Management Guidance
• Accessibility Guidance
• State Practices

Program Guidance

Recreational Trails Program Guidance
This program guidance explains Recreational Trails Program (RTP) policies and procedures including State Recreational Trail Advisory Committee requirements, project eligibility requirements, and other Federal requirements. Although issued as Interim Guidance, it is still in effect.

• Original Memorandum dated April 1, 1999
• Recreational Trails Program Guidance (1999) (HTML)
• Recreational Trails Program Guidance (1999) (PDF - 251 KB)
• RTP Trail Assessments, Education and Training, and State Administrative Costs
• RTP Federal Share and Matching Requirements under SAFETEA-LU
• Compliance for FY 2009 Apportionments
  • Compliance for FY 2009 Apportionments - Attachments

Related Guidance

• Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Guidance
  Promotes bicycle and pedestrian transportation accessibility, use, and safety. Also provides additional links to Bicycle and Pedestrian Publications and Resources.
• Equestrian and Other Nonmotorized Use on Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities
• Manuals and Guides for Trail Design, Construction, Maintenance, and Operation, and for Signs
• Shared Use Paths Along or Near Freeways and Bicycles on Freeways
• Snow Removal on Sidewalks Constructed with Federal Funding
• Statewide Transportation Planning; Metropolitan Transportation Planning; Final Rule (effective March 16, 2007)
  • HTML: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/07-493.htm
  • PDF (395 KB): http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/07-493.pdf
• Transportation Enhancement Activities Guidance

Financial Management Guidance

• FHWA Regulation: Project Monitoring / Close Out Inactive Projects
• Allowable Costs and Procurement Procedures
  • Allowable Costs/OMB Circulars
  • Promotional Items Prohibition
  • FHWA Policy on Indirect Costs, May 5, 2004
• Federal share, Payments, Donations (as amended by SAFETEA-LU)
  • Federal Share, Payments, Donations Explanation
  • 23 U.S.C. 120: Federal share payable
  • 23 U.S.C. 132: Payments on Federal-aid projects undertaken by a Federal agency
    • FHWA Guidance: Fund Transfers to Other Agencies and Among Title 23 Programs. [ PDF Version ]
  • 23 U.S.C. 323: Donations and credits
    • Volunteer Time for Donated Labor and Services. See rates at Independent Sector.
    • Specialized Skills Donated. See rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Applicability of Prevailing Wage Rate Requirements to Federal-aid Construction Projects (Davis-Bacon Act)
• Procurement of Federal-aid Construction Projects
• Repayment of Preliminary Engineering Costs
  The purpose of this memorandum is to clarify FHWA's policy regarding the time limit for Federal-aid funded preliminary engineering (PE) projects which have not progressed to the right-of-way (ROW) or the construction phase.

Accessibility Guidance

• FHWA's Oversight Role in Accessibility
  • Memorandum from the Administrator
  • Memorandum: Clarification of FHWA's Oversight Role in Accessibility
    • Questions and Answers
    • Snow Removal on Sidewalks Constructed with Federal Funding

• Announcement of USDOT Accessibility Regulations: 49 CFR Part 37--Transportation Services for Individuals with Disabilities: Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 209 / Monday, October 30, 2006 / Rules and Regulations / Page 63263. HTML / PDF

• Public Rights-of-Way Access Advisory, January 23, 2006
  Notice of availability of the Access Board's November 2005 Draft Public Rights-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines

• US Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines

• Designing Sidewalks and Trails for Access
  FHWA's two-part report on pedestrian and trail accessibility.

  • Part 1, Review of Existing Guidelines and Practices, lays out the history and the practices of applying accessibility concepts to sidewalks and pedestrian trails. (Out of print, available online only)

  • Part 2, Best Practices Design Guide, provides recommendations on how to design sidewalks, street crossings, intersections, shared use paths, and recreational pedestrian trails. See also Transmittal Memorandum, Detectable Warnings Memorandum (July 2004), Detectable Warnings Memorandum (May 2002), and Errata Sheet.

• The Final Report of the Regulatory Negotiation Committee on Accessibility Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas - www.access-board.gov/outdoor/
  Proposes accessibility guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act for trails, outdoor recreation access routes, beach access routes, and picnic and camping facilities.

• Public Rights-of-Way - www.access-board.gov/prowac/index.htm
  Recommends accessibility guidelines for sidewalks, street crossings, and intersections.

• ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines - www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/index.htm
  Accessibility guidelines for buildings.

State Practices

• Example Stewardship and Oversight Plans
  Tennessee Example (HTML / PDF - 1.1 MB): This Stewardship and Oversight Plan outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Federal Highway Administration and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in the accomplishment of oversight and administration of the Recreational Trails Program.

• Example Memorandum of Understanding for Categorical Exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act
  For projects which normally have no significant social, economic, or environmental effects.
  • Example Memorandum of Understanding

  State Examples:

  • Programmatic Agreement Survey Results (courtesy Ohio DNR, February 2004)
  • Alaska Example
  • Minnesota Example
  • New Jersey Example
  • South Carolina Example

• State Assumption of Responsibility for Categorical Exclusions (SAFETEA-LU Sec. 6004)
  • Information: Guidance on the State Assumption of Responsibility for Categorical Exclusions (CE); April 4, 2006
  • FHWA Monitoring Reviews of SAFETEA-LU Section 6004 Categorical Exclusion Assignments; March 28, 2007

  State Examples:

  • California Department of Transportation Categorical Exclusion Delegation

• Recreational Trails Program Reviews
  • Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP)
    
    

• Hawaii Trail Surveys and Risk Management Summaries

• State Motorcycle Laws: American Motorcyclist Association

• State Policies for RTP Projects on Leased Land (courtesy Nebraska Game, Fish, and Parks, June 2004)

• State Advisory Committee Best Practices

• State Recreational Trail Advisory Committee Expenses

• State Recreational Trails Advisory Commitees: Comments on Mountain Bike Representation (compiled by Stuart Macdonald, February 9, 2005)