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Frequently Asked Questions about the Transportation, Community, and System Preservation (TCSP) Program
What is the Transportation, Community, and System Preservation Program?
Congress recognized the need for a comprehensive program to assist in planning, developing, and implementing strategies to integrate transportation, community, and system preservation plans and practices. The TCSP Program provides funds for planning and implementation grants, technical assistance and research to investigate and address the relationship between transportation, community, and system preservation; and private sector-based initiatives.
The TCSP Program is authorized funding for fiscal years 2005 through 2009 under Section 1117 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. The Federal share payable on account of any project of activity shall be 80 percent or subject to the sliding scale.
What activities are eligible for funding?
Eligible activities authorized for TCSP funding include projects that:
- Improve the efficiency of the transportation system,
- Reduce environmental impacts of transportation,
- Reduce the need for costly future public infrastructure investments,
- Ensure efficient access to jobs, services and centers of trade, and
- Examine development patterns and identify strategies to encourage compatible private sector development patterns.
Who is eligible to apply?
Funds are available to States, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, and tribal governments. The law requires equitable distribution of funds to a diversity of populations and geographic locations.
How much money is available?
SAFETEA-LU authorized TCSP funding in the amount of $25 million in fiscal year (FY) 2005 and $61.25 million per year for FYs 2006 through 2009. Actual TCSP Program funding levels can vary based on Congress' annual appropriations. Total funding for the TCSP Program is $270 million over five years.
How are Grants Selected?
For discretionary grants, an interagency team evaluates applications for competitive TCSP Program grants. The team includes representatives from: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of the Secretary, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). TCSP Program grants can also be designated by Congress.
How is the program administered?
The TCSP Program is administered by the FHWA. Individual TCSP Program projects can be administered by either FHWA Divisions, State Departments of Transportation, or in special cases other Federal DOT agencies. TCSP Program grantees must meet federal-aid requirements when implementing their grants.
What has been awarded for the TCSP Program?
| Fiscal Year |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| Awarded Amount |
$13.1M |
$21.8M |
$46.9M |
$273M |
$89.5M |
$23.5M |
$21.2M |
| States |
27 |
50 |
34 |
47 |
41 |
28 |
24 |
| # Of Projects |
35 |
84 |
80 |
221 |
139 |
50 |
39 |
What other resources are available from the TCSP?
- Third Year Program Status Report - This report reviews the accomplishments of the TCSP Program following its first three years of implementation.
- Project Case Studies - The TCSP Program provided funding to nearly 650 projects between FY 1999 and 2005, of which, many have been completed or are nearing completion. The projects highlighted in these case studies illustrate the innovative efforts being undertaken nationwide.
- TCSP Project Evaluation Guidance - This guidance is an updated version of the document, Guidance for the Preparation of TCSP Evaluation Plans, published in December 1998. It is intended for TCSP applicants preparing an evaluation plan and for all TCSP grantees who wish to more fully develop and implement their project evaluation.
- TCSP Research Case Studies - These three case studies are the result of an effort to summarize existing modeling tools that measure the impacts of regional transportation on land use and development. The studies identify ways the communities estimated the effects of land use changes on travel patterns, energy use, and emissions. The studies also look at ways these communities measured the differences between travel uses in inner urban, suburban, and ex-urban areas.
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