[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 49, Volume 5]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 49CFR611.9]

[Page 1064-1065]
 
                        TITLE 49--TRANSPORTATION
 
                             TRANSPORTATION
 
PART 611--MAJOR CAPITAL INVESTMENT PROJECTS--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 611.9  Project justification criteria for grants and loans for fixed guideway systems.

    In order to approve a grant or loan for a proposed new starts 
project under 49 U.S.C. 5309, and to approve entry into preliminary 
engineering and final design as required by section 5309(e)(6), FTA must 
find that the proposed project is justified as described in section 
5309(e)(1)(B).
    (a) To make the statutory evaluations and assign ratings for project 
justification, FTA will evaluate information developed locally through 
alternatives analyses and refined through preliminary engineering and 
final design.
    (1) The method used to make this determination will be a multiple 
measure approach in which the merits of candidate projects will be 
evaluated in terms of each of the criteria specified by this section.
    (2) The measures for these criteria are specified in Appendix A to 
this rule.
    (3) The measures will be applied to the project as it has been 
proposed to FTA for new starts funding under 49 U.S.C. 5309.

[[Page 1065]]

    (4) The ratings for each of the criteria will be expressed in terms 
of descriptive indicators, as follows: ``high,'' ``medium-high,'' 
``medium,'' ``low-medium,'' or ``low.''
    (b) The criteria are as follows:
    (1) Mobility Improvements.
    (2) Environmental Benefits.
    (3) Operating Efficiencies.
    (4) Transportation System User Benefits (Cost-Effectiveness).
    (5) Existing land use, transit supportive land use policies, and 
future patterns.
    (6) Other factors. Additional factors, including but not limited to:
    (i) The degree to which the programs and policies (e.g., parking 
policies, etc.) are in place as assumed in the forecasts,
    (ii) Project management capability, including the technical 
capability of the grant recipient to construct the project, and
    (iii) Additional factors relevant to local and national priorities 
and relevant to the success of the project.
    (c) In evaluating proposed new starts projects under these criteria:
    (1) As a candidate project proceeds through preliminary engineering 
and final design, a greater degree of certainty is expected with respect 
to the scope of the project and a greater level of commitment is 
expected with respect to land use.
    (2) For the criteria under Sec. 611.9(b)(1)-(4), the proposed new 
start will be compared to the baseline alternative.
    (d) In evaluating proposed new starts projects under these criteria, 
the following factors shall be considered:
    (1) The direct and indirect costs of relevant alternatives;
    (2) Factors such as congestion relief, improved mobility, air 
pollution, noise pollution, energy consumption, and all associated 
ancillary and mitigation costs necessary to carry out each alternative 
analyzed, and recognize reductions in local infrastructure costs 
achieved through compact land use development;
    (3) Existing land use, mass transportation supportive land use 
policies, and future patterns;
    (4) The degree to which the project increases the mobility of the 
mass transportation dependent population or promotes economic 
development;
    (5) Population density and current transit ridership in the 
corridor;
    (6) The technical capability of the grant recipient to construct the 
project;
    (7) Differences in local land, construction, and operating costs; 
and
    (8) Other factors as appropriate.
    (e) FTA may amend the measures for these criteria, pending the 
results of ongoing studies regarding transit benefit evaluation methods.
    (f) The individual ratings for each of the criteria described in 
this section will be combined into a summary rating of ``high,'' 
``medium-high,'' ``medium,'' ``low-medium,'' or ``low'' for project 
justification. ``Other factors'' will be considered as appropriate.