The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy operates the Transportation Alternatives Data Exchange (TrADE). Many resources were developed under an FHWA cooperative agreement from 1996 through September 2013.
The Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act replaced the former Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) with a set-aside of funds under the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG). For administrative purposes, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will refer to these funds as the TA Set-Aside. The TA Set-Aside authorizes funding for programs and projects defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities such as historic preservation and vegetation management, and environmental mitigation related to stormwater and habitat connectivity; recreational trail projects; safe routes to school projects; and projects for planning, designing, or constructing boulevards and other roadways largely in the right-of-way of former divided highways.
The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) Section 1524 requires the U.S. Department of Transportation to encourage States and regional transportation planning agencies to use qualified youth service and conservation corps to perform appropriate transportation-related projects. This section of law remains in effect. See the Creating Access to Opportunity: Strengthening Transportation Career Pathways & Youth Workforce Development Partnerships Through Service Fact Sheet (HTML / PDF), the related Creating Access to Opportunity Webinar and the Webinar Slides (HTML / PDF), Youth Workforce Development Resources, and U.S. Department of Transportation AmeriCorps Partnership.
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorization | $835 M | $835 M | $850 M | $850 M | $850 M |
Official FAST Act information and guidance is posted on FHWA's Fast Act website.
