Funding
HQ Funding
Programmatic funding provided by the Caltrans Traffic Operations Program for ongoing support of ICM has not been identified. All ongoing operations costs, contractor, and employee related support costs, must be carefully estimated and resources identified.
District Funding
Outside Funding
General
Initial research will need to be conducted to determine whether federal, state, regional, and/or local funds are available for ICM projects in the corridor area. General approaches include:
| Approach | Description |
|---|---|
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Identify and monitor state and federal funding sources |
Discussions with Caltrans and FHWA experts to identify state and federal funding through grants and awards, and through both public and private sector sources. A spreadsheet should be prepared to document potential funding possibilities, awards, and grants and updated when necessary. |
|
Identify and monitor regional and local funding |
The same process outlined above should be followed, except at the regional and local level, including local transportation sales tax measures and pass-throughs from state and/or regional agencies. |
|
Identify and monitor sources of Caltrans funds |
Caltrans Programs provide resources for ongoing operational support and upgrade of existing systems, while Caltrans Districts also have the ability to pay for certain items, many potentially included as part of the State Highway Operations and Protection Program (SHOPP) requests. It is incumbent on the ICM project team to identify necessary and available resources from all Caltrans' sources. |
|
Investigate grants |
Grants may be available from the Federal Highway Administration (or agencies under the FWHA), United States Department of Transportation (DOT), through postings in the Federal Register, and/or through California Grants. |
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Consider awards |
There are various awards in specific categories for transportation projects. While these awards do not necessarily provide funding, they can be advantageous for the project by raising its visibility and recognizing its value. Awards include, but are not limited to:
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Research transportation sales tax measures |
In California, 20 counties have transportation sales tax measures. |
Local Funds
Local funds may be available from existing or expanded budgets, for Operations and Maintenance, or from “return to source” funds from regional sales tax measures (for example). Local agency partners should be encouraged to provide local funds in addition to providing staff time and other resources.
Regional Funding
- Funding for the arterial improvements is the responsibility of the local jurisdictions and transit agencies, either individually, or as a group. Funding may come from a variety of local, state, and federal sources such as Proposition funds, Regional Improvement Funds, and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program funds.
- Transportation Sales Tax Measures – In California, 20 counties have transportation sales tax measures.
Federal Funding
As with state sources, the programs, project types, criteria, etc. change year to year. There are several websites that can be searched for information:
- The California Grants Portal website provides grant information and can be searched by category, agency, etc.
- The Federal Register website provides Federal opportunities information.
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials websites can be searched for potential funding opportunities.
The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act established the Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Program (ATCMTD) to make competitive grants available for large scale installation and operation of advanced transportation technologies to improve safety, efficiency, system performance, and infrastructure return on investment. The Program is currently authorized through 2020 for $60 million per year. Eligible activities include:
- advanced traveler information systems
- advanced transportation management technologies
- infrastructure maintenance, monitoring, and condition assessment
- advanced public transportation systems
- transportation system performance data collection, analysis, and dissemination systems
- advanced safety systems, including vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications
- technologies associated with autonomous vehicles, and other collision avoidance technologies, including systems using cellular technology
- integration of intelligent transportation systems with the Smart Grid and other energy distribution and charging systems
- electronic pricing and payment systems or
- advanced mobility and access technologies, such as dynamic ridesharing and information systems to support human services for elderly and disabled individuals. [23.U.S.C. 503(c)(4)(E)]
The Program will cover up to 50% of the project cost and matching funds must be considered before applying. The application is due at the beginning of June each year. More information is available on the FHWA’s Grants Program webpage.