Congress created the Transportation Enhancement Program in 1991. The program requires each state to reserve 10 percent of its Federal Surface Transportation Program funds annually for designated Transportation Enhancement activities to ensure transportation spending supports more than just roads. Some of the eligible activities include: facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, landscaping and other scenic beautification, historic preservation of historic buildings for transportation-related purposes, inventory, control, and removal of outdoor advertising.
MoDOT, state and federal agencies, local governments, and local interest groups (with a recognized government sponsor) are eligible. The maximum federal share for these projects is 80%.
All projects funded through the Transportation Enhancements Program must have a link to the surface transportation system – highways and roads, railroads and bicycle or pedestrian facilities. Surface transportation includes transport by both land and water.
x
The purpose of the program is to: (1) Enable and encourage children in grades K-8, including those with disabilities, to walk, wheel, and bicycle to school; (2) Make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age; and (3) Facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution in the vicinity of schools.
State, local, and regional agencies, schools, and non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for funding. The federal share of each project/activity shall be 100% reimbursable. There are two areas eligible for funding: infrastructure and behavioral (non-infrastructure).
Infrastructure projects must be within a two-mile radius of the school and could include: sidewalk improvements, traffic calming, speed reduction improvements, pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, bicycle parking facilities, traffic diversion. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list. Other types of projects may be eligible if they reduce speed and improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and access.