The New York State Department of Transportation is making $97.4 million in new funding available for active transportation-related projects and programs that support the advancement of “healthy lifestyles” statewide.
[Above photo by NYSDOT]
Projects selected to receive those funds – which comes through the Transportation Alternatives Program or TAP, made available by the Federal Highway Administration and administered by NYSDOT – will be rated based on established criteria that include public benefit, project type, eligible funding source, significance, cost-effectiveness, geographic balance, and alignment with the state’s Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act.
Projects receiving for TAP funds must be related to the surface transportation system and provide full access to the public, NYSDOT added, with each TAP project award totaling no less than $500,000 and not greater than $7 million for any single project. The agency noted that it will accept applications for this tranche of TAP funding through March 12, 2026.
NYSDOT said it will provide up to 80 percent of the total eligible project costs with a minimum 20 percent match provided by the project sponsor. Eligible project costs may include planning, design/engineering services, right-of-way acquisition, construction, and construction inspection.
The agency noted that the types of initiatives that can be supported by TAP funds cover a wide gamut:
- Planning, design and construction of infrastructure-related projects to improve non-driver safety and access to public transportation and enhanced mobility.
- Construction of turnouts, overlooks and viewing areas.
- Safe routes to school, which enables and encourages children to walk or bike to school.
- Planning, design and construction of on-road and off-road facilities for pedestrians, bicyclists and non-motorized transportation users.
- Conversion and use of abandoned railroad corridors for trails for pedestrians, bicyclists and non-motorized transportation users.
- Planning, design and construction of boulevards and other roadways largely in the right-of-way of former divided highways.
- Community improvement activities, such as inventory, control or removal of outdoor advertising, preservation of historic transportation facilities, vegetation management practices, and archeological activities.
- Environmental mitigation activities.
“These are direct investments in affordable transportation solutions that allow communities to invest in projects that enhance transportation mobility and safety,” noted Marie Therese Dominguez, NYSDOT’s commissioner, in a statement. “[They are] providing New Yorkers with safe, community-centered ways to travel for work and everyday life, in the process enhancing the character and accessibility of localities.”
