The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) is designed to help expand transportation choices and enhance the transportation experience. Federal regulations define categories of eligible activities encompassing a variety of smaller-scale transportation projects such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities, recreational trails, safe routes to school projects, community improvements such as historic preservation and vegetation management, and environmental mitigation related to storm water and habitat connectivity.
2024 Program Solicitation
The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) is inviting eligible applicants to submit proposals for funding under the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). Eligible applicants include local governments, regional transportation authorities, transit agencies, natural resource or public land agencies, school districts, and nonprofit entities. A full list of eligible applicants is included in the guidance documents linked below.
While this solicitation assumes the continuation of current funding levels and project eligibility, future legislation will dictate the number and type of projects that will be initiated. Therefore, selection under this solicitation does not guarantee project eligibility or funding. Currently eligible projects include: on-and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities, multi-use trail projects, and safe routes to school projects. A full list of eligible projects is included in the guidance documents linked below.
The minimum project size for TAP is $500,000 (federal share of $400,000). All projects that meet or exceed this threshold will be considered up to a maximum project size of $4.0 million (federal share of $3.2 million). Projects larger than $4.0 million should demonstrate a local match significant enough to maintain a federal share of $3.2 million. CRCOG anticipates selecting between three and six projects during this solicitation, but the final number of projects that will be advanced to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) will be based upon project costs and available funding allocations.
To apply for funding under the 2024 TAP, please send the following materials to Michael Cipriano, Senior Transportation Planner, by 3:00pm on Monday, May 13, 2024:
- Digital files of the completed TAP Application, Cost Estimate (in original file format with functioning fields/cells), and any other supplemental documents. Please transmit the files to mcipriano@crcog.org.
- Please note that the application requires a duly authorized representative to sign a “Project Sponsor and Commitment Statement” expressing a commitment to fund the necessary local match and to operate, maintain, and insure the proposed transportation improvement.
CRCOG staff anticipates completing its review and short-listing of proposals by May 24, 2024. A CRCOG Transportation Committee Special Meeting will be held on June 10, 2024 at 10am to conduct project presentations and ranking.
Application Documents
- TAP Application (.docx)
- TAP Cost Estimate Template (.xlsx)
Solicitation Resources
- RFP Memorandum
- CRCOG Solicitation Guidance
- FHWA TAP Guidance
- 2024 CTDOT Cost Estimating Guidelines Note: Applicants may use their own cost estimating protocols. However, because this is a federal funding program, use of the CTDOT guidelines is strongly encouraged.
If you have any questions, please contact Michael Cipriano or Cara Radzins.
Previous Program Solicitations
In 2019, with the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) set to expire in 2020, to be prepared for subsequent legislation, in March 2019 CRCOG issued a request for TA Set-Aside Program proposals for projects to be funded with anticipated Federal Fiscal Year 2021 through 2025 funds. Under this solicitation, CTDOT required that prioritized TA Set-Aside projects be submitted by Transportation Management Area (TMA). The Hartford TMA, though composed mostly of CRCOG towns, also includes towns from two other MPOs: the Naugatuck Valley COG (NVCOG), and Lower Connecticut River Valley COG (RiverCOG). In September 2019, as a result of the solicitation and coordination with the other Hartford TMA MPOs, four proposals representing projects from New Britain, Mansfield, Thomaston (NVCOG), and Simsbury were submitted to CTDOT for funding consideration.
In September 2016, CRCOG issued a request for TA Set-Aside Program proposals for projects to be funded with Federal Fiscal Year 2016 through 2020 funds. In January 2017, as a result of the solicitation, four proposals representing projects from Rocky Hill, Hartford, New Britain, and Ellington were submitted to CTDOT for funding consideration.
In October 2011, CRCOG issued a request for STP-Enhancement proposals for projects to be funded with Federal Fiscal Year 2013 through 2016 funds. In February 2012, as a result of the solicitation, three proposals representing projects from Bloomfield, Manchester and Rocky Hill were submitted to CTDOT for funding. With the passage of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) federal transportation bill the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) replaced the STP-Enhancement program, and the selected projects that advanced were scheduled to utilize TAP funding.
Contact Cara Radzins for more information on the TA Set-Aside Program.
