FHWA issues guidance regarding walkable streets

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The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) recently issued new guidance to help state and local governments carry out projects that create safer, more walkable streets.

This includes Safe Routes to School programs, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and local community projects.

“With this new guidance we’re announcing today, states and localities have one more tool to advance critically important projects that improve safety and accessibility for all and use a Complete Streets approach to create safe, connected, and equitable street and trail networks,” FHWA Deputy Administrator Stephanie Pollack said. “These projects give people more affordable options to get from Point A to Point B while also reducing emissions from the transportation sector.”

The guidance encourages states and metropolitan planning organizations to incorporate demographic information into their Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside (TA Set-Aside) program applications.

The TA Set-Aside program, part of the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, funds smaller-scale transportation projects. States are permitted to develop a process to sub-allocate up to 100 percent of funds to counties, metropolitan planning organizations, and regional transportation planning organizations.

States are required to conduct a competitive grant process for local governments and other eligible entities before transferring TA set-aside funds to other federal-aid programs.