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Missoula County seeks federal help to reassign rescinded Highway 200 grant funding
Summary
The county will ask its federal delegation to 're-home' a rescinded Neighborhood Access Grant for the Highway 200 corridor to other federal programs; staff noted a recent BUILD program NOFO and said the county and MPO will evaluate alternative grant opportunities.
Missoula County staff told commissioners Dec. 4 they will ask the county’s federal delegation to consider moving a previously rescinded Neighborhood Access Grant for the Highway 200 corridor into other federal transportation grant programs, with the goal of salvaging work on Highway 200.
A staff speaker said the grant was among rescissions and that communities affected are seeking to have such projects moved into other programs that remain funded. "Hope that, that Highway 200 project could still continue," the staff member said.
Staff also noted a new notice of funding opportunity for the BUILD grant program was released earlier in the week and said the county and the metropolitan planning organization will evaluate which programs might be a fit for Highway 200 or other priorities. Commissioners discussed competition for federal funds and the need to be strategic; rising cost estimates mean the county is likely to phase work and pursue smaller, prioritized pieces rather than a single large application.
Why it matters: the rescission removed a funding source for a corridor project that county staff and residents view as important for East Missoula; finding a new federal program or a phased approach would keep parts of the project moving.
What’s next: staff will work with the MPO and monitor NOFOs to identify potential grant homes and will send a letter to the federal delegation expressing support for reassigning the rescinded funds to other programs.
