Regional planner urges Caroline County to prepare projects two years ahead to compete for state and federal transportation funds

Ian, a representative of the Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO), told Caroline County officials that transportation funding is a continuous, multiyear process and urged the county to prepare projects well in advance to be competitive for state and federal grants.

“Funding transportation projects is a multiyear endeavor... it's a cycle, and it never stops,” Ian said, explaining that most funding programs require prior planning studies, engineering work and up-to-date cost estimates before an agency will accept an application.

Ian walked attendees through the three main funding streams: federal, state and local. On federal funding he noted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (commonly called IIJA) remains the most recent reauthorization but expires Sept. 30; a new multiyear surface-transportation reauthorization bill is in development in Congress and will require separate annual appropriations before funds can be spent. “A new law... if you don't know the system. There is still an annual appropriations bill in congress that takes 1 year of funding,” Ian said, stressing that authorization alone…