Committee directs draft to temporarily raise Transportation Alternatives awards, preserve bike/ped priority and expand agency discretion

A legislative committee on March 11 reviewed proposed changes to the Transportation Alternatives (TA) grant program and directed staff to draft statutory language to give the administering agency greater flexibility in awarding federal TA funds.

The committee asked staff to prepare a bill amendment that would temporarily raise the program's maximum award to $1.2 million for one year, then set the long-term maximum at $600,000 (the program's current post-2027 level). Members also agreed to remove an explicit 50% set-aside for water-quality projects so awards may be allocated among all federally eligible TA activities, while retaining a preferential weighting for projects with bicycle and pedestrian facilities as the primary feature.

"We are not minimizing water quality projects in any way, shape, or form," the Chair said, emphasizing the intent was to speed distribution of federal funds while keeping water-quality projects eligible. "Our intent here is to make sure the federal money gets out."

Michelle Bloomhower of the Agency of Transportation said the agency is setting up a safe-routes-to-school initiative funded through the Highway Safety Improvement Program and that the TA program should remain focused on construction activities. "We have an effort underway through our staff to stand up a new sort of Safe Routes to School program using our Highway Safety Improvement Program monies," Bloomhower said, adding the agency would work with partners including Local Motion to develop an approach that might include grants to organizations or technical assistance.

Why it matters: Committee members said the changes aim to move federal money into communities more quickly and reduce administrative friction. Under the timeline discussed, FY27 awards are typically handed out January through March, with funds flowing to projects the following fiscal year (noted as July 2027 or later), so members want statutory language that does not hinder FY27 awards.

Key details discussed

- Award caps and timing: The committee discussed the program's historical maximums: previously a $300,000 maximum, later raised to $600,000, and the proposal to temporarily increase the maximum to $1.2 million for one year before reverting to $600,000.

- Removal of 50% water-quality split: The draft language removes a statutory requirement to reserve 50% of TA funds for stormwater/water-quality projects, allowing the agency to award funds across federally eligible categories (including pedestrian/bicycle facilities, stormwater projects, safe routes to school, salt/sand sheds and other federal-eligible activities).

- Preference preserved for bike/ped: The committee left intact a statutory or programmatic preference that gives extra weight to projects where bicycle or pedestrian facilities are the primary feature; that weighting would continue to favor bike/ped projects in the review process.

- Outreach and education: Members proposed statutory outreach language that would require the agency to make municipalities aware of eligible uses (examples discussed included salt and sand sheds and safe-routes-to-school infrastructure), while keeping any list nonexclusive. Some members urged including educational and planning grants or technical assistance as an option to help smaller jurisdictions prepare competitive applications.

- Agency coordination: Bloomhower said the agency plans to use Highway Safety Improvement Program funds for safe-routes-to-school outreach and programming, leaving the TA program focused on construction. She said agency staff would work with external partners and the committee's staff to align program materials and outreach.

Committee action and next steps

The committee directed staff to draft the amendment reflecting the discussed changes and to prepare the T bill for markup on Friday. A staff member said the edited draft would be circulated to members ahead of the markup. No formal recorded vote was taken on the floor during this discussion; members described the outcome as a committee direction and agreement to collaborate with the agency and legislative counsel to finalize language.

What was not decided or remains uncertain

- The discussion did not finalize statutory outreach wording or the precise scope and dollar allocation for any planning/education set-aside; those details were left for staff and agency collaboration.

- No formal roll-call vote or motion text was recorded in the transcript; the committee moved to have staff produce a bill draft for a Friday markup.

The committee recessed to prepare for the next witness and agreed staff would circulate the edited draft before the Friday markup.