The HRTPO is directly responsible for project selection and allocation of funds under two federal funding programs – the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program and the Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP).  The competitive process used to select projects to receive funds from these two programs has been approved by the HRTPO Board and is documented in the Guide to the HRTPO CMAQ/RSTP Project Selection Process.

CMAQ is primarily used to fund projects that help improve air quality.  Examples of projects that are eligible for CMAQ funding include: 

• Congestion Reduction, Traffic Flow Improvements, and ITS
  • Intersection improvements, such as adding turn lanes
  • Signal system improvements and timing optimization
  • Variable message signs; Traveler information improvements
  • HOV lanes

• Public Transportation Improvements
• New or expanded transit service
• Bus rehabilitation and replacement
• Passenger rail projects (Light Rail and Intercity Rail)
• Bus shelters
• Rail stations and transfer stations
• Rail vehicle purchase and replacement

• Ridesharing
• Park and ride lots
• Ride matching
• Vanpool programs

• Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements
• Bicycle paths and trails
• Multiuse trails
• Sidewalks

• Freight and Intermodal Improvements
• Diesel engine retrofits on trucks and locomotives
• Intermodal transfer facilities
• Barge projects

RSTP may be used to fund a wide range of transportation projects, including:

• Highway Capacity, Accessibility, and Operational ImprovementsRoad widening
• New road construction
• HOV lanes
• New interchanges
• Corridor operations
• Bridge rehabilitation
• Traffic signal systems
• Intelligent transportation systems

• Public Transportation ImprovementsNew or expanded service
• Bus rehabilitation and replacement
• Passenger rail projects (Light Rail and Intercity Rail)
• Bus shelters
• Rail stations and transfer stations
• Rail vehicle purchase and replacement

• Ridesharing
• Park and ride lots
• Ride matching
• Vanpool programs

• Freight and Intermodal Improvements
• Diesel engine retrofits on trucks and locomotives
• Intermodal transfer facilities
• Barge projects

• Planning Studies 

The HRTPO conducts the CMAQ/RSTP Project Selection Process annually, allocating funds through the end of the State’s next Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP).  Since the next SYIP will be for FY 2016 – FY 2021, this year’s CMAQ/RSTP process selected projects to receive allocations in FY 2021.  A subcommittee of the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC) called the Transportation Programming Subcommittee (TPS) takes into account the funding needs of previously-approved CMAQ and RSTP projects and the scores and ranks of new candidate projects in order to recommend a set of projects to receive FY 2021 CMAQ and RSTP allocations.  The TTAC considers the recommendations of the TPS and makes a recommendation to the HRTPO Board regarding the allocation of CMAQ and RSTP funds.  The HRTPO Board makes the final decision on the projects to receive funds and the amount of funds allocated to each project.

During its meeting on November 20, 2014, the HRTPO Board approved FY 2021 allocations of approximately $14.2 million on fourteen CMAQ projects and approximately $26.8 million on nine RSTP projects, as shown in the following tables.