Projects of National and Regional Significance Program
description
Transcript of Projects of National and Regional Significance Program
Projects of National and Regional SignificanceProgram
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Background SAFETEA-LU Section 1301 established a
program to fund critical, national or regional freight or passenger transportation needs
Funded at $1.78 Billion over 5 years Modeled after FTA “New Starts” Program Projects are to be evaluated and rated as “highly
recommended,” “recommended,” or “not recommended” based on selection criteria established in regulation
Required Annual Report to Congress – part of the legislation
All funds authorized by SAFETEA-LU for the PNRS program were fully designated to 25 projects
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Rule Making
SAFETEA-LU required establishment of regulations for program implementation
Regulations do not apply to current SAFETEA-LU funding for 25 designated projects
FHWA looked for specific and detailed comments that would assist in defining grant criteria, project eligibility, project ratings, and the nature and form of full funding grant agreements.
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Rule Making
Read the preamble not just regulatory text.
It is key to understanding and interpreting the regulations.
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
Key Points from NPRM Comments Strong Support for:
Concept/Program
Transparency of Process and Selection
Bringing National Perspective to the Project Selection Process
Specific Concerns:
Degree of Multimodal focus
Use of Highway Trust Fund
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Eligibility
Applicant States or multiple states Support for strong local and regional
coordination
Project Cost Eligibility Threshold Legislative requirement $500m/75% of
apportionment – whichever is less Allow multi-state projects and use largest
state’s eligibility
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS EligibilityEligible Project Any transportation project (including
multimodal/rail) that is Title 23 eligible (allowing maximum flexibility)
Project could be individual project or a group of projects that are integrated in function such as along a corridor (strong interest in seeing projects linked together along a corridor)
Eligible Project Costs NEPA/PE to construction Bond financing
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Evaluation, Rating & Funding
Rating Process/TimingPreliminary evaluation and rating any time
after development of project concept plan – listed in PNRS report appendix
Official rating after PE complete – listed in PNRS report
If a project is not selected, projects must re-apply at the next solicitation (will be rated at that time)
Inform State of rating prior to listing in report to allow withdrawal
To accommodate cost of PE
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Evaluation, Rating & FundingProject Rating
CategoriesHighly RecommendedRecommendedNot Recommended Withdrawn
Will not rank (as opposed to rate) Project selection authority with Secretary
of USDOT
Full Funding Grant Agreements Only vehicle for this program FHWA will coordinate with other FHWA/DOT
funding sources and programs if project requires (TIFIA, SEP 15, Executive Order on Streamlining)
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Selection CriteriaGeneral Regulations
Expands the detail and specifics of the basic criteria presented in law
Specific criteria provide a firm framework and basis for which measurement will be made
Data and Methodology FHWA chose not to dictate a specific methodology
for making the measurement or specific weight for each of the criterion.
Requires use of data that can be made available to the public
Requires use of methodologies accepted by industry
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Selection Criteria
Annual Solicitations Program is designed for multiple solicitations
(timing currently not known) Solicitations would provide:
specific focus areas related to the current needs of the national transportation system
measures to rate enhancements to the system points and weighting, as needed, for these
identified criteria to best reflect the current dynamics of the nation’s transportation system
specific information on procedures
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Selection Criteria
Economic Benefits Solving Current Transportation Problem v.
Economic Development
Cost Benefit Analysis Formal CBA v. other analytical measures
Consider Use of FHWA Freight CBA Tools Level of Detail/Definitions Ability to Compare Across Projects
The amount and importance of freight and passenger travel served
Volumes Served Capacity Type and Level Impacts
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Selection Criteria
Congestion Reduce congestion, including impacts in the State,
Region, and Nation Congestion levels, delay and consequences of delay Efficiency and effectiveness of congestion mitigation
Safety Improve transportation safety, including reducing
transportation injuries, accidents and fatalities Number, rate and consequences of crashes, injuries
and fatalities in the affected region and corridor
National Transportation System Enhancements Left flexible for States and allows DOT to address in
solicitation
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Selection Criteria
Project Development Based on the results of preliminary engineering Political and institutional support - as evidenced by
completing the project planning process
Technology Uses new technologies, including intelligent
transportation systems, that enhance the efficiency of the project
Environment Helps maintain or protect the environment
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
PNRS Selection CriteriaFunding
Supported by stable, reliable and available non-federal commitments
Leverages Federal investment (including public-private partnerships)
Ability to Guarantee non-Federal sources prior to implementation
Ability to attract funds beyond minimum Allocation of public and private costs and the costs
proportion to the share of public and private benefits and risks
Need for Federal Support Demonstrates that the proposed project cannot be readily
and efficiently realized without Federal support and participation (gap funding)
Federal Highway AdministrationU.S. Department of Transportation
Questions?