Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program
The Transportation Alternatives (TA) set-aside program is a federal aid funding program for transportation-related projects that strengthen the intermodal transportation system. Projects funded by the TA program can include pedestrian and bicycle facilities, recreational trails, safe routes to school projects, community improvements such as historic preservation and vegetation management, and environmental mitigation related to stormwater and habitat connectivity.
As the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Baltimore region, BRTB plays an important role in determining awards for TA grants. On behalf of BRTB, the BMC review team assesses each project in the Baltimore region through a competitive process grounded in the following criteria:
- Expected benefits to the community
- Feasibility and project readiness
- Sponsor’s demonstrated ability to manage a federal-aid project
- How the project advances the Goals and Strategies of Resilience 2050
- How the project improves public safety for all users
Recent projects funded by the TA program include the West East Express Trail in the City of Annapolis, Safe Routes to School improvements for Cecil Elementary School in Baltimore City, and improvements to the Patuxent Branch Trail in Howard County.
Communities can apply to both BRTB and the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) at the same time though a joint application. More information about the application process can be found here.
Transportation and Land-Use Connections
The Transportation Land-Use Connections (TLC) competitive grant program provides short-term technical assistance to support local governments in their planning and preliminary design efforts to implement changes to the built environment that reduce traffic on roads and enable more people to easily walk, bike and use transit. Click here for more information about the program.
Recent projects include the Bay Ridge Avenue Bikeway Feasibility study and Bicycle Facility Standards for the City of Annapolis and the Wabash Avenue Multimodal Study in Baltimore City.
