State Implementation
The Safe Routes Partnership works to monitor the progress of State DOTs in administering the federal Safe Routes to School program and the Transportation Alternatives Program, tracking how funds are awarded and obligated. We do this through our quarterly "State of the States" tracking reports.
State-Specific TAP Fact Sheets
Latest News and Information:
TAP State of States September 2024
As we close out fiscal year 2024, there’s plenty to celebrate about the progress states have made with Transportation Alternatives Program – though there are a few challenges to keep an eye on. Overall, states have been doing a fantastic job holding TAP competitions and getting funds obligated on time. This quarter alone, states obligated $446 million for TAP projects. We noted in last quarter’s report, 13 states had funds at risk of lapsing, and but the good news is that it looks like no states ended up letting their funds go unused. However, there is one challenge we are keeping an eye on: some states have transferred more than 41 percent of their TAP fund to other uses, which is the maximum allowed. This means that communities have less of a chance to access those funds for projects to improve biking, walking, and for Safe Routes to School. Nationally, we know that for every four dollars requested in TAP funds, only one dollar is available, highlighting a high demand for these projects. We want to ensure these funds are used for their intended purpose. Fortunately, new guidelines are in place to help states support communities to overcoming common barriers to applying for and successfully implementing projects. For example, states can use up to five percent of their TAP funds to provide technical assistance to communities and help them submit high quality applications. We’ll be keeping an eye on these transfers in the next quarter, and this is a chance for advocates in these states to follow up with their State DOTs. View all the data in our quarterly TAP tracking chart.
TAP State of States June 2024
In the third quarter of fiscal year 2024, states continue to show progress in obligating funds for Transportation Alternatives Programs. Here are some points worth noting:
- Since the second quarter, states have obligated $232 million in TAP funding. This is nearly twice the amount obligated when compared to the previous quarter, which is promising to see at this point in the year.
- Two more states - Maryland and Georgia - are now among states leveraging the provision in TAP that allows states to use up to 5% for technical assistance to improve project delivery and ensure successful projects. The total amount states are spending on technical assistance continues to grow. Using funds this way can help get higher quality applications in the door and increase success of communities to implement projects should they receive funding.
- While the overall amount of funding at risk of lapsing has gone down, with only one quarter left in the fiscal year, a total of $22 million across 13 states is still at risk of no longer being available for projects. Kudos to Arizona, for obligating all their funds at risk of lapsing since our last quarterly update.
TAP State of States March 2024
Analyzing the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 shows continued excellent progress from states obligating funding for the Transportation Alternatives Program. Some quick highlights here:
- Since last quarter, states obligated over $109 million in TAP funding. That means the 46 states that obligated funds last quarter are even closer to having projects on the ground to improve connectivity, mobility, and access for people walking and wheeling.
- Idaho and Minnesota remain ahead of three years of funds lapsing – congratulations to those states for holding competitions and moving projects through the delivery process in a timely manner!
- There are 14 states at risk of lapsing funds. While two quarters remain, Alaska, Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, and Virginia must obligate funds on projects before September 30, 2024 or risk them lapsing and no longer being available for projects that advance walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School.
Read more about state implementation of TAP in our federal policy post this month.
TAP State of States December 2023
In the first quarter of fiscal year 2024, the Transportation Alternatives Program crossed the $10 billion mark in funding given to states since the program’s inception in FY13! Since FY22, with the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, nearly $4 billion has been apportioned to the states, and over $1 billion of that has already been obligated on projects. States are doing an excellent job of using these funds on their intended purposes. A few things to note from our analysis this quarter:
- We can confirm that no states let funds lapse in FY23, which is excellent.
- There are two states that have no funds at risk of lapsing for the next three years: Idaho and Minnesota. Congrats to these two states for timely competitions, awarding, and obligations of funds!
- We continue to see relatively low obligation of technical assistance funds, which is fine if states are seeing high quality applications and awarded projects are moving through the permitting and obligation process in a timely fashion. For states struggling with getting high caliber applications or slow project delivery, we encourage you to use these technical assistance funds to improve application quality and expedite project delivery. Reach out to us for specific ideas.
- Because many states are still spending down funds apportioned under the FAST Act, we still cannot look at the column that shows percent obligated as an indicator of whether or not states are doing a good job or not, but we can look at the “Change from Prior quarter” column to see states are obligating money. This quarter, states obligated over $89 million in funding apportioned under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is terrific.
Safe Routes to School Legacy Funds - State of States September 2023
At the end of fiscal year 2023, we re-visited state implementation of the federal Safe Routes to School funds. As a reminder, Congress last apportioned Safe Routes to School funds to states in 2012, but these funds do not expire, so states have access to them until they expire. Cumulatively, states have $78 million available to obligate on Safe Routes to School projects. Some states have small amounts that could be used for non-infrastructure projects, matching TAP-funded Safe Routes to School projects, or staffing, and some states have multiple millions of dollars available specifically for Safe Routes to School. Check our chart to see what the status is for your state.
TAP State of States September 2023
As fiscal year 2023 wrapped up, there is a lot to celebrate about state implementation of the Transportation Alternatives Program, and, unfortunately, some disappointing news as well. On the whole, states are doing a really fantastic job holding TAP competitions and obligating funds in a timely manner. This quarter alone, states obligated $375 million for TAP projects. You might remember that last month, 16 states had funds at risk of lapsing, and we will confirm this with next quarter’s data, but it appears that no states let funding lapse! Maine, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, and Rhode Island joined the cadre of states that have no funds at risk of lapsing for the next three years. But, on the negative front, five states transferred funds out of Transportation Alternatives: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, and Wisconsin. Because of the new requirements in place for states to comply with before transferring funds out, there are many opportunities for advocates and practitioners in those states to turn that around before it becomes a trend. Reach out if you have questions, and read more in our monthly blog post. View all the data in our quarterly TAP tracking chart.
TAP State of States Reflections June 2023
At the close of the third quarter of 2023, a few things stand out when we review the state of state implementation of the Transportation Alternatives Program. For starters, states are doing a great job obligating funds. In quarter 3, states obligated over $255 million in projects that support walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School. Alaska and Georgia both had funds at risk of lapsing at the end of September 2023, but they obligated enough funds to stay head of that risk. Minnesota and Washington joined Idaho and Oregon in staying ahead of funds at risk of lapsing for the next three years!
However, 16 states have funds at risk of lapsing if they do not obligate them within the next three months: AL, AZ, HI, LA, MD, MO, NM, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WV, WI. A few of these states only have a few hundred thousand at risk of lapsing, but some states have multi-millions in funding that will disappear on October 1 if it does not get committed to Transportation Alternatives Program projects! Check out the data in our quarterly State of the States spreadsheet and read more in our August federal policy blog post.
TAP State of States Reflections March 2023
During the second quarter of 2023, states made terrific strides in obligating Transportation Alternatives Program funds on projects. Of Transportation Alternatives Program funds appropriated after the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) in 2021, states have obligated $515 million, while still obligating funds made available under the 2015 FAST Act. For details, dive into the data in our quarterly tracking report.
When we look ahead to funds at risk of lapsing (final column), there are 18 states with funds at risk of lapsing if they don’t obligate it by September 30, 2023. States still have two quarters to obligate these funds before they disappear, but advocates in these states may wish to connect with their departments of transportation to get a sense of what is happening with these funds. Some states have minimal funds at risk of lapsing, like Hawaii with $217,000, but Texas has over $37 million at risk of lapsing – money that could be spent on valuable infrastructure to support walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School.
On the positive side, we want to shout out two states that have zero funds at risk of lapsing for the next three years: Idaho and Oregon. Way to go! 21 states have no risk of funds lapsing for the next two years: CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, IL, IN, KS, ME, MA, MI, MN, NE, NV, NH, NM, ND, OH, RI, SD, WA. Even with 60 percent more funds available after the BIL, these states continue to hold timely competitions and work with recipients to move projects through the process. We love to see this!
TAP State of States Reflections December 2022
The first quarter of fiscal year 2023 revealed both positive and disappointing news about how states are implementing the Transportation Alternatives Program. On the negative side, three states let a total of $11.4 million in TAP funds lapse. This means they failed to obligate funds within four years. Those states were Wisconsin, which has regularly lapsed funds, as well as Alabama and Missouri, which had never lapsed funds until this year.
On the plus side, Virginia transferred funding into Transportation Alternatives for the second time this year, totaling an increase of over $17 million transferred in to the program in 2022. Two more states obligated funds for technical assistance (increasing access to the program and expediting project delivery): Connecticut and Montana. This quarter states obligated $67 million in TAP funds. View all the data in our quarterly TAP tracking chart.
TAP State of the States September 2022
This quarter closed out the first fiscal year under the new funding levels and guidance created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Read our two new blog posts: one with a deep dive explainer of what these data mean and how to use them and a second highlighting how we’ve changed our tracking under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
For the most part, states have made positive steps obligating TAP funding this quarter. No states have transferred funds out of the program, per Federal Highway Administration’s guidance that they would not allow any transfers this first year, though several states tried! Interestingly, Virginia transferred funds into TAP from the Highway Safety Improvement Program.
On the negative side, 21 states have funds at risk of lapsing; next quarter we will be able to see which states did not obligate funds at a steady enough pace and were forced to return them to the federal government.
In terms of new flexibilities under BIL, our tracking this quarter shows us that so far, only three states take advantage of the flexible funds for technical assistance: Idaho, Pennsylvania, and Texas. View all the data in our quarterly TAP tracking chart.
TAP State of States Reflections June 2022
States continued to make great progress obligating TAP funds this quarter, though 21 states have balances at risk of lapsing at the beginning of October. While states remained unable to transfer funds out of the program given the new provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, notably, Virginia transferred funds into the Transportation Alternatives Program, adding over $10 million into the program this quarter. View all the data in our quarterly TAP tracking chart.
TAP State of State Reflections March 2022
Given the changes to transferability in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we did not see any states transfer funds out of the program. States made progress obligating Transportation Alternatives Program funds. A significant number of states have funds at risk of lapsing at the end of this fiscal year, and advocates in these states should connect with state DOTs to ensure funds will be obligated rather than returned to the federal government. View all the data in our quarterly TAP tracking chart.
TAP State of States Reflections December 2021
The first quarter of fiscal year 2022 was odd for the Transportation Alternatives Program. The FAST Act was in place (extended by a continuing resolution) until mid-way through the quarter, when the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (aka Bipartisan Infrastructure Law) became law in November. In spite of the law’s passage and substantial increase in funding, funding levels remained locked at FY21 due to the way the continuing resolution was written. As a result, we analyzed the data according to FAST Act provisions that were in place for most of this quarter, though the amount available reflects the increased funding levels in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The exciting part of the start of the fiscal year is that states received a ton of new money for Transportation Alternatives: over $1.3 billion for states to compete out to local communities to improve Safe Routes to School, walking, and bicycling. This is a huge increase from FY21 when states received $850 million for Transportation Alternatives. States made progress by obligating $55 million.
On the negative side, we confirmed that both North Dakota and Wisconsin lapsed funds from FY21, meaning they disappeared from those states’ accounts for use to improve Safe Routes to School, walking, and bicycling.
The first quarter of the year always reflects a decrease in the overall percentage of funds obligated, as states have four years to obligate funds. Relatedly, the number of states with funds at risk of lapsing in October 2022 also increases, as states have this full year ahead to obligate those funds to prevent them from lapsing. View all the data in our quarterly TAP tracking chart.
Safe Routes to School Legacy Funds - State of States September 2021
At the end of fiscal year 2021, we re-visited state implementation of the federal Safe Routes to School funds. As a reminder, Congress last apportioned Safe Routes to School funds to states in 2012, but these funds do not expire, so states have access to them until they expire. We last analyzed state implementation of federal Safe Routes to School funds at the end of 2018. Since 2018, 32 states have made progress implementing Safe Routes to School programs and projects with the legacy Safe Routes to School funds. One state (Alaska) de-obligated a significant amount of Safe Routes to School funding (18% of their total apportionment), which means they now have a balance of Safe Routes to School funds available again. A handful of states de-obligated small percentages of funds, which means they also have Safe Routes to School funds available to spend. On the whole, states have done a fantastic job implementing the Safe Routes to School program, having spent 91% of funds, but money still remains and states can and should spend it on Safe Routes to School projects and programs. Does your state have legacy Safe Routes to School funding available? Check our chart and read the February 2022 blog post for ideas on how to use these funds.
TAP State of States Reflections September 2021
TAP State of States Reflections June 2021
States Make Strides to Obligate TAP Funds
April 2021: Now that the second quarter of fiscal year 2021 has closed, our latest quarterly TAP tracking chart shows that state departments of transportation obligated $70 million for the Transportation Alternatives Program – helping local communities build meaningful projects to support walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School. However, four states transferred money away from TAP: Louisiana, Missouri, Texas, and Utah.
TAP State of States Reflections
DECEMBER 2020: The first quarter of fiscal year 2021 has come to a close, which means we have updated our quarterly State of the States TAP implementation tracking spreadsheet. At the start of the new fiscal year, states received $768 million for TAP, and 34 states have already obligated nearly $47 million in TAP funding for projects to improve walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School. As previously reported, five states (Arizona, Hawaii, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Wisconsin) let $15 million lapse after failing to use it over the course of four years. As a reminder, states have four years to use TAP funds before they have to send them back to the federal government. By not using these funds, these five states signaled that they would prefer to send money back to the federal government than support safe, convenient walking and wheeling. Oklahoma transferred 50% of its TAP funds out of the program upon receiving this fiscal year’s apportionment. While states are permitted to do this, it means they did not take the opportunity to first see what projects could benefit their state’s residents to walk, bike, and wheel. One of our priority federal bills this year, the Transportation Alternatives Enhancement Act, aims to prevent this type of transfer from happening by requiring states to run a competition before transferring funds. Learn more about the proposed changes TAP fund transferability in the Transportation Alternatives Enhancement Act here. On a final positive note, there are 28 states that are ahead of the game with regard to spending their TAP funds and have no funding at risk of lapsing at the end of the fiscal year.
A Year-End Look at TAP Usage by States
October 29, 2020: Now that FY2020 is completed, we can get a better picture of how states are implementing TAP in our quarterly TAP tracking. All but six states obligated a total of $220 million in TAP funding over the last quarter, getting funding towards local biking and walking projects. However, 11 states transferred a total of $73.5 million to road projects, and even worse, five states (AZ, HI, ND, SC, WI) let $15 million lapse after failing to use it over the course of four years. These five states all also let funding lapse last year, meaning that they'd rather send funding back to the federal government than implement a program that helps local communities improve safety for people biking and walking.
TAP Obligation Rates Rise
July 22, 2020: The data is in for the third quarter of FY2020, and it's positive news from our quarterly TAP tracking chart. Only one state (NM) transferred funding away from TAP to other road priorities, and states obligated $157 million in funding to implement TAP projects and programs. With one quarter yet to go in the fiscal year, 39 states have already obligated all the funds that will lapse (or expire) at year's end.
States Get Tap Funds to Locals
May 29, 2020:With the second quarter of FY2020 completed, our new quarterly TAP tracking chart shows that state departments of transportation obligated $116 million for Transportation Alternatives Program projects, helping get funding where it's needed at the local level. In addition, five states (LA, ND, OK, TX, UT) transferred a total of $52 million away from TAP and into road projects.
New Fiscal Year, New Transfers and Obligations
January 27, 2020: It's a new fiscal year, and states have received $767 million in new TAP funds to allocate to Safe Routes, biking and walking projects. Our new quarterly TAP tracking chart shows that two states (AZ, MO) transferred $17 million in TAP to other road projects, and as previously reported, 7 states (AZ, HI, NH, ND, SC, WI, WY) let $19 million in TAP funds lapse. In good news, states obligated a total of $60 million in TAP funding this quarter, and thirty states are ahead in obligation, with no funds at risk of lapsing at the end of the fiscal year.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about how States are Using TAP
October 25, 2019: We are now at the end of the fiscal year, and we have a record month for funds obligated, but an unfortunately high amount of TAP money being transferred or lapsed. Learn more in our federal policy blog.
States Get More TAP Funds Out the Door
August 1, 2019: Our TAP tracking chart shows that in the second quarter of 2019, states obligated $182 million in TAP funding—30 percent better than last quarter. States also cut in half the amount of funds that could potentially lapse at the end of September, with only 9 states (AZ, AR, DC, HI, MS, NH, NY, SC, WY) having more than 5 percent of TAP funds at risk. It’s particularly critical that states obligate as much as possible in this last quarter of FY19 so that no funds lapse, and also because a rescission planned for July 2020 will be based on the amount of unobligated funds as of the end of September 2019. We also saw five states (AZ, MN, NH, NC, and TN) transfer a total of $32 million away from TAP into other transportation programs.
States Keep TAP Funding Rolling
May 8, 2019: For the first quarter of 2019, our TAP tracking chart shows that states made good progress, obligating $139 million from TAP. This means that more than half of the states have fully obligated their 2016 funds, meaning they will not let funding lapse at the end of September. Six states transferred money away from TAP, resulting in a loss of $55M that could have gone to biking and walking. Also, if you need a refresher on why this data matters, please see last quarter's explainer on the TAP quarterly tracking report.
An Explainer: State Implementation of TAP
February 8, 2019: We have updated our TAP quarterly state of the states to provide more context on a state's progress. In this update, we explain what the various columns in the quarterly report mean, and why they matter.
States Leap Ahead in TAP Spending
October 23, 2018: This quarter, states obligated nearly $300 million in TAP funds to get hundreds of walking, biking, and Safe Routes to School programs and infrastructure projects moving. Unfortunately, we did see several states transfer money away from TAP to other transportation projects, but only three states failed to use all their money by the deadline. All in all, we celebrate the $2.4 billion in TAP funding that is making biking and walking safer and more accessible nationwide.
States Buckle Down on Spending TAP; Some States Risk Losing Funds
July 16, 2018: This quarter we look at state progress in implementing the Transportation Alternatives Program. States obligated $131 million in TAP funding; however fourteen states are at risk of losing significant TAP dollars.
State Report Cards: A Tool to Improve TAP in your state
July 9, 2018: Check out this month's federal policy blog for ideas on how to use the 2018 Making Strides State Report Cards to improve how your state uses its Transportation Alternatives Program funds!
States make steady progress on TAP
April 30, 2018: Our March 2018 quarterly report on state implementation of the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) shows that all states except for two obligated a total of $120 million. Just three states (MS, TX, and UT) transferred money away from TAP to other road and bridge projects.
States get new chunk of TAP money to award
January 11, 2018: Now that the new federal fiscal year has started, states got $766 million in new funding to spend on Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) awards. The first quarter of the fiscal year is always a bit slow on spending, but nearly all states obligated TAP funding to the tune of $54 million, allowing Safe Routes to School, biking and walking projects to move forward. Four states--Alaska ($1.3M), North Dakota ($1.7M), Oklahoma ($6.5M), and South Carolina ($7.6M)--have already transferred $17 million total of their FY18 funding to other transportation programs. Please review our new quarterly obligations report to see how your state did.
Most states make big moves on TAP; some squander TAP funds
OCTOBER 25, 2017: This is a critical time in the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), due to the September 30 expiration of any unobligated FY2014 money. Fortunately, most states stepped up to the plate and obligated significant amounts of TAP funding this quarter--nearly $350 million--to allow Safe Routes to School, biking and walking projects to move forward. Unfortunately, we did see $29.5 million in new transfers of TAP to road projects--most notably Iowa, which transferred nearly $16 million. And, four states failed to obligate $17 million of FY2014 TAP money by the deadline, allowing that money to lapse and be returned to the federal government. Take a look at our new quarterly obligations report to see how your state did.
States face September deadline to use older TAP funds
August 31, 2017: States are making good progress in utilizing their Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funds, according to our new quarterly obligations report. Between April and June, states obligated $204 million--nearly twice what was obligated in the prior quarter. Seven states did transfer a total of $40M out of TAP, though those were all states that have done so before. We are in the home stretch to September 30, which is when FY2014 TAP funds expire. States have about $130M to obligate between July and September to avoid losing funds. If you have funds at risk in your state, please follow up with your state TAP coordinator to check in.
Monitor your state's TAP funds to make sure they aren't lost
May 19, 2017: We have another new quarterly obligations report on the Safe Routes to School program and the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). It was a strong quarter for TAP, with $115 million in funding obligated and only 2 new state transfers (ND for $1.6M and UT for $2.5M). However - we need to be alert to make sure TAP funds aren't lost. Funds that were first allocated to the states in FY2014 are set to expire at the end of September 2017. Any FY14 funds that are not obligated by September 30, 2017 will expire (or lapse) and will be returned back to the federal government. We've added a new column to show the amount of funds, if any, that are potentially at risk in each state. If you have funds at risk in your state, please follow up with your state TAP coordinator to check in.
Four states let TAP funding lapse
May 12, 2017: As the remaining funds from the legacy Safe Routes to School program continue to dwindle, we have created a unified report showing obligations for the Safe Routes to School program and the Transportation Alternatives Program. During the quarter ending in December 2016, $70 million in TAP funds were obligated. Only 3 states (MO, OK, SC) transferred funds totaling $32 million to other transportation projects. However, we now must also track TAP funds that have lapsed -- which happens when a state fails to obligate funds and the four-year expiration date has been reached. Four states (AK, HI, NH, and SD) allowed funds to lapse, meaning they are no longer available for TAP and are returned to the Federal Highway Administration.
TAP transfers reach concerning level; but obligations also advance
January 4, 2017: In the quarter ending in September 2016, $109 million in TAP dollars were transferred, including by 12 states that had never transferred funds before. This is a very troubling trend and we urge advocates to contact their state DOTs to ask that the transfers be reversed. On the positive side, $280 million in TAP funds were obligated, demonstrating that projects moving forward. In what is likely our last tracking report of the legacy Safe Routes to School program, given the dwindling funds available, Safe Routes to School program dollars reached a total of 90% awarded and 82% obligated.
TAP obligations jump, but so do transfers
September 7, 2016: In the past quarter, states obligated a very large $120 million in TAP funding, showing that funding is getting out to communities. However, a total of 11 states transferred $120 million out of TAP into other uses in the quarter, increasing transfers by around 35%. Ten of the states making transfers have done it before (AZ, CT, GA, IA, LA, ND, OK, SD, TX, UT) while one state--Illinois--transferred TAP funding for the first time. Safe Routes to School program dollars reached a total of 89% awarded and 81% obligated.
Good progress in TAP obligations; small movement for Safe Routes
JuNe 18, 2016: In the past quarter, states obligated $86 million in TAP funding, a significant jump over the prior quarter, with all but 9 states making progress. Two states, Kansas and Missouri transfered additional TAP funds to other uses. We continue to see small progress in using up the remaining Safe Routes to School program dollars, with states obligating $7 million in the past quarter.
States access new TAP funds; Safe Routes funds dwindle
March 23, 2016: With the passage of the FAST Act, states now have access to nearly $3 billion in funding for the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) from 2013 to 2016. During the quarter, only one state (Kansas) transferred additional TAP funds to other uses. Another $50 million in TAP funding was obligated, allowing projects to move forward, with 35 states making progress on obligations. With the old Safe Routes to School program, states obligated just $6 million in funding as the program starts to come to the end of the remaining dollars.
TAP funds moving in nearly all states; Safe Routes funds nearly tapped out
December 16, 2015: Continuing the trend over the past several quarters, states are moving quickly to obligate Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funds while finishing out the small amount of funds that remain in the Safe Routes to School program. With the old Safe Routes to School program, $4 million in funding was awarded and $28 million was obligated, and the large majority of states have used up their Safe Routes to School funding. For TAP, obligation jumped by $120 million and all but 8 states obligated new dollars. While no new states transferred money away from TAP, 9 states transferred an additional $65 million (CO, CT, LA, MS, OK, SC, SD, TX and WI). Safe Routes to School awards make up approximately 14% of TAP funding, which is comparable to the ratio under the old bicycling and walking programs. However, many states are not reporting regularly their Safe Routes to School awards so the total is likely higher.
States on a roll with TAP funds; remaining Safe Routes funds shrinking
September 18, 2015: It is clear with our latest quarterly look at spending on the federal Safe Routes to School program and the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) that momentum is increasingly shifting to TAP. For Safe Routes to School funding, just 13 states have more than 25% of their Safe Routes allocation remaining, accounting for $77 million in unallocated funds--which is more than half of the remaining Safe Routes funds in all states. For TAP, a total of $71 million was obligated, and only one new state transferred funds away from TAP (Louisiana). While TAP is moving well in most states, there are 5 states in which no TAP funds have been obligated at all nearly three years into the program--Alaska, Hawaii, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Advocates should review the reports to assess their state's performance.
Safe Routes to School allocations top $1 billion; states keep moving on TAP funds
June 5, 2015: As of March 31, 2015, according to our quarterly look at federal Safe Routes to School spending, a few states awarded new Safe Routes to School funds, bringing the total awarded to local programs to just over $1 billion. Most states also moved forward on obligating remaining Safe Routes to School funds. Bigger movement was seen in the quarterly report on the Transportation Alternatives Program, with $56 million in funds obligated for TAP projects and $54 million in new funds promised to Safe Routes to School projects.
States receive and allocate new TAP dollars, continue progress on Safe Routes to School
March 17, 2015: With the start of the new fiscal year, states now have access to eight more months of Transportation Alternatives Program dollars, through May 2015. With the $650 million in new funds, states now have nearly $2.2 billion of TAP funds to allocate. The state of states for the Transportation Alternatives Program shows that another $37 million in funds were newly obligated, with more than half of all states moving projects forward. While a few additional states maxed out their TAP transfers, we are pleased to see that just 10% of TAP funds have been transferred to other programs. As this is well below the max transfer of 50%, it helps demonstrate that most states value the program and what it funds. On the federal Safe Routes to School funding, a few states continued to award and obligate remaining funds, bringing the program to 87% of all funds awarded and 73% of funds obligated. Take a look and see how your state is progressing.
TAP funding flying while SAFETEA-LU continues inching its way towards the finish line
December 12, 2014: There are some very positive numbers in this quarter’s State of the States reports. First, nearly a quarter of all Transportation Alternatives funding for FY13 and 14 has now been obligated. That’s more than $300 million in dedicated funding for walking and bicycling projects across the nation in the last two years. And critically, $180 million has been announced by states for Safe Routes to School projects from TAP and other MAP-21 funds. That’s a positive sign that Safe Routes to School is competing well against other eligibilities in the Transportation Alternatives Program and other federal transportation sources.
Unfortunately it’s not all great news. States have transferred an additional $20 million out of TAP since the prior quarter. While a portion of those funds may still be going towards bicycle and pedestrian projects, a good portion won’t, making it important that state advocates put pressure on their states not to transfer TAP funding.
Looking at dedicated funds for Safe Routes to School in the remaining SAFETEA-LU funding, awards and obligations continue to move towards the magic 100 percent number that we would all love to see reached. With slight upticks in spending within both categories, 87 percent of SAFETEA-LU funding has now been announced, and 72 percent is obligated.
Have a look at both reports here:
SAFETEA-LU State of the States
New State of the States Report will look at TAP Spending Alongside Dedicated Safe Routes to School Funding From SAFETEA-LU
September 24, 2014: MAP-21, our nation’s surface transportation law, folded dedicated Safe Routes to School funding into the new Transportation Alternatives Program along with a number of other eligibilities. Beginning this quarter, we will now be publishing two State of the State reports, looking at the remaining dedicated funding from SAFETEA-LU, and the new Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP).
This quarter’s SAFETEA-LU report shows a slight increase in new funding obligated for Safe Routes to School projects, at $25,135,632, bringing total obligations to 70% Unfortunately, only $8,344,076 in new awards have been announced, making an ongoing focus on getting the last 14% of awards out the door critical. One bit of good news: between federal and state funds, more than $1 billion have been announced for Safe Routes to School projects across the nation!
Our first TAP report shows that states have made some progress in rolling out TAP funding, with 17% of funds ($217,693,441) now obligated. In total, $52,338,024 has been announced for Safe Routes to School Projects from MAP-21 funding. However, this total includes other pots of federal money, including HSIP, STP, CMAQ. Of note, a total spending on Safe Routes to School projects is unknown in a number of states. We are hopeful that this report will show a more complete picture of Safe Routes to School spending as more data becomes available in future quarters.
First Quarter Shows Increase in State Spending
June 27, 2014: The first quarterly State of the States report for 2014 shows an uptick in funding announced and obligated for Safe Routes to School projects across the nation. After last quarter’s expectedly slow rollout of Safe Routes dollars, we anticipate a much stronger showing this year, as a number of states prepare to award remaining SAFETEA-LU funds. Moving forward, a continued focus on building and implementing projects will be critical, with 85 percent of Safe Routes dollars awarded but only 68 percent obligated.
State Spending on Safe Routes Slows
March 24, 2014: The final quarterly State of the States report for 2013 shows insignificant changes both in funding announced and funding obligated for Safe Routes to School projects across the nation. While this is certainly disappointing, it is also not surprising, as it is consistent with annual trends we have observed at the beginning of each fiscal year. For example: in September 2012, an additional $62,818,641 was obligated over the prior quarter. However, the final quarterly report in December showed only $14,480,154 in additional dollars obligated. This marked year-end slowdown has repeated itself in prior years. With 35% of total funds still unobligated, it will continue to be important that we focus on obligations so that awards result in projects being built and implemented.
States start to max out available Safe Routes to School funds
November 7, 2013: The lastest quarterly State of the States report shows that awarded funds are slowing, with just $13 million in new awards made, as more than one-third of the states have spend more than 90 percent of available Safe Routes to School funds and are shifting to the Transportation Alternatives program. On the other end of the scale, nine states have used less than 60 percent of their available funds, meaning there are still areas of the country in which new Safe Routes to School funds could be awarded. However, it's important to continue to focus on obligation so that awards result in projects being built and implemented. In the last quarter, states obligated $26 million.
States continue to use remaining Safe Routes to School funds
August 19, 2013: In our latest quarterly State of the States report, we are pleased to note that states continue to award and obligate their remaining Safe Routes to School funds. Over the past quarter, states allocated $24 million in new awards, leaving $206 million yet to award, and states obligated $50 million. We encourage you to review the State of the States, and then look at your state's plans for how they will implement Transportation Alternatives specific to Safe Routes to School.
States award and obligate remaining Safe Routes to School funds at a brisk clip
May 29, 2013: Our latest State of the States quarterly report shows that states did a good job in the last quarter of awarding and obligating their remaining Safe Routes to School funds. States awarded $43 million in funds, leaving approximately $230 million left nationwide of Safe Routes to School funds, and obligated nearly $34 million.
State obligations slow for the first quarter of FY13
February 15, 2013: Award and obligations for Safe Routes to School followed a common trend, in which the first quarter of a fiscal year shows a slowdown. For the first quarter of FY2013, states awarded $12.7 million in Safe Routes to School funding and obligated $14.5 million. While the numbers were low, two-thirds of states did obligate funds, showing continued progress.
Final quarter of FY12 shows continued investments in Safe Routes to School
November 2, 2012: During the fourth quarter of FY2012, states announced $32.3 million in funding for Safe Routes to School, leaving approximately $270 million yet to be spent by states. States also had a record showing in obligations, with $62.8 million obligated, or 54% of available funds.
State obligations at record levels for third quarter of FY12
July 30, 2012: During the third quarter of FY2012, states obligated $52.1 million in Safe Routes to School funding, bringing obligations to a total of $551 million, or 50% of available funds. This is the strongest quarter for obligations since we began tracking through our quarterly State of the States reports. States also awarded $31.2 million in funding. Once all funds for FY2012 are awarded, states will have approximately $300 million in Safe Routes to School funds remaining to award.
State spending rebounds for second quarter of FY12
May 1, 2012: The State of the States for the second quarter of FY2012 shows a total of $812 million announced by state Departments of Transportation on Safe Routes to School, and have obligated $499 million in funding. While last quarter was slow, in this quarter funding announced and obligated picked up significantly. A total of 22 states had an increase in their amount announced, and all but 9 states had an increase in their obligation figure.
First quarter of FY12 shows states still moving on spending, slow on obligations
February 19, 2012: The new State of the States for the first quarter of FY2012 shows that the states have now announced $764 million in spending, and have obligated $470 million in funding. This is one of the slower quarters for obligation in some time, demonstrating the need to continue to work with state departments of transportation on obligation, even while Congress debates the transportation bill.
States close out FY11 with strong showing on SRTS spending
November 1, 2011: The Safe Routes Partnership uses the “State of the States” to track each state’s implementation of federal Safe Routes to School funds. We look at how much funding states have announced for local communities and statewide spending, plus how much has been obligated—which measures funding the state has actually spent or has contracted to spend. The newly available FY2011 quarter 3 and FY2011 quarter 4 reports show the progress states have made over the past six months. As of the close of fiscal year 2011, of the $978 million made available to states:
- States have announced $727.6 million in awards to local communities and statewide spending—74% of available funds.
- Over the past six months, states have announced $151 million in funding for local communities and statewide spending—a very impressive number given the overall uncertainty with federal transportation spending.
- Eleven states have allocated more than 90% of their available funding.
- Obligation figures also increased steadily, with states obligating nearly $80 million over the past six months.
States moving forward on utilizing SRTS funds
May 17, 2011: The new State of the States for the second quarter of FY2011 shows that states are keeping pace with newly available funding—states awarded another $36 million and obligated $40 million in funding in the last quarter.
States continue to award available Safe Routes to School funds
February 10, 2011: Each quarter, the Safe Routes Partnership issues a “State of the States” to track state-by-state implementation of federal Safe Routes to School funds. The newly available first quarter FY2011 report shows that states have announced a total of $582 million in funding. During this quarter, states announced $30 million in new awards to local communities, double the rate in the prior quarter. While the piecemeal flow of FY2011 funding has made it difficult for many states to hold new application cycles, it is important that states use as much of available funds as possible, and continue to focus on obligating funds so that projects can be built and implemented promptly. Information for each state is included in the report, so take a look and see how your state DOT is doing.
States on a roll in obligating Safe Routes to School funds
November 10, 2010: The Safe Routes Partnership’s new "State of the States" shows that in the fourth quarter of FY2010, state Departments of Transportation (DOT) awarded $15 million in funds and obligated nearly $41 million. This quarter had the most funds obligated since we have been tracking the program. The amount of funds obligated each quarter has been increasing steadily all year, demonstrating that states are focusing on getting projects built and implemented. Take a look at the chart and see how your state DOT is doing. If your state is below the national average, we encourage you to contact your state DOT to ask about a plan for increasing obligation rates for SRTS.
States show momentum in spending SRTS funds in second quarter
August 11, 2010: In the third quarter of FY2010, states announced another $48 million in Safe Routes to School funds - bringing this to a total of $544 million. That is nearly all of the funds originally authorized for Safe Routes to School for FY2005-2009 ($597 million). On the obligation front, states obligated $31 million in funds in the second quarter of 2010; obligation is a good measure of when a project is close to being built or implemented. This $31 million is 50% greater than last quarter, showing that states are building momentum around obligation. All but 11 states obligated funds during this quarter. States have obligated $293 million, about half of the FY2005-2009 funds and 38% of all currently available funds (through FY2010).
New “State of the States” shows state DOTs award nearly $50 million in new SRTS projects
May 13, 2010: Each quarter, the Safe Routes Partnership issues a “state of the states” report to show how much progress states are making in using their Safe Routes to School funds. Our most recent report covers the second quarter of FY2010. The report shows that states have awarded 74% of their available Safe Routes to School funds, meaning that the states have announced more than $466 million in projects for local communities. However, the average obligation rate is just 42%. Obligation means that the state has either spent Safe Routes to School funds or contracted to spend them – it’s a good measure of when the projects are close to being built or implemented. We encourage you to take a look and see how your state is doing compared with the national average.
New “State of the States” Shows Slowdown in SRTS Award and Obligation Rates
February 3, 2010: The Partnership strongly encourages state Departments of Transportation (DOT) to keep moving forward on awarding any remaining Safe Routes to School funds, and to get the funds obligated as quickly as possible. Our February 2010 quarterly update shows that both award and obligation rates slowed in the first quarter of FY2010. The Partnership will continue to work with our state networks and other advocates to emphasize the importance of getting these federal funds spent in local communities.
New State of the States Report Tracks Award and Obligation Rates
November 20, 2009: Each quarter, the Safe Routes Partnership issues a “State of the States” to track the movement of each state Department of Transportation (DOT) in awarding and obligating federal Safe Routes to School funds. The November 2009 State of the States Chart reveals that over the last quarter (July through September 2009), DOTs have awarded close to $23 million in Safe Routes to School awards and have obligated more than $34 million to allow already-awarded projects to move forward. Many states made big strides in obligating funding, with almost all states obligating funding this past quarter. Overall, approximately 73% of the overall funds have been awarded and 39% have been obligated. The Partnership urges SRTS advocates to continue to work with state leaders to get 100% of the funding awarded and obligated.
Partnership Issues July 2009 State of the States
August 11, 2009: Each quarter, the Safe Routes Partnership issues a “State of the States” to track the movement of each state Department of Transportation (DOT) in awarding and obligating federal Safe Routes to School funds. The July 2009 State of the States Chart reveals that over the last quarter (April to June 2009), DOTs have awarded close to$40 million in Safe Routes to School awards and have obligated more than $40 million to allow already-awarded projects to move forward. This shows a great deal of momentum—states awarded nearly double and obligated nearly quadruple the funds awarded and obligated during the prior quarter. Overall, approximately 66% of the overall funds have been awarded and 32% have been obligated.
Partnership Issues April 2009 State of the States
May 12, 2009: Each quarter, the Safe Routes Partnership issues a “State of the States” to track the movement of each state Department of Transportation (DOT) in awarding and obligating federal Safe Routes to School funds. The April 2009 State of the States chart reveals that over the last quarter (January to March 2009), DOTs have awarded $23 million in Safe Routes to School awards and have obligated $11 million to allow already-awarded projects to move forward. Overall, now that DOTs have the FY2009 funds available to them, approximately 60% of the overall funds have been awarded and 25% obligated. While many states have moved forward expeditiously to ensure that SRTS funds are benefiting local communities, a total of 21 states have more than half of their funds to award out. Take a look at our chart to see how your state is progressing.
State of the States Quarterly Update
January 31, 2009: Quarterly, the Partnership provides an updated look at each state’s progress on awarding and obligating its available share of Safe Routes to School funding. The quarterly update provides an important benchmark in each state’s progress in implementation SRTS. Take a look at the January 2009 chart to see where your state stands. Past updates are available for November 2008 and March 2008.