00939812

Component

Finding the funds to pay for transportation projects is an important component of the planning process. As transportation demands increase around the country, finding the funds from local, state and federal sources becomes an increasingly greater challenge for transportation planners. However, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) have opened up some opportunities to direct federal funds to where they are most needed through flexible funding provisions. Taking advantage of flexible funding opportunities is one way transportation planners can meet the challenge of finding the funds to pay for planned projects. ISTEA legislation created the opportunity for metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to flex some federal funds between the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration based on locally identified transportation needs. Because flexible funding has broad appeal at the local level, this mechanism was reauthorized under TEA-21. Transportation agencies around the country have flexed as much as $6 billion dollars since this mechanism first became available. This paper investigates the trends in the use of this mechanism and the possibilities for greater use of it. In identifying trends the authors explore which types of MPOs are flexing funds, how much money is being flexed, what types of projects and expenses the funds are being flexed for, and what sources of funds are being tapped for flexing. This paper also explores how much money that could be flexed is being flexed, and what can be done to encourage the use of this funding mechanism so that the maximum amount of money is flexed each year. The authors rely on their earlier work in the area of flexible funding as well as build on such studies as the Brookings Institution's report titled "Flexible Funding for Transit: Who uses it?" This paper enhances transportation planners' knowledge of flexible funding and how to use it to best meet the needs of their communities.

The CD-ROM contains the proceedings of the sixth, seventh and eighth conferences. The eighth conference proceedings were published in October 2001.

English

p. 288-293

2002

Eighth TRB Conference on the Application of Transportation Planning Methods

Figures (2) ; References (6)

Federal aid; Financing; Metropolitan planning organizations; Transportation planning; Trend (Statistics)

Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991; Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century; U.S. Federal Highway Administration; U.S. Federal Transit Administration

Flexible funding; Transportation projects

Finance; Highways; Public Transportation; I10: Economics and Administration

TRIS, TRB

Mar 21 2003 12:00AM

• A BEST PRACTICE TRUCK FLOW ESTIMATION MODEL FOR THE NEW YORK CITY REGION
• A PRACTITIONER'S ALGORITHM FOR QUASI-DYNAMIC TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT
• ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (EJ) THROUGH COMMUNITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT (CIA)
• AN ANALYSIS OF TRAFFIC GROWTH RATES ON THE TEXAS-MEXICO BORDER
• B-NODE MODEL: NEW SUBAREA TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT MODEL & APPLICATION
• CONGESTION PRICING AND ROADSPACE RATIONING: AN APPLICATION TO THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY BRIDGE CORRIDOR
• CORRIDOR SIMULATION STUDY FOR THE BRIDGE OF AMERICAS, EL PASO, TEXAS
• DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY FOR GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION'S MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING TOOL
• ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF RAISED MEDIANS IN TEXAS: METHODOLOGY AND CASE STUDY RESULTS
• ENHANCING PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT THROUGH THE FULL UTILIZATION OF COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
• FINANCING THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN: BALANCING EXPECTATIONS WITH FISCAL CONSTRAINT
• FLORIDA URBAN LAND USE ALLOCATION MODEL (ULAM)
• GIS APPLICATIONS USING DIGITAL ORTHOPHOTO DATA
• HIGHWAY ECONOMIC REQUIREMENTS SYSTEM FOR INDIANA: STATEWIDE PLANNING APPLICATIONS
• IMPLEMENTING THE LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION POLICY IN OREGON'S 1999 HIGHWAY PLAN
• IMPROVED PLANNING DATA COLLECTION USING HANDHELD COMPUTERS
• LAND DEVELOPMENT AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR INTERCHANGE AREAS
• LESSONS LEARNED: ACCESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN SELECTED STATES
• MAKING LIFE EASIER FOR PLANNERS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND THEIR CONSTITUENTS: VISUALIZING THE INTERACTION OF TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE
• MODIFICATIONS TO TRADITIONAL EXTERNAL TRIP MODELS
• ORIGIN AND DESTINATION ESTIMATION IN NEW YORK CITY USING AUTOMATED FARE SYSTEM DATA
• PROCEEDINGS OF THE EIGHTH TRB CONFERENCE ON THE APPLICATION OF TRANSPORTATION PLANNING METHODS, CORPUS CHRISTI, APRIL 22-26, 2001
• PROVIDING PUBLIC ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS AND FUNDING WITH A VISUAL, INTERACTIVE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
• PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PLAN FOR THE KELLY PARKWAY CORRIDOR STUDY
• PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT: "DO YOU HAVE A 'POLICY' OR A 'PLAN'?"
• QUICKRIDE: THE KATY HOT LANE PROJECT IN HOUSTON
• RECENT EXPERIENCE WITH TIME OF DAY MODELING
• RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES FOR THE CALIBRATION AND VALIDATION OF TRAFFIC SIMULATION MODELS
• STATEWIDE PLANNING TOOL TO SUPPORT MULTIMODAL DECISION-MAKING
• SUBURBAN FIXED RAIL TRANSIT PLANNING IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA
• SURVEY DATA REPAIR USING HOT-DECK IMPUTATION PROCEDURE
• TCSP: DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE COMMUNITY BASED PLANNING TOOLS
• THE NORTHWEST ARKANSAS TRANSIT ASSESSMENT STUDY
• THE ROLE OF FIXED COMMITMENTS IN SHAPING ACTIVITY-TRAVEL PATTERNS
• THE TRIUMPH OF THE TRIVIAL MPO
• TRAFFIC FORECASTING TOOL (TFT): A GIS-BASED FORECASTING APPLICATION FOR THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
• TRANSPORTATION DECISION MAKING PROCESS
• TRAVEL DEMAND MODELING AND CONFORMITY DETERMINATION: THE ATLANTA REGIONAL COMMISSION CASE STUDY
• USING A TRADITIONAL TRAVEL DEMAND FORECASTING MODEL TO PERFORM VARIABLE PRICING ANALYSIS
• USING TRANSIMS IN TRANSPORTATION DECISION MAKING
• VALUE PRICING PROJECTS AROUND THE UNITED STATES