City of Pueblo Receives over $16.8 Million for West Side Connector Project PUEBLO—The City of Pueblo received notice of funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program with support from Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated nearly $46 million for Colorado transportation projects, with over $16 million awarded to the City of Pueblo. The project the City of Pueblo submitted for proposal is called the West Side Connector project which feature three distinct components and will receive $16,834,725 to execute the completion. “The news of funding from the RAISE Grant for the City of Pueblo’s West Side Connector project is appreciated for much needed investment in infrastructure and connectivity in our city,” said Mayor of Pueblo Nick Gradisar. “This project will modernize roads and main streets in Pueblo’s West Side and prepare the City to build a bridge to provide a critical linkage to the neighborhood. Seventy West Side bus stops will be rehabilitated to comply with ADA standards which provides better access for Pueblo residents. The RAISE Grant was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with President Biden, and we are grateful for the opportunity to receive this funding for Pueblo.” The West Side Connector project relates to reconnecting the West Side of the City of Pueblo to downtown. In the first component, Spaulding/Sun Mountain Blvd. will be extended from 24th St. to 31st St. The second component will rehabilitate 70 West Side bus stops to comply with ADA standard. The third component will be funded as a planning project component, which consists of planning and design for a 24th St. bridge and Downtown Corridor. Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper provided letters of support to DOT for all of the recently funded projects. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is the biggest investment in America’s roads, bridges, and transportation since Eisenhower,” said Bennet. “Now the law is delivering $46 million in federal funding to support Colorado projects that will connect communities, reduce congestion, and strengthen local economies. I urged the Department of Transportation to support these worthy projects across our state, and I look forward to welcoming additional investment in Colorado’s infrastructure from this historic legislation in the years ahead.” Senator Hickenlooper also offered his support. “Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill funding continues to roll into Colorado. These projects are bridging transportation gaps in Alamosa and Pueblo as well as Glenwood Springs. We hosted Secretary Buttigieg on a tour earlier this year to show Roaring Fork Transportation Authority’s value in connecting the region,” said Hickenlooper. The development of the West Side neighborhood will be important for future economic development in greater Pueblo which is why the West Side Connector Project is such a priority for the City of Pueblo. As a result of this RAISE grant funding and targeted work, Pueblo’s West Side neighborhood will be restored to one that thrives, attracts other investments and is sustainable for its people now and for generations to come. The West Side Connector Project will improve safety, economic strength and competitiveness, equity, and climate and sustainability consistent with DOT’s strategic goals, it is a good use of taxpayer’s money. The Westward Three project in Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs and Rifle will receive $24.2 million and the Rio Grande Intermodal Transportation Project in Alamosa will receive $4.7 million for the other two projects in Colorado chosen to receive funding by DOT from the RAISE grant program. The funds are part of this year’s $1.5 billion in RAISE grants from the Bipartisan Inflation Law. See link below for more information. https://www.pueblo.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=4170&fbclid=IwAR34Aeft0mI__QV-IE4G__B_IiqFMD6UHojKUd_39ls5syhzS-9fD1xKrVw

https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A

Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Guidelines and Application: Federal funds are allocated under the TAP program to transportation improvement projects that expand travel choice, strengthen the local economy, improve quality of life, and protect the environment. Many TAP projects enhance non-motorized forms of transportation like biking and walking. TAP was authorized in 2012 by federal transportation legislation, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), and is now continued under the current federal transportation legislation, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). What is the timeline of the Call For Projects? The next call for projects will cover fiscal years 2024 through 2026. The official notice announcing the call for projects is now open. Draft applications are due March 24, 2023. The TAP pdf form fillable application can be found here. The TAP application guidelines can be found here. What types of projects are eligible for TAP funding? TAP provides funding for programs and projects defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities, and environmental mitigation; recreational trail program projects; and projects for planning, designing, or constructing boulevards and other roadways largely in the right-of-way of former Interstate System routes or other divided highways. Who is eligible to apply? Local governments: any unit of local government below a State government agency, except for MPOs. Examples include city, town, or county agencies. Regional transportation authorities Transit agencies: any agency responsible for public transportation that is eligible for funds under the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Natural resource or public land agencies: any Federal, Tribal, State, or local agency responsible for natural resources or public land administration. Examples include state or local park or forest agencies; state or local fish and game or wildlife agencies; Department of the Interior Land Management Agencies; U.S. Forest Service. School districts, local education agencies, or schools. These may include any public or nonprofit private school. Tribal governments Nonprofit organizations (Non profit organizations must apply through a local government agency or quasi governmental agency for contracting purposes) Metropolitan Planning Organizations: that represent an area with a population of 200,000 or under. Any other local or regional governmental entity with responsibility for oversight of transportation or recreational trails that the State determines to be eligible, consistent with the goals of subsection (c) of section 213 of title 23 or at the request of another eligible entity. CDOT may partner with an eligible entity project sponsor to carry out a project at the request of another eligible entity. How will projects be evaluated? TAP projects are selected via a competitive scoring process found in the TAP guidelines. How TAP funds can be combined with the Multimodal Options Fund (MMOF) The main project type that is eligible for both TAP and MMOF is the design, planning, and construction of pedestrian or bike facilities. MMOF has different match requirements based on jurisdiction. TAP funds may be used to satisfy the match requirements of MMOF and vice versa. MMOF is a competitive grant program awarded by Transportation Planning Regions (TPRs). Contact your TPR Chair for information on TPR meetings in your region and for future MMOF project selections. Who should I contact? A map of the CDOT Regions and contact information is included below. Please reach out to your CDOT Region contact for more information including project information, application requirements, and training opportunities. CDOT REGION 1 JoAnn Mattson (303) 757-9866 2829 W. Howard Pl. Denver, CO 80204 joann.mattson@state.co.usCDOT REGION 2 Lachelle Davis (719) 562-5516 5615 Wills Blvd Pueblo, CO 81008 lachelle.davis@state.co.us CDOT REGION 3 Mark Rogers (970) 683-6252 222 S. 6th Street, Room 317 Grand Junction, CO 81501 mark.rogers@state.co.usCDOT REGION 4 Josie Hadley (970) 350-2178 10601 West 10th St Greeley, CO 80634 josie.hadley@state.co.usCDOT REGION 5 Tony Cady (970) 385-1430 3803 N. Main Avenue, Suite 300 Durango, CO 81301 tony.cady@state.co.usCDOT Headquarters, DTD Aaron Willis (303) 512-4019 2829 W. Howard Place Denver, CO 80204 aaron.willis@state.co.us Click here for full details on the TAP grant process and a copy of the application.

https://www.codot.gov/programs/bikeped/saferoutes We are pleased to announcing the awarding of over $3M in funding for seven new grantees! New for this Fiscal Year 2023 grant cycle, the Colorado Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee was able to consider awarding 100% funding of projects from qualifying communities. Please visit our Grant Application page to join us in celebrating our new grantees and their exciting projects! About the Program All Kids Deserve Safe Routes to School Colorado Safe Routes to School (SRTS) uses a comprehensive approach to make school routes safe for children when walking and bicycling to school. CDOT administers Colorado's SRTS program. In Colorado, many communities, parents and schools are fostering a safe environment for their students by using SRTS programs to not only fund education and safe infrastructure, but also to encourage healthy options for our children that are safe for both walking and bicycling. Why is this program important? SRTS programs can improve safety, not just for children, but for the entire community. It provides opportunities for people to increase their physical activity and improve their health. It reduces congestion and pollution around our schools and encourages partnerships. In 1969, roughly half of all five to 18 year olds walked or biked to school. Nearly 90 percent are driven by auto or bus to school today. SRTS is a Federal-Aid and state-funded program to enable children to walk and bike safely. How to get started Starting Safe Routes to School program presents your school, school district, or community with an opportunity to make walking and bicycling to school safer and more accessible for children, including those with disabilities. Because the needs of every community are unique, each community or individual school may choose to emphasize different components to make its program work. Some schools have worked with engineering to build sidewalks or painted crosswalks to enhance safety; while others have focused on education or encouragement by starting programs such as a Walking School Bus to motivate children to be active. Regardless of the focus, safety is the first concern. Many resources are available to help you build Safe Routes to School programs in your school or community. In Colorado, when funds are available, they are distributed to eligible applicants through a competitive process to develop programs for grades K-8. The CSRTS Advisory Committee that reviews and selects projects for funding includes educators, parents, bicyclists, pedestrians, law enforcement, and transportation planners. School districts, schools, cities, counties, state entities, and tribal entities are eligible to apply. Nonprofits need to partner with a state subdivision to apply for funding. Evaluation Evaluating your SRTS program is vital to ensuring your program improves, evolves, and provides the very best approaches for getting children safely to and from school. We encourage you read through the SRTS Evaluation Guide, which provides helpful information regarding all aspects of evaluation, from planning to measurement. Prospective applicants may also wish to visit the National Safe Routes to School Data Collection site, where you can find evaluation forms that will be useful examples for future evaluation plans. Please note, in March 2022, the national data system, utilized to this point, has been closed due to loss of funding. Current work is taking place to determine next steps. We will share new information here as it becomes available. We are always evaluating our programming needs and impact on a state-wide level, as well as locally. To help assess Colorado's progress in supporting Safe Routes to School, we partnered with the national Safe Routes Partnership to conduct a review of Colorado's programs, policies, funding, and practices related to Safe Routes to School. Read the Colorado 2020 Statewide Program Assessment Report to learn about the findings and recommendations from this census. Five-Year Strategic Plan A safe route between home and school can provide exploration, fun, education, and so much more. That's why the Safe Routes to School program is a vital component to CDOT's purpose by supporting both infrastructure and educational programs that improve safety and enhance mobility through active transportation for children throughout Colorado. In August 2017, a five-year strategic plan was developed that articulates how Colorado Safe Routes to School (CSRTS) can comprehensively get more children walking and bicycling to and from school. The goals and strategies in this document have been vetted by a project team and the CSRTS Advisory Committee and will guide the program's efforts during the next five years. An overview of the plan is also available. For more information on Colorado Safe Routes to School, including a timeline of key milestones, please check out our Colorado Safe Routes to School Fact Sheet.

Transportation demand management (or TDM) is the discipline of encouraging and facilitating traveler behavior that makes more efficient use of the transportation network. Ultimately, this means providing people with more choice about how, where, when, and if they travel: giving them more freedom and flexibility in their work hours and location, for instance, or making it more convenient, feasible, and attractive to take transit, ride a bike, or share their trip with other travelers. Funding OIM Grant Program The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Office of Innovative Mobility (OIM) has two TDM funding opportunities under the OIM Grant Program. The OIM Grant Program includes TDM Seed Funding Grants and TDM Innovation Grants. https://www.codot.gov/programs/innovativemobility/grants/overview

Finding Grant Programs If you are just entering the realm of grants and government funding, it can feel overwhelming trying to find the right program for you or your organization. When considering grants, these programs can be broadly categorized as those awarded by the federal government and those awarded by non-federal entities. Within these two categories are a variety of funding sources and program types. Federal Grants, Funding & Benefit Programs SAM.gov Assistance Listings is the authoritative source of information about federal programs that provide grants, loans, scholarships, insurance, and other types of assistance awards.  The Search Grants feature within Grants.gov allows you to search, filter, and apply for specific funding opportunities. Non-Federal Grant Programs There are a large number of nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses that also provide grants or other types of funding assistance. Informative status Note: The information below is not exhaustive, and Grants.gov is not affiliated with, nor endorsing, any of these resources. They are provided as a convenience to prospective grant applicants. Candid maintains a comprehensive database on U.S. and global grant-makers and their funding opportunities. It also operates research, education, and training programs designed to advance knowledge of philanthropy at every level. Candid's Funding Information Network facilitates access to grant resources and publications to under-resourced entities and populations. State and regional directories can also be found with some research. Try using the Community Foundation Locator to find a grant-making foundation in your region. You may also use your preferred web search engine to find your state's grant or foundation directory. Local libraries may have access to subscription-based search engines or the Foundation Center Cooperating Collections, so visit your library to work with them for assistance. Learn more about federal grant programs in the "Exploring Eligibility" blog series on the Grants.gov Community Blog. https://www.grants.gov/learn-grants/grant-programs

The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program is now available for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023 in the amount of $111.85 million. The program helps carry out projects by certain Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments, including municipalities, counties, and others that reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species. The funding may be used for construction and non-construction projects and the maximum share of project costs that may be funded with grant funds will typically be 80 percent of project costs, as is standard for Federal-aid projects. We will soon schedule webinars that describe the program and the application process as outlined in the NOFO. These webinars will be recorded and posted on our webpage for prospective applicants. Please check the webpage for future webinars and more information. The NOFO is available here. The deadline for applications is 11:59 PM EST on August 1, 2023. Grant applications must be submitted through Grants.gov. For additional information contact our email address: wildlifecrossings@dot.gov.