Surface Transportation Program
All projects applying for Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Surface Transportation Program (STP) or STP Transportation Enhancement (TE) funding must be sponsored by one or more of the nineteen MPO member governments, the Iowa Department of
Transportation, or the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority.
To be eligible to apply for MPO STP or STP TE funding a project must be consistent with the MPO’s adopted metropolitan transportation plan. Roads must be on the federal-aid system, bridges must be on the federal-aid system, and bicycle/pedestrian facilities must be on the MPO’s adopted plan. The federal-aid system contains all roadways classified as collector or
higher, for the urban area, or major collector or higher, for the rural area, under the Federal Functional Classification System.
The maximum amount of STP or STP TE funding is 80 percent of the total project cost. The
project sponsor must provide at least 20 percent of the total project cost through non-federal
funds.
Links
Application Process
STP Pre-Applications are due on Friday, November 19, 2010. STP Pre-Applications received after this date will be considered ineligible for MPO STP funding. Exceptions may be granted at the
discretion of the MPO Executive Director only if the MPO Executive Director is contacted before the established deadline and provided with a reasonable reason for the delay in submitting the application. The only recourse for project sponsors is the MPO.
The MPO staff will work with the MPO Transportation Technical Committee (TTC) Engineering
Subcommittee to determine project eligibility, score, and rank the submitted STP Pre-Applications, based on the criteria contained in the application packet. There is an opportunity
for each project applicant to review the results of the project ranking and ask questions or
clarify the information submitted in the project application.
After the TTC Engineering Subcommittee approves the project ranking, the results are presented to the TTC for review and approval. Only those projects receiving 50 points or more are eligible
for the MPO STP funding. Those projects scoring 50 points or more will need to complete the
secondary STP Application.
The STP Secondary Applications are due on Friday, January 28, 2010. These applications will not be used for scoring but will be used for gathering additional information from project sponsors,
as well as assisting staff in determining how the proposed project meets the goal and objectives of the Horizon Year 2035 Metropolitan Transportation Plan.
The TTC forwards its STP project ranking to the MPO and its MPO STP Funding Subcommittee
for review and funding recommendation. The MPO STP Funding Subcommittee will hold a presentation session for all projects receiving 50 points or more from the TTC’s review.
The project’s sponsor will make project presentations. The presentations will last no more than 4-7 minutes (the amount of time will be determined based upon the number of projects eligible
for funding).
One copy of the application is required to be submitted. Additional copies of the applications will be photocopied for the subcommittee’s use.
The MPO STP Funding Subcommittee will meet a second time, following the presentations, to make their recommendation to the MPO for STP and STP TE funding. The meeting time and place will be announced by the MPO and held in a public setting. No further presentations will be made at this meeting. The public attending this meeting are given the opportunity to hear the deliberations and the final recommendation, which will be made to the MPO.
Categories
The MPO’s STP funding has five application categories:
Major Construction, Existing – This category is for projects adding capacity for a significant length of an existing street or highway, or adding lanes to an existing bridge.
Major Construction, New – This category is for projects creating a new facility on a new
alignment, including new interchanges or bridge replacements.
Minor Construction – This category is for projects providing ‘spot’ improvements, such as
arterial intersection channelization and signalization, bridge improvements, or railroad crossing
signal improvements.
Preservation – This category is for projects that maintain or preserve the existing highway
and street infrastructure, such as pavement resurfacing, pavement replacement, and bridge
restoration.
Alternative Transportation – This category is for project improvements other than for single
occupant vehicle (SOV) use, such as pedestrian ways and trails, public transportation systems,
multi-modal facilities, and carpool/vanpool, and other multiple-occupancy vehicle programs.
