Details: Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Program. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for a total of $225 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, FY 2019, FY 2017 and FY 2016 funds, of which $100 million is currently available for allocation, under the Expedited Project Delivery (EPD) Pilot Program authorized by Section 3005(b) of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act).
The EPD Pilot Program is aimed at expediting delivery of new fixed guideway capital projects, small starts projects, or core capacity improvement projects. These projects must utilize public-private partnerships, be operated and maintained by employees of an existing public transportation provider, and have a federal share not exceeding 25 percent of the project cost. FTA will notify applicants in writing within 120 days after the receipt of a complete application whether it has been approved.
FTA intends to award up to eight grants under this announcement, subject to funding availability. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis and must be submitted electronically using the EPD application portal.
Summary: FTA announces the availability of $225 million in funds under the Expedited Project Delivery (EPD) Pilot Program. Under the EPD Pilot Program, eligible projects are new fixed guideway capital projects, small start projects, or core capacity improvement projects that have not entered into a full funding grant agreement with FTA. The law defines these types of eligible projects for the EPD Pilot Program in a manner similar to, but not entirely the same as, FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program. Applicants should therefore read the NOFO carefully to understand the EPD Pilot Program project eligibility. New fixed guideway capital projects or small start projects may include the acquisition of real property, the initial acquisition of rolling stock for the system, the acquisition of right-of-way, and relocation. Core capacity improvement projects may include the acquisition of real property, the acquisition of rights-of-way, double tracking, signalization improvements, electrification, expanding system platforms, acquisition of rolling stock associated with corridor improvements increasing capacity, construction of infill stations, and other capacity improvements FTA determines appropriate to increase the capacity of an existing fixed guideway system corridor by not less than 10 percent.
Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants to the EPD Pilot Program are state or local government authorities who must demonstrate:
The requisite legal, financial, and technical capacities to carry out the eligible project, including the safety and security aspects of the eligible project;
Satisfactory continuing control over the use of the equipment or facilities;
The technical and financial capacity to maintain new and existing equipment and facilities;
That they have qualified advisors providing guidance on the terms and structure of the project who are independent from investors in the project; and
That the existing public transportation system is in a state of good repair.
This requirement may be waived by FTA if the project meets the definition of a core capacity improvement project, and FTA determines that the eligible project will allow the applicant to make substantial progress in achieving a state of good repair.
A total of $225 million in FY 2020, FY 2019, FY 2017 and FY 2016 funds are available, of which $100 million is currently available for allocation.
On August 28, 2019, FTA announced the allocation of $125 million under the EPD Pilot Program to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Phase II project. Any project sponsor that receives or has already received an allocation of EPD funds must still submit the formal application outlined in the NOFO to receive the grant.
Link and Instructions for applying: Complete applications must be submitted electronically using the EPD application portal. Mail and fax submissions will not be accepted. Applications cannot be submitted through grants.gov. Applicants should refer to section D of the NOFO for further information about required application contents.
Dates: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until up to eight grants are awarded, subject to funding availability.
Webinar: FTA will host a webinar about this funding opportunity soon. Please check back for more information and registration details.
For Further Information Contact: Please send any questions on this notice to Susan Eddy, FTA Office of Planning and Environment (TPE), (202) 366-5499.