Attachment 2 - FY24 - FY26 PROTECT NOFO - Resilience Template.docx

Attachment 2 Fiscal Year 2024-2026 Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Discretionary Grant Program

Resilience Grant Application Template

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides this Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Discretionary Grant Program Application Template to assist applicants with completing a Resilience Grant application (Resilience Improvement, Community Resilience and Evacuation Route, and At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure grant categories).

Interested applicants should read the FY 2024 – 2026 PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program Funding Opportunity (NOFO) in its entirety, and especially were noted in this application template, to submit eligible and competitive applications.

The application template follows the project narrative outline in the NOFO. Applicants are strongly encouraged to use the application template to assist in structuring the project narrative and to ensure all appropriate information is included for FHWA to determine that the project meets the statutory eligibility criteria described in Section C of the NOFO and to assess the Merit Criteria in Section E.1. of the NOFO. FHWA recommends that the project narrative follow the format outlined in Section C of the NOFO. The project narrative should not exceed 25 pages in length. The cover page will not count towards the 25-page limit. Appendices may include documents supporting assertions or conclusions made in the 25-page project narrative and do not count towards the 25-page limit.

Submission of this Application Template alone is not sufficient to constitute a complete application. Applicants should review Section D of the NOFO to determine which documents must and should be submitted.

Table of Contents

Cover Page Project Title

Project Description

Lead Applicant

· Resilience Improvement

· Community Resilience and Evacuation Route

· At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure

Amount of Funding Requested Under this NOFO

Cost Share Requested[footnoteRef:1] [1: See NOFO Section C.2 for Cost Sharing or Matching information.]

Total Project Cost

If yes, please specify the relevant State or MPO Resilience Improvement Plan

Is the project fully located in a Rural area?[footnoteRef:2] [2: For purpose of this Notice, the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program defines a rural area as any area outside of an Urbanized Area with a population over 200,000. (23 U.S.C. § 176(d)(5)(H)(ii)). Applicants can use the FHWA HEPGIS maps of MPO and 2020 Census Urban Areas to find this information: https://hepgis-usdot.hub.arcgis.com/apps/72bcd861285c423c9d4aec6b8e48a496/explore. ]

Yes/No

Is the project located in or serving a Historically Disadvantaged Community?[footnoteRef:3] [3: In support of Executive Order (E.O.) 14008, applicants are encouraged to use the White House definition of Historically Disadvantaged Communities as part of U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) implementation of the Justice40 Initiative. Consistent with the Interim Implementation Guidance and its Addendum for the Justice40 Initiative, Historically Disadvantaged Communities include (a) certain qualifying census tracts identified as disadvantaged by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) due to categories of environmental, climate, and socioeconomic burdens, and (b) any Federally Recognized Tribes or Tribal entities, whether or not they have land. CEJST is a tool created by the White House CEQ, that aims to help Federal Agencies identify disadvantaged communities as part of the Justice40 Initiative to accomplish the goal that 40 percent of overall benefits from certain Federal investments reach disadvantaged communities. See https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/. Applicants should use the CEJST as the primary tool to identify disadvantaged communities (also referred to as Justice40 communities).]

Yes/No

Which type(s) of natural hazards does the project address?

Which transportation modes are addressed by the project?

Which Census tract(s) does the project encompass?[footnoteRef:4] [4: Applicants can use theDOT Grant Project Location Verification tool to find this information (https://maps.dot.gov/BTS/GrantProjectLocationVerification/).]

I. Basic Project Information

Provide a narrative for the below items on basic details pertinent to the overall application and any individual projects, including the application name, description of all projects, location(s), involved parties, etc. Items in this section will be used to determine grant program eligibility as detailed in Section C of the NOFO.

Project Description

Provide a concise description of the project including a discussion of the project’s history and a description of any previously incurred costs. You may use this section of the application to place the project into a broader context of other infrastructure investments being pursued by the project sponsor.

Lead Applicant

Name and identify the Lead Applicant.

If there are multiple eligible applicants applying jointly, please identify each of the eligible applicants. The lead applicant will be the primary point of contact and will be the recipient of the grant funds if the project is selected for an award.

Describe the lead applicant’s demonstrated experience with receipt and expenditure of Federal-aid highway program funds under Title 23, U.S.C.

Other Parties

Joint applications should include a description of the roles and responsibilities of each applicant and should be signed or include a letter of support by each applicant.

If additional parties will be involved in delivery of the Resilience Grant activity, describe in detail all the other public and private parties who are involved in delivering the project, including a specific description of the role of each entity in delivering the project.

Location Information Provide the project location information in the table below. In addition, describe in the application the project location, including a detailed geographical description of the proposed project, and a map of the project’s location and connections to existing transportation infrastructure.

Project State

Which Census tract(s) does the project encompass?[footnoteRef:5] [5: Applicants can use the DOT Grant Project Location Verification tool to find this information (https://maps.dot.gov/BTS/GrantProjectLocationVerification/).]

Is the project fully located in a Rural area?[footnoteRef:6] [6: For the purpose of this Notice, the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program defines a rural area as any area outside of an Urbanized Area with a population over 200,000. (23 U.S.C. § 176(d)(5)(H)(ii)). Applicants can use the FHWA HEPGIS maps of metropolitan planning organization (MPO) and 2020 Census Urban Areas to find this information: https://hepgis-usdot.hub.arcgis.com/apps/72bcd861285c423c9d4aec6b8e48a496/explore.]

☐ Yes ☐ No

Description

Is the project located in or serving a Historically Disadvantaged Community?[footnoteRef:7] [7: In support of E.O. 14008, applicants are encouraged to use the White House definition of Historically Disadvantaged Communities as part of DOT’s implementation of the Justice40 Initiative. Consistent with the Interim Implementation Guidance and its Addendum for the Justice40 Initiative, Historically Disadvantaged Communities include (a) certain qualifying census tracts identified as disadvantaged by the CEJST due to categories of environmental, climate, and socioeconomic burdens, and (b) any Federally Recognized Tribes or Tribal entities, whether or not they have land. CEJST is a tool created by the White House CEQ, that aims to help Federal Agencies identify disadvantaged communities as part of the Justice40 Initiative to accomplish the goal that 40 percent of overall benefits from certain Federal investments reach disadvantaged communities. See https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/. Applicants should use the CEJST as the primary tool to identify disadvantaged communities (also referred to as Justice40 communities).]

☐ Yes ☐ No

Describe the results from the CEJST for the project location.

☐ No

If yes, identify the floodplain in which the project is to be located and describe whether, if selected, the eligible entity would implement one or more components of the risk mitigation plan under section 322 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165) with respect to the area.

Other Basic Project Information

Select from the below statutory eligible applicants:

· A State or political subdivision of a State.

· An MPO.

· A unit of local government.

· A special purpose district or public authority with a transportation function, including a port authority.

· An Indian Tribe (as defined in 23 U.S.C. § 207(m)(1)).

· A Federal land management agency that applies jointly with a State or group of States.

· A multi-State or multijurisdictional group of entities described in the first 6 bullets.

At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants Select from the below statutory eligible applicants:

· A State (including the U.S. Territories Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) in, or bordering on, the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, Long Island Sound, or one or more of the Great Lakes.

· A political subdivision of a State described above.

· An MPO in a State described above.

· A unit of local government in a State described in above.

· A special purpose district or public authority with a transportation function, including a port authority, in a State described above.

· An Indian Tribe in a State described above.

Identify the eligible activities.

Only fill out the set of check boxes that corresponds to the type(s) of Resilience Grant that you are applying for.

Resilience Improvement Grant: Identify the eligible construction activities to improve the resilience of surface transportation infrastructure that the proposal addresses (check all that apply):

☐ Resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, replacing, improving, or realigning a facility eligible for assistance under this program (see eligible facilities in the row below).

☐ Incorporating natural infrastructure.

☐ Upgrading existing surface transportation facilities to meet/exceed FWHA design standards.

☐ Installing flood mitigation measures.

☐ Strengthening rainwater removal systems.

☐ Upgrading or installing structural stormwater controls.

☐ Constructing a resilience project that addresses vulnerabilities described in the Resilience Improvement Plan in your jurisdiction.

☐ Relocating roadways in a base floodplain.

☐ Stabilizing slide areas or slopes.

☐ Installing riprap.

☐ Lengthening or raising bridges.

☐ Increasing size or number of drainage structures.

☐ Installing seismic retrofits on bridges.

☐ Adding scour protection on bridges.

☐ Adding scour, stream stability, coastal, and other hydraulic countermeasures, including spur dikes.

☐ Implementing vegetation management in the right-of-way.

☐ Installing any other protective features, including natural infrastructure.

Community Resilience and Evacuation Route Grant: Identify the eligible activities to strengthen and protect evacuation routes that the proposal addresses (check all that apply):

☐ Constructing a resilience improvement project under 23 U.S.C. § 176(d)(4)(A)(ii) that will improve an evacuation route.

☐ Restoring or replacing an evacuation route to ensure it can provide safe passage and/or making improvements to reduce the risk of damage to evacuation routes (e.g., steps to protect routes from mud, rock, or other debris slides).

☐ Expanding capacity of evacuation routes. This includes installation of: communications and intelligent transportation systems, counterflow measures, and shoulders. (Note : if yes, explain how existing evacuation routes are not sufficient to adequately facilitate evacuations) ☐ Constructing new or redundant evacuation routes. (Note: if yes, explain how existing evacuation routes are not sufficient to adequately facilitate evacuations) ☐ Acquiring evacuation route or traffic incident management equipment/signage ☐ Constructing a project that will ensure access or service to critical destinations[footnoteRef:8] [8: “Critical destinations” could include hospitals and other medical or emergency service facilities, major employers, critical manufacturing centers, ports and intermodal facilities, utilities, and Federal facilities. See 23 U.S.C. § 176(d)(4)(B)(ii).]

At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grant: Does the application include one of the following eligible activities? (check if yes):

☐ Strengthening, stabilizing, hardening, elevating, relocating, or otherwise enhancing the resilience of highway and non-rail infrastructure that are subject to, or face increased long-term future risks of, a weather event, a natural disaster, or changing conditions. Infrastructure includes: bridges, roads, pedestrian walkways, bicycle lanes, and associated infrastructure, such as culverts and tide gates to protect highways.

Note: Applications for the At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grant must document that the proposal will reduce long-term infrastructure costs by avoiding larger future maintenance or rebuilding costs.

Ensure that this documentation details (see NOFO Section C.3.b for more information):

· Projected costs associated with build and no-build case scenarios; and

· Maintenance and rebuilding costs associated with existing and future hazard risk and those that would accrue apart from hazards altogether.

Identify the eligible facility.

Please note that rail infrastructure is not eligible for funding under the At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure grant category.

Select from list below (check all that apply):

☐ highway project eligible for assistance under title 23;

☐ public transportation facility or service eligible for assistance under chapter 53 of title 49;

☐ facility or service for intercity rail passenger transportation (as defined in section 24102 of title 49); or ☐ port facility, including a facility that:

a. connects a port to other modes of transportation;

b. improves the efficiency of evacuations and disaster relief; or

c. aids transportation. (23 U.S.C. § 176(d)(5)(C)).

Is the proposed project prioritized on a Resilience Improvement Plan developed in accordance with 23 U.S.C. § 176(e)?

· Yes

· No If yes, please specify the relevant State or MPO Resilience Improvement Plan and include it as an attachment with the application or provide a link to the applicable Resilience Improvement Plan.

If yes, please specify the relevant State or MPO Resilience Improvement Plan and include it as an attachment with the application or provide a link to the applicable Resilience Improvement Plan.

II. Grant Funds, Sources and Uses all PROTECT Discretionary Funding PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program Request Amount

(Note: The Federal share for Resilience Grants should not exceed 80% of the total cost of the project. The non-Federal share requirement may be reduced with an applicable Resilience Improvement Plan (see NOFO Section C.2 for Cost Sharing or Matching information.) The Federal share for Tribes and projects carried out in Territories for all grant categories is 100%).

Expenditure: Cost:

Expenditure: Cost:

Expenditure: Cost:

Expenditure: Cost:

☐ A detailed budget is attached separately.

The file is named:

The budget should include specifics and plans for covering the full cost of the proposed planning activity from all sources.

If the project contains components, the budget should separate the costs of each project component. If the project will be completed in phases, the budget should separate the costs of each phase.

Include information showing that sufficient contingency amounts have been budgeted to cover unanticipated cost increases.

· No

If yes, specify in the budget the amount of grant funding that will fund the construction of new capacity (may not exceed 40%).

· No

If yes, specify in the budget the amount of grant funding that will fund development phase activities (may not exceed 10%).

If yes, specify the program name(s) and date(s) of application.

III. Merit Criteria Provide narrative response on how the proposal meets the merit criteria in Section E.1.a of the NOFO.

Criterion #1: Vulnerability and Risk Describe how the project responds to the Vulnerability and Risk criterion.

Criterion #2: Criticality to Community Describe how the project responds to the Criticality to Community criterion.

Criterion #3: Design Elements Describe how the project responds to the Design Elements criterion.

Criterion #4: Public Engagement, Partnerships, and Collaboration Describe how the project responds to the Public Engagement, Partnerships, and Collaboration criterion.

Criterion #5: Equity and Justice40 Describe how the project responds to the Equity and Justice40 criterion.

Criterion #6: Climate Change and Sustainability Describe how the project responds to the Climate Change and Sustainability criterion.

Criterion #7: Schedule and Budget Describe how the project responds to the Schedule and Budget criterion.

Criterion #8: Innovation Describe how the project responds to the Innovation criterion.

IV. Benefit-Cost Analysis Who needs to complete a Benefit-Cost Analysis?

The purpose of the Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) is to enable FHWA to assess the project’s cost effectiveness by comparing its expected benefits to its expected costs, relative to a no-build scenario for the purpose of project prioritization.

Indian Tribe applicants for all PROTECT Resilience grants may opt to provide raw data with their application to support the need for a project, without additional BCA (see Alternatives to a BCA below).

Completing a BCA

Provide a narrative description of your BCA. Review in detail NOFO Section D.2.b.IV and DOT’s BCA Guidance (https://www.transportation.gov/mission/office-secretary/office-policy/transportation-policy/benefit-cost-analysis-guidance) to understand how to conduct and document a BCA.

In this narrative, include (see NOFO Section D.2.b.IV for more information):

· Assumptions and methodology used to produce the analysis, including a description of the baseline, the sources of data used to project the outcomes of the project, and the values of key input parameters.

· How any described benefits are clearly tied to the expected outcomes of the project, including climate resilience benefits such as damages avoided.

· Full costs of developing, constructing, operating, and maintaining the proposed project compared to those costs for the existing facility, and the expected timing or schedule for costs in each of these categories.

Attach all relevant files used for the BCA, including any spreadsheet files (unlocked) and technical memos describing the data and analysis.[footnoteRef:9] [9: The spreadsheets and technical memos should present the calculations in sufficient detail and transparency to allow the analysis to be reproduced by FHWA evaluators.

Alternatives to a BCA An Indian Tribe may, instead of a BCA and at its discretion, provide a narrative with raw data, without additional analysis. The narrative should include:

· Clear identification of the problem to be solved by the project (e.g., asset risk).

· Estimation of the costs of the proposed project.

· Current and projected future asset use (e.g., vehicle miles traveled, ridership, freight movement).

· Projection of the expected impacts of the project.

V. FHWA Priority Considerations Which of the following FHWA Resilience Grant Priority Considerations does the project meet (check all that apply)?

· Exceptional benefits under merit criterion #5 Equity and Justice40

· Workforce Development, Job Quality, and Wealth Creation[footnoteRef:10] [10: To receive Workforce Development, Job Quality, and Wealth Creation priority consideration, an application must demonstrate that the project will do one or more of the following:

Create good-paying, safe jobs with free and fair choice to join a union including through the use of a project labor agreement.

Promote investments in high-quality workforce development programs with supportive services to help train, place, and retain people in good-paying jobs or registered apprenticeships. These programs should have a focus on women, people of color, and others who are underrepresented in infrastructure jobs (people with disabilities, people with convictions, etc.).

Adopt local and economic hiring preferences for the project workforce or include other changes to hiring policies and workplace cultures to promote the entry and retention of underrepresented populations.

Promote local inclusive economic development and entrepreneurship, such as the utilization of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Minority-owned Businesses, Women-owned Businesses, or 8(a) firms.

· Construction Readiness

· Funding Needs Briefly describe how your project meets the FHWA Priority considerations checked above.

VI. Other Required Forms Attach the following required forms with the application submission:

· Standard Form 424

· Standard Form 424 Required Attachment: Project Narrative (note that this application template provides the information needed for the Project Narrative).

· Standard Form 424C (Budget Information Construction Programs)

· Standard Form 424D (Assurances for Construction Programs)

· Grants.gov Lobbying Form

· Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form (SF-LLL)