SS4A-FY24-Notice-of-Funding-Opportunity_Amended.pdf

BILLING CODE 4910-9X

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary of Transportation

DOT-OST-2024-01

USDOT FY24 Safe Streets and Roads for All Funding, Amendment

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT or the Department)

ACTION: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), Assistance Listing # 20.939

SUMMARY

SUMMARY OVERVIEW OF KEY INFORMATION: Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Issuing Agency Office of the Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of

Transportation Program Overview Funds for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 SS4A grant program are to be awarded on a competitive basis to support planning, infrastructure, behavioral, and operational initiatives to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets involving all roadway users, including pedestrians; bicyclists; public transportation, personal conveyance, and micromobility users; motorists; and commercial vehicle operators.

Objective The purpose of this notice is to solicit applications for Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants.

Eligible Applicants Metropolitan planning organizations;

Political subdivisions of a State or territory (e.g., cities, towns, counties);

Federally recognized Tribal governments; and A multijurisdictional group of entities described in any of the aforementioned three types of entities.

Eligible Project Types Develop a comprehensive safety action plan (Action Plan).

Conduct supplemental safety planning to enhance an Action Plan.

Carry out demonstration activities to inform the development of, or an update to, an Action Plan.

Perform planning, design, and development activities for projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan.

Implement projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan that address roadway safety problems.

Funding This Notice makes available up to $1,261,494,000 $1,256,687,000 for FY 2024 grants under the SS4A program. Of the funding made available, up to $780 $580 million is available to implement projects and strategies. The remainder, $461,494,000 $656,687,000, must be awarded for developing Action Plans; conducting supplemental planning to update existing Action Plans; or carrying out demonstration activities to inform the development of, or updates to, Action Plans.

Deadlines Planning and Demonstration Grant applicants have three deadlines:

• Thursday, April 4, 2024, 5:00 PM (EDT)

• Thursday, May 16, 2024, 5:00 PM (EDT)

• Thursday, August 29, 2024, 5:00 PM (EDT)

SUMMARY OVERVIEW OF KEY INFORMATION: Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Implementation Grant applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM (EDT) on Thursday, May 16, 2024.

Funds will be awarded to applications submitted after each deadline.

Funding awards in later deadlines will be contingent on the availability of remaining funds.

DATES: This NOFO has multiple application deadlines depending on the grant type. See above under “Deadlines” and in Section D.4.

Late applications received after the deadlines will not be considered under that deadline unless there is a technical issue directly caused by the online submission proposal system (Valid Eval), and the applicant contacts Valid Eval at support@valideval.com describing the technical issue no less than 4 hours before the deadline. Planning and Demonstration Grant applications that are received after the first deadline (and before the second deadline) will be treated as being submitted under the second deadline; Planning and Demonstration Grant applications that are received after the second deadline (and before the third deadline) will be treated as being submitted under the third deadline.

ADDRESSES: Applications must be submitted via Valid Eval, an online submission proposal system used by USDOT, at https://usg.valideval.com/teams/usdot_ss4a_2024_implementation/signup for Implementation Grant applicants and https://usg.valideval.com/teams/usdot_ss4a_2024_planning_demo/signup for Planning and Demonstration Grants. Customer support for Valid Eval can be reached at support@valideval.com.

FOR FURTHER CONTACT INFORMATION: Please contact the SS4A grant program staff via email at SS4A@dot.gov or call Paul Teicher at 202-366-4114. A telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) is available at 202-366-3993. In addition, DOT will regularly post answers to questions and requests for clarifications, as well as schedule information regarding webinars providing additional guidance, on DOT’s website at https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A. The deadline to submit technical questions is April 24, 2024 and. The deadline to submit pre-application eligibility review requests for Implementation Grants is April 17, 2024. Technical questions applicable to Planning and Demonstration Grant applications made on or before March 13, 2024, will be responded to in advance of the first Planning and Demonstration Grant deadline on April

4. The final deadline to submit technical questions for Planning and Demonstration Grants is April 24 17, 2024.

The NOFO is listed under opportunity number DOT-SS4A-FY24-01 at Grants.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Each section of this Notice of Funding Opportunity contains information and instructions relevant to the application process for SS4A grants, and all applicants should read this notice in its entirety so that they have the information they need to submit eligible and competitive applications.

Section Content N/A Summary N/A Definitions A Program Description B Federal Award Information C Eligibility Information D Application and Submission Information E Application Review Information F Federal Award Administration Information G Federal Awarding Agency Contacts H Other Information mailto:support@valideval.com https://usg.valideval.com/teams/usdot_ss4a_2024_implementation/signup https://usg.valideval.com/teams/usdot_ss4a_2024_planning_demo/signup mailto:support@valideval.com mailto:SS4A@dot.gov https://www.transportation.gov/SS4A https://www.grants.gov/

Section A (Program Description) describes the Department’s goals and purpose in making awards, and Section E (Application Review Information) describes how the Department will select from eligible applications. To support applicants through the process, the Department will provide technical assistance and resources at https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A.

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

DEFINITIONS

Term Definition

Applicant’s Jurisdiction(s) The U.S. Census tract(s) where the applicant operates or performs their safety responsibilities. If an applicant is seeking funding for multiple jurisdictions, they should include all relevant Census tracts for the jurisdictions covered by the application.

Complete Streets Standards or policies that ensure the safe and adequate accommodation of all users of the transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, personal conveyance and micromobility users, public transportation users, children, older individuals, individuals with disabilities, motorists, and freight vehicles. 1

Comprehensive Safety Action Plan A comprehensive safety action plan (referred to as an “Action Plan”) is aimed at preventing roadway fatalities and serious injuries in a locality or region or on Tribal land. This can be either a plan developed with a Planning and Demonstration Grant, or a previously developed plan (e.g., a Vision Zero plan or similar plan) that is substantially similar to and meets the eligibility requirements of an Action Plan. See Table 1 for a detailed description.

Equity The consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as Black, Latino, Indigenous and Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

Fatal or Serious Injury Crash A fatal or serious injury crash involves a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public. A fatal crash must result in the death of at least one person (occupant of a vehicle or a non-motorist) within 30 days of the crash. This definition aligns with the definition of a fatal traffic crash in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

High-Injury Network Identifies the highest concentrations of traffic crashes resulting in serious injuries and fatalities within a given roadway network or jurisdiction.

Micromobility Any small, low-speed, human- or electric-powered transportation device, including bicycles, scooters, electric-assist bicycles, electric scooters (e-scooters), and other small, lightweight, wheeled conveyances. 2

1 The definition is based on “Moving to a Complete Streets Design Model: A Report to Congress on Opportunities and Challenges,” https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2022- 03/Complete%20Streets%20Report%20to%20Congress.pdf. Also see https://highways.dot.gov/complete-streets.

2 Source: FHWA, Public Roads Magazine, Spring 2021, “Micromobility: A Travel Innovation.” Publication Number: FHWA-

HRT-21-003.

https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2022-03/Complete%20Streets%20Report%20to%20Congress.pdf https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2022-03/Complete%20Streets%20Report%20to%20Congress.pdf https://highways.dot.gov/complete-streets

Term Definition

Personal Conveyance A personal conveyance is a device, other than a transport device, used by a pedestrian for personal mobility assistance or recreation. These devices can be motorized or human powered, but not propelled by pedaling (e.g., a wheelchair). 3

Political Subdivision of a State A unit of government created under the authority of State law. This includes cities, towns, counties, special districts, certain transit agencies, and similar units of local government. A transit district, authority, or public benefit corporation is eligible if it was created under State law, including transit authorities operated by political subdivisions of a State.

Rural For the purposes of this NOFO, jurisdictions outside an Urban Area (UA) or located within Urban Areas with populations fewer than 200,000 will be considered rural. Lists of UAs are available on the U.S. Census Bureau website at https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ua/2020_Census_ua_list _all.xlsx.

Safe System Approach A guiding principle to address the safety of all road users. It involves a paradigm shift to improve safety culture, increase collaboration across all safety stakeholders, and refocus transportation system design and operation on anticipating human mistakes and lessening impact forces to reduce crash severity and save lives. 4, 5

Underserved Community An underserved community as defined for this NOFO is consistent with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and DOT definitions of a disadvantaged community designation, which includes any Tribal land; any territory or possession of the United States; or U.S. Census tracts identified in one of the following tools (may only select one option to identify underserved communities:

• The USDOT Equitable Transportation Community Explorer

(ETCE)

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/0920984aa80a4362 b8778d779b090723/page/Applicant-Explorer/

• Any subsequent iterations of the ETCE released during the NOFO period; or

• The Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) to identify disadvantaged communities https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/.

Funds to underserved communities are spent in, and provide benefits to, underserved communities.

3 https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813251. See page 127 for the full definition as defined in the 2020 FARS/CRSS Coding and Validation Manual.

4 See https://www.transportation.gov/NRSS/SafeSystem.

5 Safety culture can be defined as the shared values, actions, and behaviors that demonstrate a commitment to safety over competing goals and demands.

https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ua/2020_Census_ua_list_all.xlsx https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ua/2020_Census_ua_list_all.xlsx https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/0920984aa80a4362b8778d779b090723/page/Applicant-Explorer/ https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/0920984aa80a4362b8778d779b090723/page/Applicant-Explorer/ https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/ https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813251 https://www.transportation.gov/NRSS/SafeSystem

A. Program Description

Overview Section 24112 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117–58, November 15, 2021; also referred to as the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” or “BIL”) authorized and appropriated $1 billion to be awarded by the Department of Transportation for fiscal year (FY) 2024 for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) solicits applications for activities to be funded under the SS4A grant program. The FY 2024 funding will be implemented, as appropriate and consistent with law, in alignment with the priorities in Executive Order 14052, Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (86 FR 64355).

The purpose of SS4A grants is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through safety action plan development and refinement and implementation focused on all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, personal conveyance and micromobility users, and commercial vehicle operators. The program provides funding to develop the tools to help strengthen a community’s approach to roadway safety and save lives and is designed to meet the needs of diverse local, Tribal, and regional communities that differ dramatically in size, location, and experience administering Federal funding.

The FY 2024 NOFO substantively differs from the FY 2023 NOFO in the following ways:

• Section D: Clarifies that Tribal Transportation Program and Tribal Transportation Program Safety Funds may be used as non-Federal match.

• Planning and Demonstration Grants had the following substantive changes:

o The NOFO includes three deadlines: April 4, May 16, and August 29. Applications received on or before each deadline will be reviewed and evaluated separately from applications received at other deadlines.

o Section C.3 allows an applicant to reapply if not selected as long as the application is received by the last Planning and Demonstration Grant deadline of August 29.

o Section D.2 permits up to three pages of narrative to respond to the Additional Safety Context selection criterion if the funding requested is over $1 million.

o Section E the Additional Safety Context selection criterion was modified for applications with demonstration activities.

o Section E has a new award selection consideration for applicants that have a fatality rate of 17.0 fatalities per 100,000 persons or greater.

• Implementation Grants had the following substantive changes:

o Section C.4 requires funds for project or strategy-level planning, design, and development activities to be directly connected to the completion of projects and strategies funded through an Implementation Grant.

o Section D.2 allows pre-application submission and review of a potential applicant’s Self-Certification Eligibility Worksheet to affirm eligibility for an Implementation Grant. Complete pre-application submissions must be received by April 17.

o Section D.2 permits up to two additional pages for an application’s narrative to respond to the Supplemental Planning and Demonstration Activities selection criterion.

o Section E has minor modifications to the selection criteria Safety Impact; Equity, Engagement, and Collaboration; Effective Practices and Strategies; Other DOT Strategic Goals; and Supplemental Planning and Demonstration Activities.

o Section E has new award selection considerations for applicants with a finalized comprehensive safety action plan (i.e., goes beyond a qualifying plan and meets all the components in Table 1), and applicants with a killed and serious injury per $1 million in Federal funding rate that is high compared to other Highly Rated applications.

Grant Options and Deliverables The SS4A program provides funding for two main types of grants: Planning and Demonstration Grants for comprehensive safety action plans, including supplemental safety planning, and/or safety demonstration activities;

and Implementation Grants. Planning and Demonstration Grants are used to develop, complete, or supplement a comprehensive safety action plan, as well as carry out demonstration activities that inform an Action Plan.

Implementation Grants are used to implement strategies or projects that are consistent with an existing Action Plan and may also bundle funding requests for supplemental planning and demonstration activities that inform an Action Plan. To apply for an Implementation Grant, an eligible applicant must have a qualifying Action Plan; see Section C for what constitutes a qualifying Action Plan. Applicants for Implementation Grants can self-certify that they have one or more plans in place by April 2024 that together are substantially similar to and meet the eligibility requirements for an Action Plan.

i. Planning and Demonstration Grants

Planning and Demonstration Grants have three different types of activities:

a) Develop an Action Plan;

b) Conduct supplemental safety planning to enhance an Action Plan; and

c) Carry out demonstration activities to inform the development of, or an update to, an Action Plan.

The three different types of activities under Planning and Demonstration Grants can either be bundled together into one application, or an applicant may choose to request funding for only one of the activities. Applicants may only apply for a single grant type, but both grant types have the option to include multiple Planning and Demonstration projects under them. The development of, or updates to, an Action Plan must be the intended end result of each supplemental planning and demonstration activity. Further information on which activities can be bundled together are described in Section C.3.i.

a) Action Plan

An Action Plan is the foundation of the SS4A grant program. Grants for Action Plans provide Federal funds to eligible applicants to develop, complete, or enhance an Action Plan.

The primary deliverable is a publicly available Action Plan. For the purposes of the SS4A grant program, an Action Plan includes the components in Table 1. DOT considers the process of developing an Action Plan to be critical for success, and the components reflect a process-oriented set of activities. For applications involving a multi-jurisdictional group, applicants may propose the development of a single Action Plan covering all jurisdictions, several plans for individual jurisdictions, or a system to administer sub-awards to entities within its jurisdiction.

Table 1: Action Plan Components

Component Description Leadership Commitment and Goal Setting

An official public commitment (e.g., resolution, policy, ordinance) by a high-ranking official and/or governing body (e.g., Mayor, City Council, Tribal Council, metropolitan planning organization [MPO], Policy Board) to an eventual goal of zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries. The commitment must include a goal and timeline for eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries achieved through one, or both, of the following:

(1) the target date for achieving zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries, OR

(2) an ambitious percentage reduction of roadway fatalities and serious injuries by a specific date with an eventual goal of eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries.

Component Description Planning Structure A committee, task force, implementation group, or similar body charged with oversight of the Action Plan development, implementation, and monitoring.

Safety Analysis Analysis of existing conditions and historical trends that provides a baseline level of crashes involving fatalities and serious injuries across a jurisdiction, locality, Tribe, or region. Includes an analysis of locations where there are crashes and the severity of the crashes, as well as contributing factors and crash types by relevant road users (motorists, pedestrians, transit users, etc.). Analysis of systemic and specific safety needs is also performed, as needed (e.g., high-risk road features, specific safety needs of relevant road users, public health approaches, analysis of the built environment, demographics, and structural issues). To the extent practical, the analysis should include all roadways within the jurisdiction, without regard for ownership. Based on the analysis performed, a geospatial identification of higher-risk locations is developed (a high-injury network or equivalent).

Engagement and Collaboration

Robust engagement with the public and relevant stakeholders, including the private sector and community groups, that allows for both community representation and feedback. Information received from engagement and collaboration is analyzed and incorporated into the Action Plan. Overlapping jurisdictions are included in the process. Plans and processes are coordinated and aligned with other governmental plans and planning processes to the extent practicable.

Equity Considerations

Plan development using inclusive and representative processes. Underserved communities are identified through data and other analyses in collaboration with appropriate partners. Analysis includes both population characteristics and initial equity impact assessments of the proposed projects and strategies.

Policy and Process Changes

Assessment of current policies, plans, guidelines, and/or standards (e.g., manuals) to identify opportunities to improve how processes prioritize transportation safety.

The Action Plan discusses implementation through the adoption of revised or new policies, guidelines, and/or standards, as appropriate.

Strategy and Project Selections

Identification of a comprehensive set of projects and strategies—shaped by data, the best available evidence and noteworthy practices, and stakeholder input and equity considerations—that will address the safety problems described in the Action Plan. These strategies and countermeasures focus on a Safe System Approach and effective interventions and consider multidisciplinary activities. To the extent practicable, data limitations are identified and mitigated.

Once identified, the projects and strategies are prioritized in a list that provides time ranges for when the strategies and countermeasures will be deployed (e.g., short-, mid-, and long-term timeframes). The list should include specific projects and strategies, or descriptions of programs of projects and strategies, and explain prioritization criteria used. The list should contain interventions focused on infrastructure, behavioral, and/or operational safety.

Progress and Transparency

Method to measure progress over time after an Action Plan is developed or updated, including outcome data. A means to ensure ongoing transparency is established with residents and other relevant stakeholders. The approach must include, at a minimum, annual public and accessible reporting on progress toward reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries and public posting of the Action Plan online.

Applicants requesting funds to develop an Action Plan may also request funding for supplemental planning and demonstration activities subsequently described in Section A.2.i.b and A.2.i.c below. The goal of an Action Plan is to develop a holistic, well-defined strategy to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries in a locality, Tribe, or region. Further information on eligibility requirements is in Section C.

b) Supplemental Planning

Supplemental action plan activities support or enhance an existing Action Plan. To only fund supplemental Action Plan activities through the SS4A program, an applicant must have an existing Action Plan; have a plan that is substantially similar and meets the eligibility requirements for having an existing plan; or be in the process of completing an Action Plan described in Table 1. Examples of supplemental planning include:

• Topical safety sub-plans focused on topics such as speed management, vulnerable road users, accessibility for individuals with disabilities, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) transition plans, health equity, safety-focused Intelligent Transportation System implementation, lighting, or other relevant safety topics

• Road safety audits

• Additional safety analysis and expanded data collection and evaluation using integrated data

• Targeted equity assessments

• Required supplemental planning as a condition to receiving an Implementation Grant award as described in Section A.2.ii:

o Updating Action Plans finalized and last updated in 2021 or earlier o Broadening the road user focus to include all road users

Updating plan components laid out in Table 1 and missing in an eligible plan

• Follow-up stakeholder engagement and collaboration

• Reporting on the progress from Action Plan implementation for transparency

• Other roadway safety planning activities that enhance an Action Plan

The final deliverable for supplemental planning is a written product that connects to, and enhances, an Action Plan.

Final products shall be made publicly available. Additional information on supplemental planning is located at https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A.

c) Demonstration Activities

Demonstration activities inform an Action Plan by testing proposed project and strategy approaches to determine their potential benefits and future scope; demonstration activities are temporary. Demonstration activities must measure potential benefits through data collection and evaluation and inform an Action Plan’s list of selected projects and strategies and their future implementation. To receive funds only for demonstration activities through the SS4A program, an applicant must have an existing Action Plan, have a plan that is substantially similar and meets the eligibility requirements for having an existing plan, or be in the process of completing an Action Plan described in Table 1. Demonstration activities could include:

• Feasibility studies using quick-build strategies that inform permanent projects in the future (e.g., use of paint and plastic delineator posts to experiment with impermanent roadway design changes, use of removable barriers to re-allocate roadway space).

• Various MUTCD Engineering Studies that further safety applications of the MUTCD (e.g., evaluating warrants for high-visibility crosswalk markings, bike lane treatments, etc.).

• Pilot programs for behavioral or operational activities that include at least one element of the Safe System Approach (e.g., test out a new education campaign’s messaging at a small scale, trial changes to how Emergency Medical Services respond to crashes).

• Pilot programs that demonstrate safety benefits of technologies not yet adopted in the community (e.g., variable speed limits, speed safety cameras, technology for adaptive signal timing, adaptive lighting, Intelligent Transportation Systems, vehicle-to-infrastructure technology). 6 Eligible technologies must be commercially available and at a prototype or advanced technological readiness level. 7

Demonstration activities and pilot programs must inform Action Plans through small-scale tests with finite trial periods intended to gauge potential project and strategy effectiveness that will lead to project and strategy selection at a systemic level. The final deliverable is an assessment of the demonstration activities and an updated Action Plan that incorporates the information gathered from the demonstration activities into the Action Plan’s list of projects or strategies and/or informs another part of the Action Plan. DOT expects demonstration activities to be set up within 18 months of executing a grant agreement (e.g., quick-builds on the roadway, pilot project established), and the benefits of the demonstration activity to be evaluated during the execution of the grant agreement.

ii. Implementation Grants

Implementation Grants fund projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan that address roadway safety problems. Implementation Grants may also fund supplemental planning and demonstration activities as described in Section A.2.i, as well as planning, design, and development activities for projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan (e.g., project-level National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA compliance, environmental review activities, permits and approvals, construction design, etc.). DOT encourages Implementation Grant applicants to include supplemental planning and demonstration activities in their application. Applicants must have an existing Action Plan to apply for Implementation Grants or have an existing plan that is substantially similar and meets the eligibility requirements of an Action Plan. If applicants do not have an existing Action Plan, they should apply for Planning and Demonstration Grants and NOT Implementation Grants.

The Action Plan components may be contained within several plans. Applicants may use existing Action Plans produced by other jurisdictions to apply for an Implementation Grant (e.g., a political subdivision uses an existing regional plan with projects and strategies within its jurisdiction) as long as the projects and strategies in the application are included in the existing Action Plan. DOT requires applicants who have an Action Plan that is missing components required in Table 1 but still have a substantially similar plan based on the Self-Certification Eligibility Worksheet outlined in Section C to update the Action Plan to contain all components in a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan as outlined in Table 1. Updating an existing Plan to address missing components is a condition to receive Implementation Grant funding, and applicants applying for Implementation Grants can request to use SS4A supplemental planning funds to update an existing Action Plan to conform with all the components in Table 1. Additional information on eligibility requirements and eligible activities is in Section C below.

SS4A Grant Priorities This section discusses priorities specific to SS4A and those related to the Department’s overall mission, which are reflected in the selection criteria and NOFO requirements. Successful grant applications will:

• Promote safety to prevent death and serious injuries on public roadways;

• Employ low-cost, high-impact strategies that can improve safety over a wide geographic area;

• Ensure equitable investment in the safety needs of underserved communities, which includes both underserved urban and rural communities;

• Incorporate evidence-based projects and strategies and adopt innovative technologies and strategies;

• Demonstrate engagement with a variety of public and private stakeholders; and

6 Eligible vehicle-to-infrastructure demonstrations use interoperable vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) communications capabilities using 4G LTE cellular V2X (C-V2X) technology in the 5.905 – 5.925 GHz spectrum frequency band to enable safety applications for public fleet vehicles.

7 The corresponding level would be “Development,” level 7 Prototype demonstrated in operational environment. See https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/ear/17047/17047.pdf.

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/ear/17047/17047.pdf

• Align with the Department’s mission and Strategic Goals such as safety; climate change and sustainability;

equity and Justice40; and workforce development, job quality, and wealth creation. 8

The Department seeks to award Planning and Demonstration Grants based on safety impact, equity, and other safety considerations. Additional award consideration will be made for Planning and Demonstration Grant applicants that have a fatality rate per 100,000 persons equal to or greater than 17.0 fatalities per 100,000 population.

For Implementation Grants, DOT seeks to make awards to projects and strategies that save lives and reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries; incorporate equity, engagement, and collaboration into how projects and strategies are executed; use effective practices and strategies; consider climate change, sustainability, and economic competitiveness in project and strategy implementation; and will be able to complete the full scope of funded projects and strategies within 5 years after the establishment of a grant agreement. Additional award consideration will be made for Implementation Grant applicants that have a high percentage of funds that benefit underserved communities, are in rural areas, request less than $10 million in Federal funds, support geographic diversity amongst the Implementation Grant award recipients, have a finalized comprehensive safety action plan (i.e., goes beyond a qualifying plan requirements in the Self-Certification Eligibility Worksheet and meets all the components in Table 1), and/or have a high Killed and Serious Injuries (KSI) per $1 million in Federal funding rate. Section D provides more information on the specific measures an application should demonstrate to support these goals.

The Department seeks to fund projects that advance the Departmental priorities of safety, climate and sustainability, equity, and workforce development, job quality, and wealth creation as described in the DOT Strategic Plan, the DOT Research, Development and Technology Strategic Plan, and in executive orders. See Section E of this NOFO for safety, climate, equity, and workforce-related selection criteria, and Section F for related award administration requirements.

The National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS, issued January 27, 2022) commits the Department to respond to the current crisis in roadway fatalities by “taking substantial, comprehensive action to significantly reduce serious and fatal injuries on the Nation’s roadways,” in pursuit of the goal of achieving zero roadway deaths through a Safe System Approach. 9 DOT recognizes that zero is the only acceptable number of deaths on our roadways, and SS4A program outcomes align with the NRSS and support the FY 2022-2026 DOT Strategic Plan safety performance goals such as a medium-term goal of a two-thirds reduction in roadway fatalities by 2040. 10 DOT also incentivizes communities to adopt and implement Complete Streets policies that prioritize the safety of all users in transportation network planning, design, construction, and operations, and encourages applicants to use a Complete Streets design model on roadways where adjacent land use suggests that trips could be served by varied modes. 11 For applicants seeking to use innovative technologies and strategies, the Department’s Innovation Principles serve as a guide to ensure innovations reduce deaths and serious injuries while committing to the highest standards of safety across technologies. 12

Consistent with the Department’s implementation of Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (86 FR 7619), the Department seeks to fund applications that address equity and environmental justice, particularly for communities that have experienced decades of underinvestment and are most impacted by climate change, pollution, and environmental hazards. 13 Additionally, DOT seeks to fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, including those that improve safety for low- and zero-emission modes of travel. Applicants should also consider the incorporation of evidence-based climate resilience measures and

8 FY 2022-2026 USDOT Strategic Plan https://www.transportation.gov/dot-strategic-plan.

9 https://www.transportation.gov/NRSS.

10 https://www.transportation.gov/dot-strategic-plan.

11 More information on Complete Streets can be found at https://highways.dot.gov/complete-streets.

12 https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/innovation/us-dot-innovation-principles. Released January 6, 2022.

13 See the definition of an underserved community, which includes Census tracts identified in the OMB CEJST and DOT ETCE tools.

https://www.transportation.gov/dot-strategic-plan https://www.transportation.gov/NRSS https://www.transportation.gov/dot-strategic-plan https://highways.dot.gov/complete-streets https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/innovation/us-dot-innovation-principles features; reduce the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from project materials; avoid adverse environmental impacts to air or water quality, wetlands, and endangered species; and address the disproportionate negative environmental impacts of transportation on disadvantaged communities.

Consistent with Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government (86 FR 7009), the Department seeks to award funds under the SS4A grant program that will create proportional impacts to all populations in a project area, remove transportation related disparities to all populations in a project area, and increase equitable access to project benefits. An important area for DOT’s focus is the disproportionate, adverse safety impacts that affect certain groups on our roadways, particularly people walking, biking, and rolling in underserved communities. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), awards focused on infrastructure and demonstration activities must ensure that newly constructed facilities in the public right-of-way are accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities to the extent that it is not structurally impracticable to do so. The ADA also requires that, when an existing facility is altered, the altered facility be made accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities to the maximum extent feasible (28 CFR 35.151[a] and 35.151[b]).

The Department intends to use the SS4A program to support the creation of good-paying jobs with the free and fair choice to join a union and the incorporation of strong labor standards and training and placement programs, especially registered apprenticeships, in project planning stages, consistent with Executive Order 14025, Worker Organizing and Empowerment (86 FR 22829), and Executive Order 14052, Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (86 FR 64335). The Department also intends to use the SS4A program to support wealth creation, consistent with the Department’s Equity Action Plan through the inclusion of local inclusive economic development and entrepreneurship such as the utilization of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Minority-owned Businesses, Women-owned Businesses, or 8(a) firms.

B. Federal Award Information

1. Total Funding Available The BIL established the SS4A program with $5,000,000,000 in advanced appropriations in Division J, including $1,000,000,000 for FY 2024. Additionally, DOT has $261,494,000 $256,687,000 in FY 2023 carryover funds set aside for Planning and Demonstration Grants as well as certain eligible safety planning and demonstrative activities that may be included under an Implementation Grant request. Therefore, this Notice makes available up to $1,261,494,000 $1,256,687,000 for FY 2024 grants under the SS4A program. Refer to Section D for greater detail on additional funding considerations and Section D.5 for funding restrictions.

2. Availability of Funds Grant funding obligation occurs when a selected applicant and DOT enter into a written grant agreement after the applicant has satisfied applicable administrative requirements. Unless authorized by DOT in writing after DOT’s announcement of FY 2024 SS4A grant awards, any costs incurred prior to DOT’s obligation of funds for activities (“pre-award costs”) are ineligible for reimbursement and may not be used as matching funds. If authorized by DOT in writing, Implementation Grant award recipients may incur pre-award costs for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and design activities, and these expenses may count toward match or cost share. Applicants who expect to request pre-award authority must clearly articulate such a request in the application. DOT will determine whether such pre-award costs may be counted toward match or cost share on a case-by-case basis. All SS4A funds must be expended within 5 years after the grant agreement is executed and DOT obligates the funds.

3. Award Size and Anticipated Quantity In FY 2024, DOT expects to award hundreds of Planning and Demonstration Grants and up to fifty Implementation Grants. The Department reserves the right to make more, or fewer, awards. DOT reserves the discretion to alter minimum and maximum award sizes upon receiving the full pool of applications and assessing the needs of the program in relation to the SS4A grant priorities in Section A.3. Federal funding requests must be made in whole dollar amounts (no cents).

iii. Planning and Demonstration Grants

For Planning and Demonstration Grants, award amounts will be based on total estimated project costs, with an expected minimum of $100,000 in SS4A funding and an expected maximum of $10,000,000 in SS4A funding for all applicants. The Department expects larger award amounts for a metropolitan planning organization (MPO), an application comprised of a multijurisdictional group of entities that is regional in scope (e.g., a multijurisdictional group of counties, a council of governments and cities within the same region), or those who are conducting activities in a large geographic area. The Department will consider applications with funding requests under the expected minimum award amount but reserves the right to not award applicants requesting less than $100,000 if the budget is determined to be inadequate for the scope of the activities. DOT reserves the right to make Planning and Demonstration Grant awards less than the total amount requested by the applicant.

iv. Implementation Grants

For Implementation Grants, DOT expects the minimum award will be $2,500,000 in SS4A funding and the maximum award will be $25,000,000 in SS4A funding. DOT reserves the right to make Implementation Grant awards less than the total amount requested by the applicant.

4. Start Dates and Period of Performance DOT expects to obligate SS4A award funding via a signed grant agreement between the Department and the recipient, as flexibly and expeditiously as possible, within 12 months after awards have been announced. In support of award recipients with less familiarity with administering a Federal grant, the Department established a SS4A Technical Assistance Center to assist award recipients with Federal requirements. Applicants who have never received Federal funding from DOT before are also encouraged to partner with eligible applicants within the same region, such as an MPO, that have established financial relationships with DOT and knowledge of Federal grant administration requirements. While States are not eligible applicants and cannot be a co-applicant (which includes State Departments of Transportation and similar State-level entities), eligible applicants are encouraged to separately coordinate with States and other entities experienced with administering Federal grants, outside of the SS4A grant award process, to ensure effective administration of a grant award. The expected period of performance for Planning and Demonstration Grant agreements is between 12 months and 5 years, depending on the scope and extent of the grant activities. The period of performance for Planning and Demonstration Grant and Implementation Grant agreements may not exceed 5 years.

5. Data Collection Requirements Under BIL, the Department shall post on a publicly available website best practices and lessons learned for preventing roadway fatalities and serious injuries pursuant to strategies or interventions implemented under SS4A.

Additionally, DOT shall evaluate and incorporate, as appropriate, the effectiveness of strategies and interventions implemented under the SS4A grant program. 14 The Department intends to measure safety outcomes through a combination of grant agreement activities and data collections, DOT data collections already underway, and program evaluations separate from the individual grant agreements in accordance with Section F.3.iii. The grant data-collection requirements reflect the need to build evidence of noteworthy strategies and what works. The Department expects to use the data and outcome information collected before and after evaluations. See Section F for more information about post-award reporting requirements.

14 BIL specifically cites Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, Ninth Edition, or any successor document, but DOT also is to consider applied research focused on infrastructure and operational projects and strategies.

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants Eligible applicants for SS4A grants are:

(1) a metropolitan planning organization (MPO);

(2) a political subdivision of a State or territory;

(3) a federally recognized Tribal government; and

(4) a multijurisdictional group of entities described in any of the aforementioned three types of entities.

A multijurisdictional group of entities described in (4) should identify a lead applicant as the primary point of contact. For the purposes of this NOFO, a political subdivision of a State under (2), above, is defined as a unit of government under the authority of State law. This includes cities, towns, counties, special districts such as public universities, and similar units of local government. A transit district, authority, or public benefit corporation is eligible if it was created under State law, including transit authorities operated by political subdivisions of a State.

Non-profits are not eligible applicants unless created under State law with roadway safety and/or planning responsibilities equivalent to a political subdivision of a State. States are not eligible applicants.

An eligible applicant for an Implementation Grant must also meet at least one of these conditions:

(1) have ownership and/or maintenance responsibilities over a roadway network;

(2) have safety responsibilities that affect roadways; or

(3) have agreement from the agency that has ownership and/or maintenance responsibilities for the roadway within the applicant’s jurisdiction.

For the purposes of this NOFO, an applicant’s jurisdiction is defined as the U.S. Census tracts where the applicant operates or performs their safety responsibilities.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching The Federal share of an SS4A grant may not exceed 80 percent of total eligible project costs. Recipients are required to contribute a local matching share of no less than 20 percent of total eligible project costs. Unless otherwise authorized by statute, all matching funds must be from non-Federal sources. Tribal Transportation Program and Tribal Transportation Program Safety Funds may be used as non-Federal match. Matching funds may include funding from the applicant, or other eligible non-Federal sources. Applicants that intend to combine SS4A funds with Title 23, U.S.C. funds should expect a significant delay in executing a grant agreement. Up to $200,000 in non-Federal match is waived for eligible applicants located in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands per Public Law 96-205, Title VI, Section 601, as amended and consistent with OMB Controller Alert-23-04, Waiving Matching Fund Requirements for Insular Areas.

In accordance with 2 CFR § 200.306, grant recipients may use in-kind or cash contributions toward local match requirements so long as those contributions meet the requirements under 2 CFR § 200.306(b). Any in-kind contributions used to fulfill the cost-share requirement for both Planning and Demonstration Grants and Implementation Grants must:

• Be in accordance with the cost principles in 2 CFR § 200 Subpart E;

• Include documented evidence of completion within the period of performance; and

• Support the execution of the eligible activities in Section C.4.

SS4A funds will reimburse recipients only after a grant agreement has been executed, allowable expenses are incurred, and valid requests for reimbursement are submitted. Grant agreements are expected to be administered on a reimbursement basis, and at the Department’s discretion alternative funding arrangements may be established on a case-by-case basis.

3. Grant Eligibility Requirements If an applicant is eligible for both a Planning and Demonstration Grant and an Implementation Grant, the applicant must choose between applying for a Planning and Demonstration Grant or an Implementation Grant—not both— per application deadline. An eligible Implementation Grant applicant may submit only one Implementation Grant application to the funding opportunity. Implementation Grant applicants may request funds to bundle supplemental planning and demonstration activities as described in Section A.2.i to update an Action Plan, with funds to implement projects and strategies. If an Implementation Grant applicant is not selected for funding, the applicant may subsequently reapply for a Planning and Demonstration Grant as long as they submit their application on or before the last Planning and Demonstration Grant deadline of August 29.

An eligible Planning and Demonstration Grant applicant may apply multiple times but can receive only one award from the funding opportunity. Planning and Demonstration Grant applicants that applied in earlier deadlines and were not selected for an award may reapply again to this NOFO as long as they submit their application on or before the last Planning and Demonstration Grant deadline of August 29.