Federal Lands Access Program

The goal of the Federal Lands Access Program is to improve transportation facilities that provide access to, are adjacent to, or are located within Federal lands. The Access Program supplements State and local resources for public roads, transit syst

The purpose of the project is to improve the roadway in select locations to address existing operational issues along the corridor. Brown Mountain Beach Road is an unpaved route that serves as the primary vehicular access to the Wilson Creek Gorge, a National Wild and Scenic River and popular recreational destination within the Pisgah National Forest. The roadway also provides access to rural communities and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Only the owner of the affected transportation asset or assets may submit an application.

State transportation departments, other State agencies, local agencies, and Federal agencies.

Funds made available under the Access Program shall be used to pay the cost of: A. transportation planning, research, engineering, preventive maintenance, rehabilitation, restoration, construction, and reconstruction of Federal Lands Access Transportation Facilities located on or adjacent to, or that provide access to, Federal land, and- i. adjacent vehicular parking areas; ii. acquisition of necessary scenic easements and scenic or historic sites; iii. provisions for pedestrians and bicycles; iv. environmental mitigation in or adjacent to Federal land to improve public safety and reduce vehicle-caused wildlife mortality while maintaining habitat connectivity; v. construction and reconstruction of roadside rest areas, including sanitary and water facilities; and vi. other appropriate public road facilities, as determined by the Secretary; B. operation and maintenance of transit facilities; and C. any transportation project eligible for assistance under title 23 that is within or adjacent to, or that provides access to, Federal land. In regard to (B) above, "operation and maintenance of transit facilities" includes the operation of all components of a transit system, including vehicles. The eligibility under (C) above includes transit capital projects eligible under Chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, that are also eligible under title 23 and that are within or adjacent to, or that provides access to, Federal lands open to the public.

The funds made available under this program will be available for the current year plus three additional years.

Each FLAP project is selected from a pool of applications submitted by the facility owner in response to a state-wide call for projects. The call for projects frequency is determined by the PDC based on the funds available. The applications are screened, rated, and ranked using the PDC approved rating criteria. The PDC agrees which projects met the established State program goals and conformed to the project ranking criteria. Based upon these evaluations, the proposed projects are recommended for programming within the available funding for each State.

PDCs decide which projects will be developed within available funding. Award procedures will follow the procedures developed the delivery agency, as long as they are consistent with federal law. Projects administered by the FHWA Office of Federal Lands Highways or the FLMAs are subject to procurement processes identified in the Federal Acquisition Regulations. Project awards are subject the availability of funds.