The Clean Air and Mobility Program
OVERVIEW •
HOW TO APPLY •
FAQS
The MPO´s Clean Air
and Mobility Program funds a wide variety of projects that improve
air quality and mobility and that reduce congestion in the region using federal
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds. This program expanded on
three previously existing programs: the Suburban Mobility, Transportation
Demand Management (TDM), and Regional Bike Parking programs. The objectives of the program are to:
- Support new transit services in areas unserved or
underserved by the existing transit system
- Serve as a funding source for implementing small-scale
roadway, intersection, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities that are recommended
in MPO evaluations and studies
- Develop a broader range of proposals from public
entities in the region to expand the variety and scope of CMAQ investments
- Improve the effectiveness of CMAQ funds in reducing
emissions and congestion in the region
Regional transit authorities, municipalities, transportation management associations,
chambers of commerce, and nonprofit transportation advocacy groups in the MPO
region are invited to submit proposals. All projects must have an RTA, a
municipality, or a transportation agency as a fiduciary agent. Joint proposals are
also accepted.
Applications will be evaluated and selected based on criteria such as vehicle emissions reductions, mobility,
sustainability, cost-effectiveness, population served, or modal and geographic balance (compared to other projects to be funded).
Eligible projects and programs fall into three categories; transit operations,
Transportation Demand Management (TDM)/Transportation Systems Management (TSM) programs or projects,
and infrastructure projects. In FFY 2011, the MPO funded awards for the following projects:
- MWRTA - Route 7 Saturday Service, year 3
- Acton - Rail Shuttle, year 2 CATA - Stage Fort Shuttle, year 2
- MBTA - Three Head End Power Unit Retrofits
- 128 Business Council - Smart Bus Application
- Boston - Bike Share, year 2
- Brookline - Bike Share, year 1
- Cambridge - Bike Share, year 1
Listed below are additional examples of eligible projects and programs.
- Diesel engine retrofits (nontransit vehicles)
- “Costs-above” fleet replacement to hybrid vehicles (nontransit vehicles)
- Marketing and promotion of transit, bicycle, and pedestrian modes
- Congestion relief measures (intersection and roadway improvements that improve traffic
flow)
- Parking-demand-management programs
- Infrastructure investments that increase bicycle and pedestrian mode share (such as bike
lanes, bike racks, sidewalks, signs, curb ramps, signals, crosswalks, and crosswalk technology)
- Transit access improvements
- Access management programs
- New transit services (according to past practice in the MPO’s Suburban Mobility Program)
- Intermodal facilities
- Travel-demand strategies
- Traffic operations centers
- Idling-reduction methods
Projects and programs must demonstrate air quality benefits and be eligible for federal
aid. (Please view the FHWA
website for more detailed federal CMAQ guidance.) Infrastructure
improvements must be initiated according to the Massachusetts
Highway Department Project Development and Design Guide. Another
requirement is compliance, when applicable, with the Americans with
Disabilities Act. All projects must meet the criteria of the Statewide CMAQ
Committee and must either reduce vehicle emissions or, for activities promoting
non-automobile modes, must not increase emissions in the region. Transit
operations proposals must be for new service. They cannot be used to supplement
or replace funding for existing service.
Click here for a list of frequently asked questions.
For more information on the Clean Air and
Mobility Program, please contact Eric Bourassa, Transportation Manager, MAPC,
at ebourassa@mapc.org or 617.451.2770
ext. 2043; or Pam Wolfe, MPO staff, at pwolfe@bostonmpo.org or 617.973.7141
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