Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP)
The Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) is a new competitive grant program created by Section 11529 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58) to construct projects to provide safe and connected active transportation facilities in active transportation networks or active transportation spines.
Program Overview
ATIIP will award two types of grants: Planning and Design grants and Construction grants. FHWA will award Planning and Design grants for eligible applicants to develop plans for active transportation networks and active transportation spines (BIL § 11529(d)(2)). Projects seeking Planning and Design grants must have planning and design costs of at least $100,000 to be eligible (BIL § 11529(l)(6)(B)(ii)).
FHWA will award Construction grants to eligible applicants to construct projects to provide safe and connected active transportation facilities in an active transportation network or active transportation spine. Projects seeking Construction grants must have total costs of at least $15 million to be eligible (BIL § 11529(l)(6)(B)(i)).
Both types of grants can go towards planning, designing, and constructing active transportation networks and active transportation spines. Active transportation networks are active transportation facilities that connect between destinations within a community or metropolitan region, including schools, workplaces, residences, businesses, recreation areas, medical facilities, and other community areas (BIL § 11529(l)(2)). Active transportation spines are active transportation facilities that connect between communities, metropolitan regions, or States (BIL § 11529(l)(3)).
A goal of both types of ATIIP grants is to integrate active transportation facilities with transit services, where available, to improve access to public transportation (BIL § 11529(c)(1)(A)).
Notice of Funding Opportunity
The fiscal year (FY) 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program grants is open.
Note that the application deadline has been extended. Applications must be submitted electronically through grants.gov no later than 11:59 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time, on Wednesday, July 17th.
This FHWA website does not accept any applications.
Webinars
FHWA has hosted two webinars on ATIIP:
There will be an additional virtual meeting for Tribal nations on Monday, April 22, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Register for the webinar here. Registrants will be provided teleconference information to access the audio portion of the Webinar. A Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD) is available for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing at (202) 366-3993.
How much funding is available?
In 2023, FHWA received $45 million in funding for ATIIP from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. 117-328), the first funds appropriated for this program.
Pursuant to section 11529(d)(2) of BIL, FHWA will set aside at least $3 million of available ATIIP funding for Planning and Design grants.
Pursuant to section 11529(d)(1) of BIL, FHWA will provide at least 30% of ATIIP funding to projects that construct active transportation networks, and at least 30% of ATIIP funding to projects that construct active transportation spines.
The Federal share of the cost of an eligible project carried out using an ATIIP grant shall not exceed 80 percent of the total project cost (BIL § 11529(f)(1)). For eligible projects serving communities with a poverty rate of over 40 percent based on the majority of census tracts served by the eligible project, however, the Secretary may increase the Federal share of the cost of the eligible project up to 100 percent of the total project cost (BIL § 11529(f)(2)).
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include:
- a local or regional governmental organization, including a metropolitan planning organization or regional planning organization or council;
- a multicounty special district;
- a State;
- a multistate group of governments; or
- an Indian tribe (BIL § 11529(l)(5)).
What factors will be considered when reviewing ATIIP grant applications?
- Whether the project is likely to provide substantial additional opportunities for walking and bicycling, including effective plans to create an active transportation network connecting destinations within or between communities, including schools, workplaces, residences, businesses, recreation areas, and other community areas, or an active transportation spine connecting two or more communities, metropolitan regions, or States; and to integrate active transportation facilities with transit services, where available, to improve access to public transportation.
- Whether the applicant demonstrates broad community support through the use of public input in the development of transportation plans and the commitment of community leaders to the success and timely implementation of the project.
- Whether the applicant provides evidence of commitment to traffic safety, regulations, financial incentives, or community design policies that facilitate significant increases in walking and bicycling.
- The extent to which the applicant demonstrates commitment of State, local, or eligible Federal matching funds, or land, or other in-kind contributions.
- The extent to which the applicant demonstrates that the grant will address existing disparities in bicyclist and pedestrian fatality rates based on race or income level or provide access to jobs and services for low-income communities and disadvantaged communities.
- Whether the applicant demonstrates how investment in active transportation will advance safety for pedestrians and cyclists, accessibility to jobs and key destinations, economic competitiveness, environmental protection, and quality of life. (BIL § 11529(c))
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Grant Resources
ATIIP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Potential applicants will find answers below to Frequently Asked Questions about the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) grant opportunity (693JJ324NF00012).
Except for the statutes and regulations cited, the contents of this document do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the States or the public in any way. This document is intended to provide information regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.
Updated [June 20, 2024].
Eligible Organizations
- Question: What is considered a local or regional governmental organization?
Answer: Local governmental organizations mean any unit of local government within a State, including counties, boroughs, municipalities, cities, towns, townships, parishes, local public authorities, special districts, school districts, intrastate districts, council of governments (whether or not incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under State law), and any other agency or instrumentality of an intra-State or local government. Regional government organizations include metropolitan planning organizations or regional planning organizations or councils. Organizations that are a unit or subdivision of a local or regional governmental organization are also eligible applicants. For example, a transit agency that is a unit or subdivision of a local or regional governmental organization would be an eligible organization. Nongovernmental organizations, such as non-profit organizations, are not eligible organizations.
- Question: What is considered a State?
Answer: The term “State” means any of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico (23 U.S.C. 101(a)(28)). States include State agencies (e.g., State Departments of Transportation, State Health Departments, and State Economic Development Authorities, etc.). Organizations that are a unit or subdivision of a State government, such as public universities, are also eligible organizations.
Award Amounts and Total Project Cost
- Question: What is the difference between the ATIIP award amount and the total eligible project cost requirement?
Answer: Under Section 11529(l)(6)(B) of BIL, eligible ATIIP construction projects must have a total eligible project cost of $15,000,000, and eligible ATIIP planning and design projects must have a total eligible project cost of $100,000. The total eligible project cost includes the ATIIP award amount, other Federal funds expended on the ATIIP project, non-Federal funds expended on the ATIIP project, and previously incurred expenses, if those previously incurred expenses are eligible project costs for ATIIP grants and were expended as part of the project for which the applicant seeks funds. Costs expended as part of another project may not be counted toward the total eligible project cost requirement. Although previously incurred costs may be used to satisfy the total eligible project cost requirement, they cannot be reimbursed with ATIIP grant funds nor can they be used to meet the non-Federal share requirement for an ATIIP grant.
ATIIP Award Amount. FHWA expects ATIIP awards for Planning and Design grants to range between a minimum of $100,000 and an expected maximum of $2,000,000. FHWA intends to award a minimum of $7,500,000 in ATIIP funds for any given construction grant, and a maximum of $15,000,000 in ATIIP funds for qualifying disadvantaged communities where the project has a 100% Federal share, or $12,000,000 in ATIIP funds for all other construction grant applicants where the project has an 80% Federal share.
However, FHWA reserves discretion to consider award sizes above and below the suggested award amounts listed above, assuming that the minimum project cost requirements are met.
Unless the project is eligible for a 100% Federal share, the ATIIP project is required to have an 80% Federal share. This means that for these projects the ATIIP award amount will be less than the total eligible project cost because the total eligible project cost will have to, at the least, include 20% in non-ATIIP funding.
For projects eligible for a 100% Federal share, the ATIIP award amount may be equal to the total eligible project cost, so long as the ATIIP award amount meets the total eligible project cost requirement.
An example for a construction grant is as follows:
| Fund Source |
Amount |
| ATIIP award |
$10M |
| Non-Federal share (matching funds) |
$2M |
| Additional non-ATIIP Federal funds that are not eligible for match |
$2M |
| Previously incurred costs that would have been otherwise eligible under ATIIP |
$1M |
| Total project cost |
$15M |
- Question: What are eligible costs for a project that contains both active transportation and other non-active transportation elements? For example, what are the eligible costs for a multimodal bridge replacement project with lanes for motor vehicles and a shared-use path.
Answer: Only the active transportation elements of the project are eligible costs for ATIIP funds. Therefore, only the active transportation elements of the project contribute to the total eligible project cost. With respect to the multimodal bridge replacement project example, only the shared-use path elements of the project are eligible costs for ATIIP funds and contribute to the total eligible project cost.
- Question: Can previously incurred costs contribute to total project cost and be reimbursed with ATIIP funds?
Answer: Previously incurred costs can contribute to total eligible project costs, but previously incurred costs cannot be reimbursed or used as a match.
- Question: Can an applicant seek funding from multiple discretionary grant programs for the same project?
Answer: Yes. FHWA recognizes that applicants may be seeking funding from multiple discretionary grant programs and opportunities. An applicant may seek the same award amounts from multiple DOT discretionary grant programs or seek a combination of funding from multiple DOT offerings. The applicant should identify all DOT programs and opportunities for which they have applied or intend to apply (or use if the Federal funding is already available to the applicant), and what award amounts they are seeking, will be seeking, or have been awarded.
- Question: Are costs that are incurred after award announcement but before a grant agreement is signed reimbursable?
Answer: Costs incurred between the award announcement and grant signing are eligible for reimbursement if authorized by FHWA in accordance with 2 CFR 200.458, Pre-award costs. FHWA recommends describing in the budget table in your application which costs are likely to be incurred before the grant agreement is signed.
- Question: What projects are eligible for a 100 percent Federal share?
Answer: For projects serving communities with a poverty rate of over 40 percent based on the majority of census tracts served by the project, the Federal share is 100 percent of the total project cost (BIL § 11529(f)(2)). For such projects, this means that no matching funds are required for the project to be eligible. In addition, such projects will automatically receive the highest rating under Merit Criterion 4.
Eligible Projects
- Question: Can an ATIIP grant fund planning and design or construction of active transportation facilities in multiple non-contiguous locations?
Answer: Yes, an ATIIP project may consist of a group of active transportation projects that are non-contiguous segments as long as they are part of the same network or spine.
- Question: Are amenities along an active transportation spine or network eligible for ATIIP funding?
Answer: As components of an active transportation network or spine project, utilitarian, transportation-related amenities like bathrooms, benches, water fountains, bike pump stations, bike racks and other storage, bikeshare stations, wayfinding signs, and landscaping are considered parts of an active transportation facility and are eligible for ATIIP funding. Recreational amenities like playground equipment or splashpads are not eligible for ATIIP funding.
- Question: Can an applicant apply to complete activities on land not owned by the applicant?
Answer: ATIIP does not require ownership of land as an eligibility requirement to apply for planning and design or construction projects. However, all real property and right-of-way acquisition necessary for the project must be completed in a timely manner in accordance with 49 CFR 24, 23 CFR 710, and other applicable legal requirements. A plan for securing any required right-of-way agreements or easements should be included in the application.
- Question: What activities are eligible to be funded under a Planning and Design grant versus a Construction grant?
Answer: Planning and Design grants may be used to fund preconstruction activities including public engagement, design and planning studies, the environmental review process (National Environmental Policy Act), and conceptual and preliminary engineering. Planning and Design grants may also be used to fund other related transportation planning activities for active transportation networks or spines (e.g., active transportation network plans, connectivity analyses, asset inventories, and data collection of active transportation network gaps).
Construction grants may be used to fund construction and training and education activities, including property acquisition; site preparation, demolition, or development; construction, rehabilitation, and reconstruction; land improvements; and training and education related to safety of users. Construction grants may also include the full range of planning and design activities that may be undertaken as part of a Planning and Design grant if construction activities are also performed as part of the grant.
