Section 13010 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish the Transportation Access Pilot Program to assist States, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and Regional Transportation Planning Organizations in addressing transportation accessibility for important destinations.
The Transportation Access Pilot Program is a unique opportunity to build data and methods to incorporate transportation access into the transportation planning process. Through this program, FHWA will support transportation agencies exploring how well transportation systems provide opportunities to access jobs, education, recreation, health care, and other types of destinations in a State or region by different transportation modes, including access to freight.
FHWA will provide pilot participants technical assistance in developing and processing accessibility data and defining accessibility measurements. The results of the pilot program will be published for the benefit of all and will inform potential national transportation accessibility datasets, measures, and analysis procedures.
In this context, "access" or " accessibility" refers to analyzing destinations that can be accessed from a given location via a given mode. Ensuring that transportation facilities are designed to be accessible to persons with disabilities is an important topic which pilot participants may also choose to address in their study approach if they wish. For more information on ADA accessibility, please visit FHWA's Office of Civil Rights.
FHWA is seeking a cohort of pilot participants interested in studying transportation accessibility from a variety of viewpoints, focusing on different destination types, modes of transportation, population categories, and freight commodities. Apply to Join the Pilot.
