Please note: Entities eligible to apply for a Program grant are: A State for the purpose of carrying out a project in an urbanized area with a population of more than 1,000,000; and A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), city, or municipality, for the purpose of carrying out a project in an urbanized area with a population of more than 1,000,000. (23 U.S.C. 129(d)(1)(A)(i) and (ii)).

Funds made available for Federal Fiscal Years (FY) 2022, 2023 and 2024 for the Program are to be awarded on a competitive basis to advance innovative, integrated, and multimodal solutions to congestion relief in the most congested metropolitan areas of the United States under 23 United States Code (U.S.C.) 129(d). Specifically, the Program supports projects in urbanized areas having a population greater than 1,000,000. This notice describes the application requirements, selection and evaluation criteria, applicable program and Federal requirements, and available assistance during the grant solicitation period.

Section 11404(a) of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58, Nov. 15, 2021), established the Congestion Relief Program (the “Program”), which is codified at 23 U.S.C. 129(d). The purpose of the Program is to provide discretionary grants to States, metropolitan planning organizations (MPO), cities, and municipalities to advance innovative, integrated, and multimodal solutions to congestion relief in the most congested metropolitan areas of the United States. Under the Program, projects must be located in urbanized areas with a population greater than 1,000,000. (23 U.S.C. 129(d)(1)).

The goals of the Program are to reduce highway congestion, reduce economic and environmental costs associated with that congestion, including transportation emissions, and optimize existing highway capacity and usage of highway and transit systems through:

(1) improving intermodal integration with highways, highway operations, and highway performance;

(2) reducing or shifting highway users to off- peak travel times or to nonhighway travel modes during peak travel times; and

(3) pricing of, or based on, as applicable, parking; use of roadways, including in designated geographic zones; or congestion. (23 U.S.C. 129(d)(3)).

The vision for the Program is to fund operational improvement projects3 that increase the effectiveness of existing transportation system capacity; improve and integrate travel modes other than single-occupant vehicles; and give travelers sufficient motivation to use those modes or to avoid peak-period travel; and to do so in a manner that: is equitable to the traveling public and affected communities; considers and mitigates any safety impacts; reduces greenhouse gas emissions and fine particulate matter; and considers and mitigates any potential adverse financial impacts to low-income drivers.