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Federal Land Access Program Guidance documents

Competitions for the FY 2013 Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) will be announced soon among the 13 states in the Northeast Region. The FY 2013 program includes $7,500,000 for transportation facilities owned by state or local governments, which provide public access to units of Federal Land Management Agencies including the National Park Service.The Access Program is authorized for FY 2014 as well. Eligible projects include roads, adjacent rest areas, bicycle and pedestrian trails, bridges, buses, ferries, intelligent transportation systems, and related facilities and services. Eligible activities include planning, design, construction, rehabilitation, vehicle acquisition, and maintenance and operation of transit facilities. The program is administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the U.S. Department of Transportation. We will let you know as soon as FHWA informs us of the finalized opening competition dates in the various Northeast states.
Earlier this year many NER parks responded to our call to submit project ideas for the Access Program. The NER project list is attached for your reference, along with FHWA guidance on the Access Program, and a Funding Advice showing the amount of Access Program funds available for each Northeast state. Within the funding advice document, the available funds for each state appear in the right hand column.  Any project meeting the program’s eligibility criteria and which secures the property owner’s support and NPS support can compete in the program.  The program requires a non-federal match of 20% for each project. This 20% match may be provided by a state’s Department of Transportation, for example.
If you want to submit a proposal, we recommend the following:
1. Send an email identifying your priority project(s) to the three members of the Program Decision Committee (PDC) for your state.
 The PDC in each state will evaluate and select the Access Program projects in that state. The PDC consists of one representative from FHWA, one from the state’s Department of Transportation, and one person representing local government in that state.  Indicate that you will be following up with the State DOT member to discuss the project(s) and begin the application process. The list of PDC members and contact information is attached.  Please copy Peter Steele on your initial email to the PDC members.
2. Work with the owners of the property (state or local governments) to enlist their support your highest priority projects and to ensure that an FHWA application form is completed for each proposal you want to compete. The state or local government owner of the property will normally fill out the application, but the parks or other partners can and should assist as needed. The Regional Office can also assist parks with the applications through existing regional support contracts as needed. Let us know if you need assistance with the application.
The FHWA project Application Form is attached for your reference.
As you can see in the application form, proposals will be screened for state or local government support, NPS support, and matching fund commitments. FHWA requires an NPS Regional letter of support for the application, which we will provide upon your request. Then, projects will be scored on the basis of the detailed information in the application form. In addition,  FHWA informs us that they are looking for projects that are “shovel ready” and do not require further environmental or other review.
FHWA has just informed us that the FLAP competition in Vermont will be open from July 1 to July 31, 2013. FHWA is advising us to expect the FLAP calls for projects in the other 12 Northeast Region states at various times over this summer, but more precise information concerning their timing is not yet available. We understand that Connecticut and Rhode Island are likely to be opened soon, and that Maine will likely not open until September, with the other 9 Northeast states in between.  Each call will be open for a minimum of 30 days; some may be open for 45 days. FHWA will inform NER at least a week prior to the opening of the competition in each state, and we will pass on the information as we receive it.
It appears that FHWA  will not have sufficient time to obligate the FY 2013 Access Program funds this year in the Northeast states, but the funds will carry over into FY 2014 and will be obligated then, along with the FY 2014 Federal Access funds as they become available.
For questions, assistance, and NER support letters, contact Peter Steele by email or at 617-223-5130.
For further information directly from FHWA,  contact David Payne, who is the Federal Lands Access Program Manager at the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division, at 571-434-1543 or atDavid.Payne@dot.gov. Additional information oh the Access Program is located at:

FEDERAL LANDS ACCESS PROGRAM GUIDANCE from FHWA

Access-Program-Application Final

Access Program FY13 FUNDING w ner 2013.05.14

Potential NER FLAP Projects FOR PARKS

FLAP List of PDC Memebers