PennDOT Taking Bids for Multimodal Grants

Applications are being taken for grant funding from the Multimodal Transportation Fund of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

In a news release the agency said it will fund projects that coordinate local land use with transportation assets to enhance existing communities; improve streetscapes, lighting, sidewalk facilities and pedestrian safety; improve connectivity or utilization of existing transportation assets; or advance transit-oriented development.

Winning bids will be chosen based on safety benefits, regional economic conditions, technical and financial feasibility, job creation, energy efficiency and operational sustainability.

Eligible applicants include municipalities, councils of governments, business and nonprofit organizations, economic development organizations, public transportation agencies, public airports, airport authorities, and port and rail entities.

The deadline to submit an application is Nov. 14 with winners being announced next year.

In fiscal year 2002 PennDOT awarded grants to 56 projects totaling $47.8 million in funding throughout 28 counties.

PennDOT Awards Multimodal Grants

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced this week that it will award $47.9 million in funding to 56 projects, some of which involve public transit.

The funding is coming from the agency’s Multimodal Transportation Fund.

Projects chosen to receive grants were selected using such criteria as safety benefits, regional economic conditions, technical and financial feasibility, job creation, energy efficiency and operational sustainability.

Rail-related projects included $1.29 awarded to rehabilitate the Altoona Transportation Center, a multimodal transportation hub for passenger rail and bus services.

The planned work includes renovating utilities, installing new wayfinding and access signs and updating passenger spaces and transfer areas.

Another rail-related project is the removal of a deteriorated bridge over an active railroad line in York County. It received $379,501.

The bridge slated for removal, the Pleasant Acres Bridge, is weight restricted and is no longer needed following completion of a new road extension and grade crossing in Springettsbury Township.

PennDOT Awards $45.9M in Intermodal Project Grants

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has awarded $45.9 million in grant funding for 43 highway, bridge, rail, bike and pedestrian projects in 21 counties.

The grants were awarded from the state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund.

Among the recipients was McConway & Torley, which received $929,341 for a bulk material transport project to receive and process material deliveries by rail car in Allegheny County.

Projects were selected based on criteria such as safety benefits, regional economic conditions, the technical and financial feasibility, job creation, energy efficiency and operational sustainability.

The next round of multimodal grant applications will open in September.

Pennsylvania Awards $79.3M in Multimodal Funds

Pennsylvania will award a total of $79.3 million in funding for 141 transportation infrastructure projects through its Multimodal Transportation Fund.

The 141 projects are located in 42 counties including Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Franklin, Huntingdon, Indiana, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Washington, Wyoming and York.

A list of the projects can be found at https://dced.pa.gov/library/?wpdmc2=approved_projects/

The MTF was created in 2013 and funds infrastructure improvement projects aimed at ensuring safe and reliable transportation access in communities across the state.

Projects eligible for funding include rail, roads, walking and bike trails, traffic safety, public transportation and air transportation.

Pennsylvania Seeking To Boost Port Traffic

Pennsylvania has committed up to $1 million annually for five years to improve traffic volume at the Port of Philadelphia.

The state said can begin applying for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s new Intermodal Cargo Growth Incentive Program.

The program, which is funded by the state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund, will provide ocean carriers $25 per container lift above their previously reported lift totals.

Carriers that launch containerized cargo shipping services at the port will qualify for the program.

A carrier that discharges or loads containerized cargo at any port terminal would be eligible for the incentive if it increases its volume from one six-month period to another.

The transportation fund includes dedicated budget categories for freight-rail, port, aviation and bicycle-pedestrian projects. PennDOT expects to award the first grants under the program during the state’s 2015-16 fiscal year, with awards anticipated twice each fiscal year.

Interested companies must apply by June 30. If approved, a carrier’s incentive will be based on its reported cargo activity from July 2014 through December 2014.

By encouraging ocean carriers to bring more cargo to the Philadelphia port — which is served by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway — the program will attract about 200,000 new container moves annually over the five-year period, PennDOT officials said.