Helping Cities Achieve Equity with USDOT

According to the National League of Cities, almost 86% of Americans live in cities. As cities across America continue to grow and become more diverse, they still struggle with historic inequities concerning transportation and access. To help them overcome these challenges, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is working to resolve barriers to equity within federal policies and programs.

Last fall, USDOT issued version 2 of Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making. The document clarifies and expands the use of federal funds to facilitate engagement with hard-to-reach populations. Federal funds can now be used to provide childcare and food at a public meeting, compensate community members for their time, and hire community-based organizations as consultants.

In addition, on Aug. 14, 2024, USDOT’s Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity (ACTE) released its final recommendations report which provides a framework to improve transportation in cities by revamping existing programs, removing barriers for implementing federally funded projects, and providing guidance for measuring equity. These recommendations include creating a public database of community-based organizations and advocacy groups to increase collaboration between cities and allow city transportation agencies to share public notices to a wider audience. Not to mention, the National Environmental Policy Act process should be adjusted to include alternative analysis of all modes of transportation.

As an ACTE member that represents cities, I see promise and opportunities for communities, big and small, to benefit by having their voices heard during the transportation planning and design process.

Making it Easier to Apply for Federal Grants

Since the passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) in November 2021, we have seen unprecedented amounts of funding from the federal government for transit, roads, bridges, railroads, bicycle infrastructure, sidewalks and other transportation improvements. New programs, such as Reconnecting Communities and Neighbor Access and Equity (NAE), have specifically targeted money to go toward improving areas of persistent poverty that have been disconnected by highway infrastructure.

While cities can submit competitive applications to receive funding, structural, administrative and policy challenges to applying and implementation still exist. Applications are often complicated and one small clerical error can lead to an application being rejected. In addition, the same level of effort is required to manage a $5 million grant as a $50 million grant.

To address these issues, ACTE recommends:

• Streamlining the application process to allow communities to apply for more than one applicable grant for their project
• Using plain language and simplifying the forms to reduce clerical errors
• Simplifying grant administration processes to match the level of effort required for the project
• Expanding technical assistance to smaller communities so they can access funding and have capacity to manage the grant

Inclusive Transportation Includes Transit

Across the nation, transit agencies are facing funding challenges. Some lack a dedicated long-term funding source, and others are struggling to maintain operations. It doesn’t help that capital funding requirements to obtain federal funding are more rigorous for transit projects than their highway counterparts. To improve equity in public transit, ACTE recommends:

• Cool Bus Shelters: These structures help protect transit users from the elements and include shaded areas to create a more comfortable temperature as people wait. Among the 16 largest transit agencies, less than 20% of bus stops have cool bus shelters. Providing funding for these shelters and mobility hubs can better connect bikes, taxis, shared rides, transit and parking.
• 80/20 Highway/Transit Split: Currently, only 20% of the Highway Trust Fund can be used for transit projects. Abandoning the current 80/20 split and adopting a mode-neutral approach would help increase funding.
• Operational Costs: Increased funding can help transit agencies subsidize operational costs and better maintain operations.

Metrics – Are We Getting Desired Results?

To better understand how well cities are implementing equity throughout their communities, ACTE’s report highlights several metrics, many of which include tracking to ensure USDOT is achieving the objectives of their programs.

These metrics include, but are not limited to:

• BIL: What is the impact of this investment to areas of persistent poverty in urban and rural areas? How has the investment improved safety and economic development, including increasing the revenues of small businesses? Has the community been able to enjoy the improvements, or have they been displaced?
• Small Cities: How many are submitting for discretionary grants and successful? The goal is to encourage USDOT to be proactive in reaching out to smaller communities that may not have the internal infrastructure to submit and manage a federal grant.
• Looking Back: By auditing past infrastructure projects, we can examine the impact on displaced communities, including the number of residents affected and the price of land versus the value of land. This also includes evaluating fair market value for the long-term impacts of the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956.

For example, USDOT acknowledges the impact the development of the Interstate Highway System had on destroying communities within cities during the 20^th century. This hits home for me, as my mother’s childhood house was taken in the 1960s so Interstate 10 (I-10) could be expanded to run through East Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There have been some efforts to quantify that impact within specific cities. However, there has not been national analysis looking at long-term effects.

We Can Help

As part of our commitment to engineering a better future for our planet and its people, we are helping cities secure federal funding for their transportation projects. During the last three years, we have managed grant applications for eight agency partners who received more than $3.2 billion in competitive federal grant funding, enabling their projects to move forward. Some of these grants included: 

• $60.3 million in NAE funds for the City of Miami for the I-395 Underdeck Open Space and Heritage Trail project.
• $105.2 million in NAE funds for the City of Austin to construct a 5.3-acre cap over Interstate 35 (I-35), which will include multimodal facilities and community amenities.
• $23 million in Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) funds for the City of Boulder to implement low-cost, high-impact safety countermeasures on its roadway network.

In addition, we are collaborating with cities to enhance equity through inclusive transportation projects. In Colorado, we partnered with the Colorado Department of Transportation to complete the $1.2 billion Central 70 Project, which reconnected disadvantaged communities in north Denver by prioritizing equity and environmental justice along with people-focused infrastructure improvements.