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Safe Routes To School PROGRAM NOTES
AVAILABLE FUNDING
To date, Congress has provided less than half of the funding authorized for the Safe Routes to School Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2009. For this reason, the Department will not be accepting applications for the Arkansas Safe Routes to School Program until further notice.
The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department is scheduled to receive approximately $1 million per year from Fiscal Year 2005 through Fiscal Year 2009 for Safe Routes To School projects. This estimate may vary due to constraints Congress places on Federal budgets.
There is approximately $1.99 million currently available for this program. No ceiling has been placed on the maximum amount any one applicant can request.
PROJECT SELECTION
Applicants will submit the applications to the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department by the published deadline. Staff will review all applications to determine if they are eligible and complete. Complete applications for eligible programs/projects will be transmitted to the Arkansas Safe Routes To School Advisory Committee. This group has membership representing the Arkansas Department of Education, the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, the Arkansas Municipal League, Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas, one of Arkansas’ eight planning and development districts, the Arkansas Safe Schools Association, the Arkansas Association of School Administrators and the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department.
The Arkansas Safe Routes To School Advisory Committee will rate each application based on the point system as indicated in the application. They will develop a list of projects recommended for funding. The list will be presented to the Arkansas Highway Commission for their consideration. Projects approved by the Commission will be forwarded to the Federal Highway Administration with a request for concurrence.
Upon Federal Highway Administration’s approval, all applicants will be notified and project sponsors will be invited to a Safe Routes To School Project Administration Workshop.
ENGINEERING / CONSULTANT SERVICES
Engineering services for the development of plans, construction specifications, bid documentation, construction inspection, and the filing of claims for reimbursement will be accomplished by qualified consultants selected by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department in compliance with provisions in the Federal Brooks Act of 1972, Public Law 92-582. This is a qualifications-based process.
Sponsors with existing full-time engineering staff will be allowed to utilize these in-house personnel to accomplish this work.
The selection of consultants by project sponsors to produce comprehensive Safe Routes To School plans will be accomplished using the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department’s selection procedures or procedures approved by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department and the Federal Highway Administration.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMPLIANCE
All Safe Routes To School projects will be compliant with standards for barrier free access developed as a result of the Federal Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 An excellent resource for information regarding these standards is the United States Department of Justice’s website: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm .
There may be individual cases where exceptions to this requirement will be necessary. Such exceptions will be granted in writing on a case by case basis by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department.
Projects constructed out of the Federal Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 compliance and without a written exception will not be eligible for reimbursement.
THE FIVE Es
Each application for Safe Routes To School funding will be evaluated by how well it addresses each of the five Es: education, enforcement, engineering, encouragement, and evaluation.
Ø Education Teaching children, and through them, their parents, about the broad range of transportation choices, instructing them in important lifelong bicycling and walking safety skills, and launching driver safety campaigns in the vicinity of schools.
Ø Enforcement Partnering with local law enforcement to ensure traffic laws are obeyed in the vicinity of schools (this includes enforcement of speeds, yielding to pedestrians in crossings, and proper walking and bicycling behaviors), and initiating community enforcement such as crossing guard programs.
Ø Engineering Creating operational and physical improvements to the infrastructure surrounding schools that reduce speeds and potential conflicts with motor vehicle traffic, and establish safer and fully accessible crossings, walkways, trails and bikeways.
Ø Encouragement Using events and activities to promote walking and bicycling.
Ø Evaluation Monitoring and documenting outcomes and trends through the collection of data, including the collection of data before and after the intervention(s).
RIGHT-OF-WAY
Access to right-of-way for Safe Routes To School infrastructure projects must be obtained by the applicant without the use of Safe Routes To School funding. This can be in the form of fee-simple ownership or a long-term, 25-year or greater, easement or lease.
In some cases along Arkansas highways, right-of-way owned and managed by the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department may be available for these projects. If so, a permit to use this property must be obtained from your local Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department District Office. To determine the name, location, and phone number of your District Permit Officer, call 501-569-2000. Early coordination, prior to submitting your application, is a necessity.
MAINTENANCE
Safe Routes To School infrastructure project maintenance is the responsibility of the applicant. Applicants can enter into cooperative agreements with other entities to perform required maintenance. A copy of any such agreement must be submitted with the project application.
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