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Federal funding for urban areas
Looking for ways to fund projects that improve traffic safety and mobility in urban areas? Here are grants and programs that can help you get the road and infrastructure funding to launch programs that your city needs today to build the complete streets of the future.
Download funding resources
We can help you determine which funding is right for you.
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Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Invests $350 billion in highway programs over 5 years.
Direct grants
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RAISE Grants ($1.5 billion) formerly known as TIGER and BUILD Grants
- Smaller projects
- 50/50 urban/rural split
- Minimum grant size: $5 million for urban areas/$1 million for rural areas
- Maximum grant size: $25 million
- Applications due in the spring, funding announced typically in the fall
- 80% federal/20% local match
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INFRA Grants ($1.64 billion) formerly known as FASTLANE Grants
- Nationally significant highway freight and multimodal projects
- At least 15% reserved for small projects
- Not for local streets, but may be useful for applications to show that industrial urban roads that handle freight are safer for all road users
- At the discretion of the Secretary. The federal match may be higher in areas of persistent poverty
- Application due dates to be announced
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Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program
- The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.
- New discretionary program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over the next five years.
- In fiscal year 2022 (FY22), the first year of SS4A Grant funding, $800 million in grant awarded for 510 projects.
- The fiscal year 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity is expected to open in April for the second round of SS4A grants.
- Apply at grants.gov
Programs distributed to state departments of transportation (state DOTs)
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Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
- Safety for all road users
- Transportation Equity
- Fix it First
- Multi-modalism—ped and bike in particular
- Direct support for local and city governments
- Less interest in traditional state highway spending
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Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBGP) ($12.5 billion)
- Sub-allocation of 55% by population (>200,00; 5,000-200,000; <5,000)
- Remaining 45% can be spent anywhere in the state
- These can be used for almost any project on the federal-aid highway system (i.e. urban and suburban arterials would qualify)
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Transportation Alternatives (TA) “set-aside” within STBGP ($1.4 billion)
- States and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) use a competitive process to sub-allocate 50% of TA funds for urbanized population areas greater than 200,000 residents
- Includes projects designed to improve access to non-auto transportation such as “Safe Routes to School” and bike/pedestrian projects
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Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ) ($2.5 billion)
- Used in air quality (fine particulate matter, PM2.5) non-attainment or maintenance areas except in states where none exist
- These funds may be used for projects that reduce congestion through demand management, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, as well as other projects that reduce emissions
- Generally, these funds are focused on urban areas due to the higher likelihood of urban areas being in non-attainment or maintenance areas
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Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) ($3.0 billion):
- All public roads are eligible for safety funding, regardless of whether they are on the federal-aid highway system
- States are not required to provide funding to local governments, but some states do have processes in place to use funds on locally owned roads
The importance of building relationships with metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs)
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Urban safety advocates and local governments in large urbanized areas should build the case for urban safety projects with their local MPO. Federal law does not require MPOs to develop data-driven safety plans. However, agreements with MPO planners to create plans that reflect a greater concern and strategy for urban safety can help model this practice for others and help secure sub-allocated state STBGP and TA funds for urban safety projects.
For more information about MPOs, visit https://ampo.org/.
3M applications for safer urban roads
In urban areas, there are key locations where road users — including motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, people on public transportation, and people using new forms of micro mobility — come into contact. These areas can present significant dangers, especially to vulnerable road users. Learn more about steps you can take to improve safety and mobility in these areas — and how 3M can help.
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