Application Related

1. What types of projects are funded by the Enhancement Program?
There are 12 eligible project categories:

• pedestrian and bicycle facilities
• historic preservation
• rehabilitation of historic transportation facilities
• landscaping and scenic beautification
• scenic and historic highways
• scenic easements
• transportation museums
• outdoor advertising control
• safety education for pedestrians and bicyclists
• rails-to-trails corridor preservation
• archeological planning and research
• mitigation for roadway runoff and wildlife connectivity

2. What types of projects are funded by the Illinois Green Streets Program?
This program will only provide funds for the purchase and planting of trees and prairie grasses including any engineering required to complete that task. Projects that wish to include a full scale streetscape of landscape project must submit an application under the ITEP program.

3. Where do I find more information/examples of projects under the twelve ITEP categories?
Visit the National Transportation Enhancement Clearinghouse website, www.enhancements.org. Additionally, the Federal Highway Administration also provides a fairly comprehensive FAQ list on their website, www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/te/qa_general.htm. (Note: Each state’s rules on enhancement projects vary and some of the examples may not be reflective of Illinois’ program)

4. Am I required to hold public meetings for project approval?
Public coordination may be necessary depending upon the type and scope of the proposed project, but is not required as a condition for project selection. Public outreach is strongly encouraged by both FHWA and the department and should be continued throughout the project. Public involvement will be considered in the selection process as a good reflection of public outreach/support and as a measure of project planning and project readiness.

5. Do I need to provide a lot of detailed information?
It is useful to provide as much detail as possible, but often, projects still require feasibility studies, design and environmental studies before construction can proceed. A detailed cost estimate is required with all project submittals. This will help insure that eligible and ineligible items can be defined which will allow the department and the project sponsor to have a clear understanding of the fiscal responsibilities.

6. What is meant by “project scope”?
Project scope is a concise description of the elements and scale of a project that need to be done to accomplish its intended purpose. Some detail is needed to clarify what the project sponsor wants to do so the department can determine what elements are eligible for funding. This is also critical if the proposed project is being in done in conjunction with another project.

Project Funding

1. How much funding can I get for my project?
Individual projects vary in size and costs depending upon the funding category. The average amount of federal funds provided to projects under the last application cycle in 2005-2006 was $720,000. Many of those projects only received partial funding. For projects exceeding $1 million project sponsors are encouraged to consider ways to phase their projects into logical segments should only partial funding be provided. The federal portion of eligible costs is 80% with the exception of street lighting and land acquisition which is funded at 50 percent for projects selected under the program.

2. What are my chances of getting funding?
ITEP is a very popular program. Under the first round of applications under SAFETEA-LU, 376 projects were submitted for funding; only 107 projects (approximately one in four) were able to be funded. If similar levels of project requests are made in this next solicitation, the number of projects selected will depend on the types of projects submitted and the level of funding needed.

3. Our community has already received funding for an ITEP project in the past. Does this affect our chances of receiving future ITEP funds?
No. Project selection is based on eligibility and merit.

4. What happens if I don’t get all the money I requested from the ITEP?
If funding from ITEP is less than the amount requested in the application, the project sponsor has a variety of options:

• The sponsor can seek funds from other public or private sources
• The project can be reduced to fit within the funding provided
• The sponsor can stage the project into logical phases and seek additional ITEP funding during a subsequent statewide solicitation

Project Selection and Implementation

1. If my project is selected, what happens next?
The department will initially contact the project sponsor by mail informing them of the project selection and approved funding amount. The IDOT District Local Roads office in your area is responsible for project implementation and should be the point of contact once you’ve received your letter. (See Sunset Clause in Guidelines Manual – Section H). The selected project may or may not have received all the funds requested and a scoping meeting (see next question) may be needed to determine which project elements the department has provided funding for or to discuss how to proceed with re-scoping the project to fit within the approved budget.

2. What is a scoping meeting?
The scoping meeting is a point where the project sponsor reviews the project funding with the department to determine what elements of the project are being funded and how that funding will be provided. FHWA and the department’s policies and procedures along with the sponsor’s responsibilities will be discussed in more detail. Scoping meetings will be held (if required) after project selection and notifications are made

3. What happens if I have a cost overrun on my project?
ITEP is limited in its ability to make up shortfalls for project cost overruns. Following similar steps as outlined in #4 under Project Funding, the sponsor should seek alternatives to manage the project within available funding levels. Funds can be shifted from one phase to another, such as from PE to construction to cover shortfalls. An ITEP Change Request form has been developed to simplify the process and is available through the local IDOT District Local Roads office.

4. If I have already completed Preliminary Engineering will I be required to do more work before proceeding to construction?
All engineering work must be done in accordance with federal procedures. You may need to adjust accordingly. Contact your local IDOT District enhancement coordinator with any related inquiries.

5. What is the Federal Flexible Match Program (FFM)?
This program allows new flexibility to the Federal-Aid Highway Program’s matching requirements by allowing certain public donations of cash, materials, and services to satisfy the local matching requirements. Basically the project sponsor can get ‘credits’ towards construction and construction engineering to use as part of the local match. This does not increase your funding level. See Appendix 6 of the ITEP Guidelines Manual for additional information.

6. What if I am unable to meet the time frame for project implementation as defined under the Sunset Clause?
This policy has been instituted to help reduce the amount of un-obligated ITEP funds which are subject to federal rescissions. If the required time frames can not be met reasonable justification must be provided to the department. Typically, as long as the project sponsor is making a ‘good faith effort’ to maintain the schedule the intent of the Sunset Clause has been met.

IDOT District Enhancement Program Coordinators

District	Program Development (state-sponsored projects)	Local Roads and Streets (local-sponsored projects)
1	Brian Carlson (847) 705-4080	Christopher Holt (847) 705-4201
2	Kristine Tobin (815) 284-5444	Jason Nelson (815) 284-5380
3	Tom Magolan (815) 434-8472	Ken Lang (815) 434-8402
4	Scott Carpenter (309) 671-3495	Derek Parish (309) 671-3690
5	Jeannie Bland (217) 466-7312	Darla Latham (217) 466-7358
6	Russ Militello (217) 782-73322	Terry Fountain (217) 782-4690
7	Sherry Phillips (217) 342-8244	Maureen Kastl (217) 342-8321
8	Tiffany Brase (618)346-3150	Richard Mauch (618) 346-3330
9	Doug Keirn (618) 351-5283	Lance Gribble (618) 351-5264

 

Click on map to enlarge