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Q. What are the steps that our municipality or county must follow to implement our SRTS infrastructure project?
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Q. Do you have to create/complete an application for every strategy that was identified on your school travel plan?
A. No, you only have the ability to complete project funding requests for the strategies for which you are asking for SRTS funding this year. For example, if you are asking for new signage, paid for with SRTS funds, but are also planning to host International Walk to School Day using funding from a local business, you only need to complete an application for the signage. If you are NOT planning to use SRTS funding for a project, it should not be in your application. If you are asking for SRTS funding, the project should be part of your application.
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Q. Do you have to have a resolution AND a letter of support from each jurisdiction?
A. No, from a jurisdiction, you need either a letter OR a resolution of support for the project(s).
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Q. I already attached the map (resolution, letter, etc) to the plan. Do I need to attach it again to the application?
A. Yes, you will need to attach all applicable letters/resolutions of support, maps and any additional documents to your application, even if it was also attached to your travel plan. This means that a document or map may be attached to both your plan and your application individually and separately. For each application, you should attach a letter of support for each jurisdiction impacted.
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Q. Can I easily re-order my priorities once they are in my application?
A. No. During this cycle, the only way to move around your priorities is to delete and re-enter the project. The first (oldest) project created will always be the #1 priority on the list.
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Q. Sometimes, when I am working on a page in my application for a long period of time, my information doesn’t save and I get taken back to the home page. Why?
A. There is a “time out” of around 40 minutes, set by the state agency that manages our computer servers. This means that if you are working on a single page for that long without any communication between your computer and the server, you will “time out”. If you are constantly interrupted when working on your application, or simply have a great deal of information that you are adding to one page, save frequently.
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Q. Where can I find a copy of the Circular Letter from IDOT Local Roads?
A. Click HERE 
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Q. How long must a jurisdiction maintain a SRTS infrastructure project?
A. The project sponsor or designee must be able to maintain any infrastructure project for 20 years.
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Q. What communities in Illinois have participated in the Safe Routes to School planning process during the Spring 2007 cycle?
A. For a list of these communities, please see the document HERE .
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Q. In student demographics, we have a ethnic groups, such as Native American and Multi-racial/Ethnic listed for our district that are not represented in the student demographics chart, but there is no option for multi-racial/ethnic on the demographics chart. What do I do?
A. If you have students who are included in the category “multi-racial/ethnic”, please enter the data in the box labeled "other".
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Q. Does my municipality need to match the state funds?
A. No, your municipality does not have to provide a match for Safe Routes to School funding. This program is 100% federally funded with no match required.
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Q. Who is eligible to apply for funding?
A. Any government entity (State, regional or local) and any non-profit organization may apply for Safe Routes to School funds.
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Q. How much can we apply for?
A. The maximum funding is set on a “per project” basis, where the maximum amount you may request for an infrastructure project is $400,000. The maximum amount that you may request for a non-infrastructure project is $50,000. The minimum amount of funding that you may request is set at a “per application” level.
The minimum amount of funding that you may request for an entire application for infrastructure projects may be no less than $10,000, all projects included. The minimum amount of funding that you may request for an entire application for non-infrastructure projects may be no less than $2,000, all projects included.
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Q. What kinds of projects are eligible?
A. Both infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects are eligible for Safe Routes funding.
For a detailed list of fundable activities, please click HERE
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Q. What is a School Travel Plan and why do I need to create one?
A. The Illinois School Travel Plan is an online planning tool, accessible through the Illinois SRTS web site. The Plan allows you to create a personalized School Travel Plan individual to your own school and community. A School Travel Plan is a great tool for your community to use in determining the barriers that it faces for bicyclists and pedestrians. It then guides you in establishing the steps that can be taken to make your environment a better place for students to walk and bike.
For more information on the School Travel Plan, please click HERE.
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Q. By what criteria will applications be judged?
A. The applications will be judged based on the criteria set forth in Illinois Public Act 94-493, The Safe Routes to School Construction Program, signed into law on August 8, 2005. Those criteria are the:
1. demonstrated needs of the grant applicant;
2. potential of the proposal for reducing child injuries and fatalities;
3. potential of the proposal for encouraging increased walking and bicycling among students;
4. identification of safety hazards;
5. identification of current and potential walking and bicycling routes to school;
6. consultation and support for projects by school-based associations, local traffic engineers, local elected officials, law enforcement agencies, and school officials; and
7. proximity to parks and other recreational facilities.
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Q. What is the timetable for selection?
A. The timetable for selection is still being determined.
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Q. What are the upfront costs for communities?
A. The Safe Routes to School Program sponsors will reimburse the sponsors for their awarded project cost. Sponsors of non-infrastructure projects will need to have sufficient funds for the entire project prior to reimbursement.
Sponsors of infrastructure projects may choose a local letting process or IDOT letting process. If using the IDOT letting process, the state will front the funding for the construction of the project.
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Q. What happens after I win a SRTS award?
A. After you are notified that you have been chosen for Safe Routes funding, IDOT’s District Local Roads office will contact you to begin the process of formalizing an agreement between your organization and the Illinois Department of Transportation.
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Q. Can projects be funded retroactively?
A. No projects will be funded retroactively. Because of the way that the program works, and the way that the funding agreements and reimbursements will work, it would be impossible to retroactively approve plans and create funding agreements.
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Q. Can SRTS funding be used for in-house construction? For example, may our existing staff build the infrastructure projects or does it need to be bid out?
A. Yes, you may use SRTS funding for in-house construction for infrastructure projects selected through the SRTS program. Work on these projects may not begin until after the notice to proceed has been given. There will be no retroactive funding for costs incurred prior to the notice to proceed.
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Q. Can SRTS funding be used for in-house engineering? For example, may we fund our existing staff or does it need to be bid out?
A. Yes, you may use SRTS funding for in-house engineering for infrastructure projects selected through the SRTS program. The SRTS program will not cover expenses incurred until after the notice to proceed has been given. There will be no retroactive funding for costs incurred prior to the notice to proceed.
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Q. What design standards will the engineering projects be held to?
A. Standards and procedures are outlined in Part III and IV of the BLRS Manual, http://www.dot.il.gov/blr/manuals/blrmanual.html.
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Q. What kinds of lettings will be allowed for SRTS projects?
A. We will be allowing both IDOT and local lettings for these projects; however local lettings for infrastructure projects will require prior approval through your Districts Local Roads office.
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Q. Are there any special procedures that locals need to go through to get a local letting?
A. Request it through their District Bureau of Local Roads offices with their reasons why and justification that the local agency is adequately staffed to conduct a local letting as outlined in Chapter 24 of the BLRS manual, http://www.dot.il.gov/blr/manuals/blrmanual.html.
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Q. How does the Local Agency Agreement process work?
A. The formatted agreement would be sent to the local agency upon selection of their project for funding. The local agency would then execute the contract (get it signed by the appropriate person, pass a city ordinance, etc) and then start coordination with the IDOT District Local Roads staff. The District would sign off and send to Central Local Roads for final execution by the Department. The final executed agreement would then be returned to the District and the local agency.
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Q. Can these funds be used for improvements to railroad crossings?
A. There is nothing in the federal legislation that prohibits the use of SRTS funds for these types of improvements. However, unless it is absolutely necessary, keeping pedestrian traffic from crossing RR tracks is typically a safer alternative. We suggest considering the use of alternate funding using Railroads funds instead of SRTS funding for this type of project. We would also suggest considering applying for non-infrastructure funding for enforcement and education projects.
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Q. Can SRTS funds be used to compliment another project that is already planned? For example, if a sidewalk completion project is already on the table, can SRTS funding supplement the project?
A. Yes, you may apply for SRTS funding as a portion of a project that you are currently planning to do.
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Q. Can SRTS funds be used as the local match for other federal projects?
A. No, SRTS funds may not be used as the local match for any other federal project.
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Q. Can I use MFT funds to “front” the money for our Safe Routes project?
A. It is possible, depending on what the project. For information on acceptable uses of MFT funds, please see page 21, 23 and 27 of the booklet “Motor Fuel Tax Funds – Source, Distribution and Uses” at http://www.dot.state.il.us/blr/mftbooklet.pdf.
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Q. I thought that we were going to be required to map our infrastructure projects using GIS mapping, but the plan said that I didn’t have to. What is the actual requirement?
A. To make the process a little easier for communities given the short time frame for the 2007 cycle, we decided to make the mapping optional for applicants for this cycle only. Anyone who receives funding will be required to map their improvements as a requirement of funding.
GIS mapping will be a requirement for all 2008 School Travel Plans.
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Q. Who is required to maintain funded infrastructure projects?
A. The sponsoring agency must make the appropriate arrangements to maintain their funded infrastructure project for 20 years, per federal requirements.
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Q. What happens if we requested a specific amount of funding for our project but it ends up costing more than what we requested? For example, we requested $200,000 for our bike path, and the actual cost will be $300,000?
A. The amounts that are funded are “do not exceed” amounts, meaning that the amount that you have been awarded is the maximum amount of money that you can receive for that project. You will be responsible for completing the project using your own funds.
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Q. I need to contact my IDOT Local Roads Engineer regarding a project in the state right-of-way or IDOT standards questions, but I don’t know who I should call?
A. Please refer to the map below to determine who your Local Roads Engineer is and how you can contact him/her.
For a map of IDOT Districts, please click HERE
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Q. Speed feedback signs and trailers are listed under both the Engineering and Enforcement options. What is the difference?
A. Under Engineering, fixed (installed in the ground) speed feedback signs are eligible. The option under Enforcement is for portable speed feedback devices and trailers, those that can be re-located as necessary. In both cases, these devices must be used within a 2 mile radius of the school, and solely for school zone speed enforcement efforts.
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