Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 245 / Friday, December 21, 2018 / Notices 65789 

SUMMARY: The Secretary of 

Transportation, as represented by the 

Maritime Administration (MARAD), is 

authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.- 

build requirements of the coastwise 

trade laws to allow the carriage of no 

more than twelve passengers for hire on 

vessels, which are three years old or 

more. A request for such a waiver has 

been received by MARAD. The vessel, 

and a brief description of the proposed 

service, is listed below. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

January 22, 2019. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

identified by DOT Docket Number 

MARAD–2018–0182 by any one of the 

following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Search 

MARAD–2018–0182 and follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket 

Management Facility is in the West 

Building, Ground Floor of the U.S. 

Department of Transportation. The 

Docket Management Facility location 

address is: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, MARAD–2018–0182, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West 

Building, Room W12–140, Washington, 

DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except on 

Federal holidays. 

Note: If you mail or hand-deliver your 

comments, we recommend that you include 

your name and a mailing address, an email 

address, or a telephone number in the body 

of your document so that we can contact you 

if we have questions regarding your 

submission. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the agency name and 

specific docket number. All comments 

received will be posted without change 

to the docket at www.regulations.gov, 

including any personal information 

provided. For detailed instructions on 

submitting comments, see the section 

entitled Public Participation. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bianca Carr, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Maritime 

Administration, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Room W23–453, 

Washington, DC 20590. Telephone 202– 

366–9309, Email Bianca.carr@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As 

described by the applicant the intended 

service of the vessel WAXI 1 is: 

—Intended Commercial Use of Vessel: 

waterborne passenger transportation 

throughout Boston Harbor via water 

taxi. The applicant is the exclusive 

provider of such services to and from 

the Boston Harbor Hotel At Rowes 

Wharf and Logan International 

Airport, both points located within 

the Port of Boston, Massachusetts. 

—Geographic Region Including Base of 

Operations: ‘‘Massachusetts’’ (Base of 

Operations: Port of Boston, 

Massachusetts) 

—Vessel Length and Type: 25.6′ small 

passenger ferry 

The complete application is available 

for review identified in the DOT docket 

as MARAD–2018–0182 at http://

www.regulations.gov. Interested parties 

may comment on the effect this action 

may have on U.S. vessel builders or 

businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.-flag 

vessels. If MARAD determines, in 

accordance with 46 U.S.C. 12121 and 

MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part 

388, that the issuance of the waiver will 

have an unduly adverse effect on a U.S.- 

vessel builder or a business that uses 

U.S.-flag vessels in that business, a 

waiver will not be granted. Comments 

should refer to the vessel name, state the 

commenter’s interest in the waiver 

application, and address the waiver 

criteria given in section 388.4 of 

MARAD’s regulations at 46 CFR part 

388. 

Public Participation 

How do I submit comments? 

Please submit your comments, 

including the attachments, following the 

instructions provided under the above 

heading entitled ADDRESSES. Be advised 

that it may take a few hours or even 

days for your comment to be reflected 

on the docket. In addition, your 

comments must be written in English. 

We encourage you to provide concise 

comments and you may attach 

additional documents as necessary. 

There is no limit on the length of the 

attachments. 

Where do I go to read public comments, 

and find supporting information? 

Go to the docket online at http://

www.regulations.gov., keyword search 

MARAD–2018–0182 or visit the Docket 

Management Facility (see ADDRESSES for 

hours of operation). We recommend that 

you periodically check the Docket for 

new submissions and supporting 

material. 

Will my comments be made available to 

the public? 

Yes. Be aware that your entire 

comment, including your personal 

identifying information, will be made 

publicly available. 

May I submit comments confidentially? 

If you wish to submit comments 

under a claim of confidentiality, you 

should submit three copies of your 

complete submission, including the 

information you claim to be confidential 

business information, to the Department 

of Transportation, Maritime 

Administration, Office of Legislation 

and Regulations, MAR–225, W24–220, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590. Include a cover 

letter setting forth with specificity the 

basis for any such claim and, if possible, 

a summary of your submission that can 

be made available to the public. 

Privacy Act 

In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), 

DOT solicits comments from the public 

to better inform its rulemaking process. 

DOT posts these comments, without 

edit, to www.regulations.gov, as 

described in the system of records 

notice, DOT/ALL–14 FDMS, accessible 

through www.dot.gov/privacy. To 

facilitate comment tracking and 

response, we encourage commenters to 

provide their name, or the name of their 

organization; however, submission of 

names is completely optional. Whether 

or not commenters identify themselves, 

all timely comments will be fully 

considered. If you wish to provide 

comments containing proprietary or 

confidential information, please contact 

the agency for alternate submission 

instructions. 

(Authority: 49 CFR 1.93(a), 46 U.S.C. 55103, 

46 U.S.C. 12121) * * * 

Dated: December 18, 2018. 

By Order of the Maritime Administrator. 

T. Mitchell Hudson, Jr. 

Secretary, Maritime Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2018–27681 Filed 12–20–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–81–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Office of the Secretary of 

Transportation 

Notice of Funding Opportunity for the 

Department of Transportation’s 

Nationally Significant Freight and 

Highway Projects (INFRA Grants) for 

Fiscal Year 2019 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary of 

Transportation, U.S. Department of 

Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice of funding opportunity. 

Infrastructure for Rebuilding America 

(INFRA) Program 

FY 2019 Notice of Funding Opportunity 

SUMMARY: The Nationally Significant 

Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA) 

program provides Federal financial 

assistance to highway and freight 


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projects of national or regional 

significance. This notice solicits 

applications for awards under the 

program’s fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding, 

subject to the availability of 

appropriated funds. 

DATES: Applications must be submitted 

by 8:00 p.m. EST March 4, 2019. The 

Grants.gov ‘‘Apply’’ function will open 

by January 7, 2019. 

ADDRESSES: Applications must be 

submitted through www.Grants.gov. 

Only applicants who comply with all 

submission requirements described in 

this notice and submit applications 

through www.Grants.gov will be eligible 

for award. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information regarding this 

notice, please contact the Office of the 

Secretary via email at INFRAgrants@

dot.gov, or call Paul Baumer at (202) 

366–1092. A TDD is available for 

individuals who are deaf or hard of 

hearing at 202–366–3993. In addition, 

up to the application deadline, the 

Department will post answers to 

common questions and requests for 

clarifications on USDOT’s website at 

https://www.transportation.gov/ 

buildamerica/INFRAgrants. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

organization of this notice is based on 

an outline set in 2 CFR part 200 to 

ensure consistency across Federal 

financial assistance programs. However, 

that format is designed for locating 

specific information, not for linear 

reading. For readers seeking to 

familiarize themselves with the INFRA 

program, the Department encourages 

them to begin with Section A (Program 

Description), which describes the 

Department’s goals for the INFRA 

program and purpose in making awards, 

and Section E (Application Review 

Information), which describes how the 

Department will select among eligible 

applications. Those two sections will 

provide appropriate context for the 

remainder of the notice: Section B 

(Federal Award Information) describes 

information about the size and nature of 

awards; Section C (Eligibility 

Information) describes eligibility 

requirements for applicants and 

projects; Section D (Application and 

Submission Information) describes in 

detail how to apply for an award; 

Section F (Federal Award 

Administration Information) describes 

administrative requirements that will 

accompany awards; and Sections G 

(Federal Awarding Agency Contacts) 

and H (Other Information) provide 

additional administrative information. 

Table of Contents 

A. Program Description 

1. Overview 

2. Key Program Objectives 

3. Changes From the FY 2017–2018 NOFO 

B. Federal Award Information 

1. Amount Available 

2. Restrictions on Award Portfolio 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

3. Other 

D. Application and Submission Information 

1. Address 

2. Content and Form of Application 

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for 

Award Management (SAM) 

4. Submission Dates and Timelines 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria 

2. Review and Selection Process 

3. Additional Information 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

3. Reporting 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

H. Other Information 

1. Protection of Confidential Business 

Information 

2. Publication of Application Information 

A. Program Description 

1. Overview 

The INFRA program provides Federal 

financial assistance to highway and 

freight projects of national or regional 

significance. To maximize the value of 

FY 2019 INFRA funds for all Americans, 

the Department is focusing the 

competition on transportation 

infrastructure projects that support four 

key objectives, each of which is 

discussed in greater detail in section 

A.2: 

(1) Supporting economic vitality at 

the national and regional level; 

(2) Leveraging Federal funding to 

attract non-Federal sources of 

infrastructure investment; 

(3) Deploying innovative technology, 

encouraging innovative approaches to 

project delivery, and incentivizing the 

use of innovative financing; and 

(4) Holding grant recipients 

accountable for their performance. 

This notice’s focus on the four key 

objectives does not supplant the 

Department’s focus on safety as our top 

priority. The Department is committed 

to reducing fatalities and serious 

injuries on the surface transportation 

system. To reinforce the Department’s 

safety priority, the USDOT will require 

projects that receive INFRA awards to 

consider and effectively respond to 

data-driven transportation safety 

concerns. Section F.2.a describes related 

requirements that the Department will 

impose on each INFRA project. These 

requirements focus on performing 

detailed, data-driven safety analyses and 

incorporating project elements that 

respond to State-specific safety priority 

areas. 

2. Key Program Objectives 

This section of the notice describes 

the four key program objectives that the 

Department intends to advance with FY 

2019 INFRA funds. These four 

objectives are reflected in later portions 

of the notice, including section E.1, 

which describes how the Department 

will evaluate applications to advance 

these objectives, and section D.2.b, 

which describes how applicants should 

address the four objectives in their 

applications. 

a. Key Program Objective #1: Supporting 

Economic Vitality 

A strong transportation network is 

critical to the functioning and growth of 

the American economy. The nation’s 

industry depends on the transportation 

network not only to move the goods that 

it produces, but also to facilitate the 

movements of the workers who are 

responsible for that production. When 

the nation’s highways, railways, and 

ports function well, that infrastructure 

connects people to jobs, increases the 

efficiency of delivering goods and 

thereby cuts the costs of doing business, 

reduces the burden of commuting, and 

improves overall well-being. When the 

transportation network fails—whether 

due to increasing bottlenecks, growing 

connectivity gaps, or unsafe, crumbling 

conditions—our economy suffers. 

Projects that address congestion in our 

major urban areas, particularly those 

that do so through the use of congestion 

pricing or the deployment of advanced 

technology, projects that bridge gaps in 

service in our rural areas, and projects 

that attract private economic 

development, all have the potential to 

support national or regional economic 

vitality. Therefore, USDOT seeks 

applications for these types of 

infrastructure projects under the INFRA 

program. 

b. Key Program Objective #2: Leveraging 

of Federal Funding 

The Department is committed to 

supporting the President’s call for more 

infrastructure investment. That goal will 

not be achieved through Federal 

investment alone, but rather requires 

States, local governments, and the 

private sector to maximize their own 

contributions. 

To increase the leveraging of Federal 

funding, the INFRA program will give 

priority consideration to projects that 


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1Funds are subject to the overall Federal-aid 

highway obligation limitation, and funds in excess 

of the obligation limitation provided to the program 

are distributed to the States. While $950 million is 

authorized for FY 2019, the Department anticipates 

between $855 and $902.5 million available for 

award. The number will be finalized following 

enactment of full year FY 19 Appropriations. For 

additional information see FAST Act § 1102 (f) and 

the Transportation, Housing and Urban 

Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations 

Act, 2016, Public Law 114–113, div. L § 120. 

use all available non-Federal resources 

for development, construction, 

operations, and maintenance. As 

described further in section E.1.a 

(Criterion #2), the Department will also 

consider the level at which these 

resources are in fact available, 

particularly for rural areas. These 

projects include projects that maximize 

State, local, and private sector funding, 

projects that raise revenue directly, and 

projects that pair INFRA grants with 

broader-scale innovative financing, 

including Federal credit assistance such 

as Transportation Infrastructure Finance 

and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and 

Railroad Rehabilitation Improvement 

Financing (RRIF) loans. 

By emphasizing leveraging of Federal 

funding, the Department expects to 

expand the total resources being used to 

build and restore infrastructure, rather 

than have Federal dollars merely 

displace or substitute for State, local, 

and private funds. 

c. Key Program Objective #3: Innovation 

The Department seeks to use the 

INFRA program to encourage innovation 

in three areas: (1) The deployment of 

innovative technology and expanded 

access to broadband; (2) use of 

innovative permitting, contracting, and 

other project delivery practices; and (3) 

innovative financing. This objective 

supports the Department’s strategic goal 

of innovation, with the potential for 

significantly enhancing the safety, 

efficiency, and performance of the 

transportation network. DOT anticipates 

INFRA projects will support the 

integration of new technology and 

facilitate increased public and private 

sector collaboration. In section E.1.c 

(Criterion #3), the Department provides 

many examples of innovative 

technologies, practices, and financing. It 

encourages applicants to identify those 

that are suitable for their projects and 

local constraints. 

d. Key Program Objective #4: 

Performance and Accountability 

The Department seeks to increase 

project sponsor accountability and 

performance by evaluating each INFRA 

applicant’s plans to address the full 

lifecycle costs of their project and 

willingness to condition award funding 

on achieving specific Departmental 

goals. 

To maximize public benefits from 

INFRA funds and promote local activity 

that will provide benefits beyond the 

INFRA-funded projects, the Department 

seeks projects that allow it to condition 

funding on specific, measurable 

outcomes. For appropriate projects, the 

Department may use one or more of the 

following types of events to trigger 

availability of some or all INFRA funds: 

(1) Reaching construction and project 

completion in a timely manner; (2) 

achieving transportation performance 

objectives that support economic 

vitality or improve safety; and (3) 

making specific State or local policy 

changes that facilitate interstate 

commerce. 

The Department does not intend to 

impose these conditions on unwilling or 

uninterested INFRA recipients, nor does 

it intend to limit the types of projects 

that should consider accountability 

mechanisms. Instead, in section E.1.d 

(Criterion #4), the Department provides 

a framework for accountability measures 

and encourages applicants to 

voluntarily identify those that are most 

appropriate for their projects and local 

constraints. 

3. Changes From the FY 2017–2019 

NOFO 

The FY 2019 INFRA Notice includes 

changes to multiple selection criteria, 

including criterion #2, criterion #3, and 

criterion #4. Applicants who are 

planning to re-apply using materials 

prepared for prior competitions should 

ensure that their FY 2019 application 

fully addresses the criteria and 

considerations described in this Notice 

and that all relevant information is up 

to date. 

B. Federal Award Information 

1. Amount Available 

The FAST Act authorizes the INFRA 

program at $4.5 billion for fiscal years 

(FY) 2016 through 2020, including $950 

million1 for FY 2019, to be awarded by 

USDOT on a competitive basis to 

projects of national or regional 

significance that meet statutory 

requirements. This notice solicits 

applications for the $855–902.5 million 

in FY 2019 INFRA funds that the 

Department anticipates will be available 

for awards. The estimate may be higher 

or lower than the final amount, which 

is dependent on fiscal year 2019 

appropriations, which have yet to be 

enacted. Any award under this notice 

will be subject to the availability of 

appropriated funds. 

2. Restrictions on Award Portfolio 

The Department will make awards 

under the INFRA program to both large 

and small projects (refer to section 

C.3.ii.for a definition of large and small 

projects). For a large project, the FAST 

Act specifies that an INFRA grant must 

be at least $25 million. For a small 

project, including both construction 

awards and project development 

awards, the grant must be at least $5 

million. For each fiscal year of INFRA 

funds, 10 percent of available funds are 

reserved for small projects, and 90 

percent of funds are reserved for large 

projects. 

The FAST Act specifies that not more 

than $500 million in aggregate of the 

$4.5 billion authorized for INFRA grants 

over fiscal years 2016 to 2020 may be 

used for grants to freight rail, water 

(including ports), or other freight 

intermodal projects that make 

significant improvements to freight 

movement on the National Highway 

Freight Network. After accounting for 

FY 2016–2018 INFRA selections, 

approximately $200 million within this 

constraint remains available. Only the 

non-highway portion(s) of multimodal 

projects count toward this limit. Grade 

crossing and grade separation projects 

do not count toward the limit for freight 

rail, port, and intermodal projects. 

The FAST Act directs that at least 25 

percent of the funds provided for INFRA 

grants must be used for projects located 

in rural areas, as defined in Section 

C.3.iv. The Department may elect to go 

above that threshold. The USDOT must 

consider geographic diversity among 

grant recipients, including the need for 

a balance in addressing the needs of 

urban and rural areas. 

C. Eligibility Information 

To be selected for an INFRA grant, an 

applicant must be an Eligible Applicant 

and the project must be an Eligible 

Project that meets the Minimum Project 

Size Requirement. 

1. Eligible Applicants 

Eligible applicants for INFRA grants 

are: (1) A State or group of States; (2) a 

metropolitan planning organization that 

serves an Urbanized Area (as defined by 

the Bureau of the Census) with a 

population of more than 200,000 

individuals; (3) a unit of local 

government or group of local 

governments; (4) a political subdivision 

of a State or local government; (5) a 

special purpose district or public 

authority with a transportation function, 

including a port authority; (6) a Federal 

land management agency that applies 

jointly with a State or group of States; 


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(7) a tribal government or a consortium 

of tribal governments; or (8) a multiState or multijurisdictional group of 

public entities. 

Multiple States or jurisdictions that 

submit a joint application should 

identify a lead applicant as the primary 

point of contact. Joint applications 

should include a description of the roles 

and responsibilities of each applicant 

and should be signed by each applicant. 

The applicant that will be responsible 

for financial administration of the 

project must be an eligible applicant. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching 

This section describes the statutory 

cost share requirements for an INFRA 

award. Cost share will also be evaluated 

according to the ‘‘Leveraging of Federal 

Funding’’ evaluation criterion described 

in Section E.1.a.ii. That section clarifies 

that the Department seeks applications 

for projects that exceed the minimum 

non-Federal cost share requirement 

described here. 

INFRA grants may be used for up to 

60 percent of future eligible project 

costs. Other Federal assistance may 

satisfy the non-Federal share 

requirement for an INFRA grant, but 

total Federal assistance for a project 

receiving an INFRA grant may not 

exceed 80 percent of future eligible 

project costs. Non-Federal sources 

include State funds originating from 

programs funded by State revenue, local 

funds originating from State or local 

revenue-funded programs, private funds 

or other funding sources of non-Federal 

origins. If a Federal land management 

agency applies jointly with a State or 

group of States, and that agency carries 

out the project, then Federal funds that 

were not made available under titles 23 

or 49 of the United States Code may be 

used for the non-Federal share. Unless 

otherwise authorized by statute, local 

cost-share may not be counted as nonFederal share for both the INFRA and 

another Federal program. For any 

project, the Department cannot consider 

previously incurred costs or previously 

expended or encumbered funds towards 

the matching requirement. Matching 

funds are subject to the same Federal 

requirements described in Section F.2.b 

as awarded funds. 

For the purpose of evaluating 

eligibility under the statutory limit on 

total Federal assistance, funds from the 

TIFIA and RRIF credit assistance 

programs are considered Federal 

assistance and, combined with other 

Federal assistance, may not exceed 80 

percent of the future eligible project 

costs. 

3. Other 

a. Eligible Projects 

Eligible projects for INFRA grants are: 

highway freight projects carried out on 

the National Highway Freight Network 

(23 U.S.C. 167); highway or bridge 

projects carried out on the National 

Highway System (NHS), including 

projects that add capacity on the 

Interstate System to improve mobility or 

projects in a national scenic area; 

railway-highway grade crossing or grade 

separation projects; or a freight project 

that is (1) an intermodal or rail project, 

or (2) within the boundaries of a public 

or private freight rail, water (including 

ports), or intermodal facility. A project 

within the boundaries of a freight rail, 

water (including ports), or intermodal 

facility must be a surface transportation 

infrastructure project necessary to 

facilitate direct intermodal interchange, 

transfer, or access into or out of the 

facility and must significantly improve 

freight movement on the National 

Highway Freight Network. Improving 

freight movement on the National 

Highway Freight Network may include 

shifting freight transportation to other 

modes, thereby reducing congestion and 

bottlenecks on the National Highway 

Freight Network. For a freight project 

within the boundaries of a freight rail, 

water (including ports), or intermodal 

facility, Federal funds can only support 

project elements that provide public 

benefits. 

b. Eligible Project Costs 

INFRA grants may be used for the 

construction, reconstruction, 

rehabilitation, acquisition of property 

(including land related to the project 

and improvements to the land), 

environmental mitigation, construction 

contingencies, equipment acquisition, 

and operational improvements directly 

related to system performance. 

Statutorily, INFRA grants may also fund 

development phase activities, including 

planning, feasibility analysis, revenue 

forecasting, environmental review, 

preliminary engineering, design, and 

other preconstruction activities, 

provided the project meets statutory 

requirements. However, the Department 

is seeking to use INFRA funding on 

projects that result in construction. 

Public-private partnership assessments 

for projects in the development phase 

are also eligible costs. 

INFRA grant recipients may use 

INFRA funds to pay the subsidy and 

administrative costs necessary to receive 

TIFIA credit assistance. 

c. Minimum Project Size Requirement 

For the purposes of determining 

whether a project meets the minimum 

project size requirement, the 

Department will count all future eligible 

project costs under the award and some 

related costs incurred before selection 

for an INFRA grant. Previously incurred 

costs will be counted toward the 

minimum project size requirement only 

if they were eligible project costs under 

Section C.3.b. and were expended as 

part of the project for which the 

applicant seeks funds. Although those 

previously incurred costs may be used 

for meeting the minimum project size 

thresholds described in this Section, 

they cannot be reimbursed with INFRA 

grant funds, nor will they count toward 

the project’s required non-Federal share. 

i. Large Projects 

The minimum project size for large 

projects is the lesser of $100 million; 30 

percent of a State’s FY 2018 Federal-aid 

apportionment if the project is located 

in one State; or 50 percent of the larger 

participating State’s FY 2018 

apportionment for projects located in 

more than one State. The following 

chart identifies the minimum total 

project cost for projects for FY 2018 for 

both single and multi-State projects. 

State 

FY19 

NSFHP 

(30% of 

FY18 apportionment) 

one-state 

minimum 

(millions) 

FY19 

NSFHP 

(50% of 

FY18 apportionment) 

multi-state 

minimum* 

(millions) 

Alabama ............ $100 $100 

Alaska ............... 100 100 

Arizona .............. 100 100 

Arkansas ........... 100 100 

California ........... 100 100 

Colorado ........... 100 100 

Connecticut ....... 100 100 

Delaware ........... 53 89 

Dist. of Col ........ 50 84 

Florida ............... 100 100 

Georgia ............. 100 100 

Hawaii ............... 53 89 

Idaho ................. 90 100 

Illinois ................ 100 100 

Indiana .............. 100 100 

Iowa .................. 100 100 

Kansas .............. 100 100 

Kentucky ........... 100 100 

Louisiana .......... 100 100 

Maine ................ 58 97 

Maryland ........... 100 100 

Massachusetts .. 100 100 

Michigan ........... 100 100 

Minnesota ......... 100 100 

Mississippi ........ 100 100 

Missouri ............ 100 100 

Montana ............ 100 100 

Nebraska .......... 91 100 

Nevada ............. 100 100 

New Hampshire 52 87 


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2For Census 2010, the Census Bureau defined an 

Urbanized Area (UA) as an area that consists of 

densely settled territory that contains 50,000 or 

more people. Updated lists of UAs are available on 

the Census Bureau website at http://

www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/UAUC_

RefMap/ua/. For the purposes of the INFRA 

program, Urbanized Areas with populations fewer 

than 200,000 will be considered rural. 

3See www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/ 

InFRAgrants for a list of Urbanized Areas with a 

population of 200,000 or more. 

State 

FY19 

NSFHP 

(30% of 

FY18 apportionment) 

one-state 

minimum 

(millions) 

FY19 

NSFHP 

(50% of 

FY18 apportionment) 

multi-state 

minimum* 

(millions) 

New Jersey ....... 100 100 

New Mexico ...... 100 100 

New York .......... 100 100 

North Carolina .. 100 100 

North Dakota .... 78 100 

Ohio .................. 100 100 

Oklahoma ......... 100 100 

Oregon .............. 100 100 

Pennsylvania .... 100 100 

Rhode Island .... 69 100 

South Carolina .. 100 100 

South Dakota .... 89 100 

Tennessee ........ 100 100 

Texas ................ 100 100 

Utah .................. 100 100 

Vermont ............ 64 100 

Virginia .............. 100 100 

Washington ....... 100 100 

West Virginia .... 100 100 

Wisconsin ......... 100 100 

Wyoming ........... 81 100 

* For multi-State projects, the minimum 

project size is the largest of the multi-State 

minimums from the participating States. 

ii. Small Projects 

A small project is an eligible project 

that does not meet the minimum project 

size described in Section C.3.c.i. 

d. Large/Small Project Requirements 

For a large project to be selected, the 

Department must determine that the 

project generates national or regional 

economic, mobility, or safety benefits; is 

cost-effective; contributes to one or 

more of the goals described in 23 U.S.C 

150; is based on the results of 

preliminary engineering; has one or 

more stable and dependable funding or 

financing sources available to construct, 

maintain, and operate the project, and 

contingency amounts are available to 

cover unanticipated cost increases; 

cannot be easily and efficiently 

completed without other Federal 

funding or financial assistance; and is 

reasonably expected to begin 

construction no later than 18 months 

after the date of obligation. These 

requirements are discussed in greater 

detail in section D.2.b.vii. 

For a small project to be selected, the 

Department must consider the costeffectiveness of the proposed project 

and the effect of the proposed project on 

mobility in the State and region in 

which the project is carried out. 

e. Rural/Urban Area 

This section describes the statutory 

definition of urban and rural areas and 

the minimum statutory requirements for 

projects that meet those definitions. For 

more information on how the 

Department consider projects in urban, 

rural, and low population areas as part 

of the selection process, see Section 

E.1.a. Criterion #2, and E.1.c. 

The INFRA statute defines a rural area 

as an area outside an Urbanized Area 2

with a population of over 200,000. In 

this notice, urban area is defined as 

inside an Urbanized Area, as a 

designated by the U.S. Census Bureau, 

with a population of 200,000 or more.3

Rural and urban definitions differ in 

some other USDOT programs, including 

TIFIA and the FY 2018 BUILD 

Discretionary Grants program. Cost 

share requirements and minimum grant 

awards are the same for projects located 

in rural and urban areas. The 

Department will consider a project to be 

in a rural area if the majority of the 

project (determined by geographic 

location(s) where the majority of the 

money is to be spent) is located in a 

rural area. However, if a project consists 

of multiple components, as described 

under section C.3.f or C.3.g., then for 

each separate component the 

Department will determine whether that 

component is rural or urban. In some 

circumstances, including networks of 

projects under section C.3.g that cover 

wide geographic regions, this 

component-by-component 

determination may result in INFRA 

awards that include urban and rural 

funds. 

f. Project Components 

An application may describe a project 

that contains more than one component. 

The USDOT may award funds for a 

component, instead of the larger project, 

if that component (1) independently 

meets minimum award amounts 

described in Section B and all eligibility 

requirements described in Section C, 

including the requirements for large 

projects described in Sections C.3.d and 

D.2.b.vii; (2) independently aligns well 

with the selection criteria specified in 

Section E; and (3) meets National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

requirements with respect to 

independent utility. Independent utility 

means that the component will 

represent a transportation improvement 

that is usable and represents a 

reasonable expenditure of USDOT funds 

even if no other improvements are made 

in the area, and will be ready for 

intended use upon completion of that 

component’s construction. If an 

application describes multiple 

components, the application should 

demonstrate how the components 

collectively advance the purposes of the 

INFRA program. An applicant should 

not add multiple components to a single 

application merely to aggregate costs or 

avoid submitting multiple applications. 

Applicants should be aware that, 

depending upon applicable Federal law 

and the relationship among project 

components, an award funding only 

some project components may make 

other project components subject to 

Federal requirements as described in 

Section F.2.b. For example, under 40 

CFR 1508.25, the NEPA review for the 

funded project component may need to 

include evaluation of all project 

components as connected, similar, or 

cumulative actions. 

The Department strongly encourages 

applicants to identify in their 

applications the project components 

that meet independent utility standards 

and separately detail the costs and 

INFRA funding requested for each 

component. If the application identifies 

one or more independent project 

components, the application should 

clearly identify how each independent 

component addresses selection criteria 

and produces benefits on its own, in 

addition to describing how the full 

proposal of which the independent 

component is a part addresses selection 

criteria. 

g. Network of Projects 

An application may describe and 

request funding for a network of 

projects. A network of projects is one 

INFRA award that consists of multiple 

projects addressing the same 

transportation problem. For example, if 

an applicant seeks to improve efficiency 

along a rail corridor, then their 

application might propose one award 

for four grade separation projects at four 

different railway-highway crossings. 

Each of the four projects would 

independently reduce congestion but 

the overall benefits would be greater if 

the projects were completed together 

under a single award. 

The USDOT will evaluate 

applications that describe networks of 

projects similar to how it evaluates 

projects with multiple components. 

Because of their similarities, the 

guidance in Section C.3.f is applicable 

to networks of projects, and applicants 

should follow that guidance on how to 


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present information in their application. 

As with project components, depending 

upon applicable Federal law and the 

relationship among projects within a 

network of projects, an award that funds 

only some projects in a network may 

make other projects subject to Federal 

requirements as described in Section 

F.2. 

h. Application Limit 

To encourage applicants to prioritize 

their INFRA submissions, each eligible 

applicant may submit no more than 

three applications. The threeapplication limit applies only to 

applications where the applicant is the 

lead applicant. There is no limit on 

applications for which an applicant can 

be listed as a partnering agency. If a lead 

applicant submits more than three 

applications as the lead applicant, only 

the first three received will be 

considered. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Address 

Applications must be submitted 

through www.Grants.gov. Instructions 

for submitting applications can be found 

at https://www.transportation.gov/ 

buildamerica/InFRAgrants. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

The application must include the 

Standard Form 424 (Application for 

Federal Assistance), Standard Form 

424C (Budget Information for 

Construction Programs), cover page, and 

the Project Narrative. More detailed 

information about the cover pages and 

Project Narrative follows. 

a. Cover Page 

Each application should contain a 

cover page with the following chart: 

Basic Project Information: 

What is the Project Name? .........................................................................................................................

Who is the Project Sponsor? ......................................................................................................................

Was an INFRA application for this project submitted previously? (If Yes, please include title). 

Project Costs: 

INFRA Request Amount ............................................................................................................................. $ 

Estimated federal funding (excl. INFRA) .................................................................................................... $ 

Estimated non-federal funding .................................................................................................................... $ 

Future Eligible Project Cost (Sum of previous three rows) ........................................................................ $ 

Previously incurred project costs (if applicable) ......................................................................................... $ 

Total Project Cost (Sum of ‘previous incurred’ and ‘future eligible’) .......................................................... $ 

Are matching funds restricted to a specific project component? If so, which one? 

Project Eligibility: 

Approximately how much of the estimated future eligible project costs will be spent on components of 

the project currently located on National Highway Freight Network (NHFN)? 

$ 

Approximately how much of the estimated future eligible project costs will be spent on components of 

the project currently located on the National Highway System (NHS)? 

$ 

Approximately how much of the estimated future eligible project costs will be spent on components 

constituting railway-highway grade crossing or grade separation projects? 

$ 

Approximately how much of the estimated future eligible project costs will be spent on components 

constituting intermodal or freight rail projects, or freight projects within the boundaries of a public or 

private freight rail, water (including ports), or intermodal facility? 

$ 

Project Location: 

State(s) in which project is located. 

Small or large project .................................................................................................................................. Small/Large. 

Urbanized Area in which project. 

is located, if applicable. 

Population of Urbanized Area. 

Is the project currently programmed in the: ...............................................................................................

• TIP. 

• STIP. 

• MPO Long Range Transportation Plan. 

• State Long Range Transportation Plan. 

• State Freight Plan? 

Yes/no (please specify in which 

plans the project is currently programmed). 

b. Project Narrative for Construction 

Projects 

The Department recommends that the 

project narrative follow the basic outline 

below to address the program 

requirements and assist evaluators in 

locating relevant information. 

I. Project Description ....... See D.2.b.i 

II. Project Location ........... See D.2.b.ii. 

III. Project Parties ............ See D.2.b.iii. 

IV. Grant Funds, Sources 

and Uses of all Project 

Funding.

See D.2.b.iv. 

V. Merit Criteria ................ See D.2.b.v. 

VI. Project Readiness ...... See D.2.b.vi and 

E.1.c.ii. 

VII. Large/Small Project 

Requirements.

See D.2.b.vii. 

The project narrative should include 

the information necessary for the 

Department to determine that the 

project satisfies project requirements 

described in Sections B and C and to 

assess the selection criteria specified in 

Section E.1. To the extent practicable, 

applicants should provide supporting 

data and documentation in a form that 

is directly verifiable by the Department. 

The Department may ask any applicant 

to supplement data in its application, 

but expects applications to be complete 

upon submission. 

In addition to a detailed statement of 

work, detailed project schedule, and 

detailed project budget, the project 

narrative should include a table of 

contents, maps, and graphics, as 

appropriate, to make the information 

easier to review. The Department 

recommends that the project narrative 

be prepared with standard formatting 

preferences (i.e., a single-spaced 

document, using a standard 12-point 

font such as Times New Roman, with 1- 

inch margins). The project narrative 

may not exceed 25 pages in length, 

excluding cover pages and table of 

contents. The only substantive portions 

that may exceed the 25-page limit are 

documents supporting assertions or 


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conclusions made in the 25-page project 

narrative. If possible, website links to 

supporting documentation should be 

provided rather than copies of these 

supporting materials. If supporting 

documents are submitted, applicants 

should clearly identify within the 

project narrative the relevant portion of 

the project narrative that each 

supporting document supports. At the 

applicant’s discretion, relevant 

materials provided previously to a 

modal administration in support of a 

different USDOT financial assistance 

program may be referenced and 

described as unchanged. The 

Department recommends using 

appropriately descriptive final names 

(e.g., ‘‘Project Narrative,’’ ‘‘Maps,’’ 

‘‘Memoranda of Understanding and 

Letters of Support,’’ etc.) for all 

attachments. The USDOT recommends 

applications include the following 

sections: 

i. Project Summary 

The first section of the application 

should provide a concise description of 

the project, the transportation 

challenges that it is intended to address, 

and how it will address those 

challenges. This section should discuss 

the project’s history, including a 

description of any previously incurred 

costs. The applicant may use this 

section to place the project into a 

broader context of other infrastructure 

investments being pursued by the 

project sponsor. 

ii. Project Location 

This section of the application should 

describe the project location, including 

a detailed geographical description of 

the proposed project, a map of the 

project’s location and connections to 

existing transportation infrastructure, 

and geospatial data describing the 

project location. If the project is located 

within the boundary of a Censusdesignated Urbanized Area, the 

application should identify the 

Urbanized Area. 

iii. Project Parties 

This section of the application should 

list all project parties, including details 

about the proposed grant recipient and 

other public and private parties who are 

involved in delivering the project, such 

as port authorities, terminal operators, 

freight railroads, shippers, carriers, 

freight-related associations, third-party 

logistics providers, and freight industry 

workforce organizations. 

iv. Grant Funds, Sources and Uses of 

Project Funds 

This section of the application should 

describe the project’s budget. At a 

minimum, it should include: 

(A) Previously incurred expenses, as 

defined in Section C.3.c. 

(B) Future eligible costs, as defined in 

Section C.3.c. 

(C) For all funds to be used for future 

eligible project costs, the source and 

amount of those funds. 

(D) For non-Federal funds to be used 

for future eligible project costs, 

documentation of funding commitments 

should be referenced here and included 

as an appendix to the application. 

(E) For Federal funds to be used for 

future eligible project costs, the amount, 

nature, and source of any required nonFederal match for those funds. 

(F) A budget showing how each 

source of funds will be spent. The 

budget should show how each funding 

source will share in each major 

construction activity, and present that 

data in dollars and percentages. 

Funding sources should be grouped into 

three categories: Non-Federal; INFRA; 

and other Federal. If the project contains 

components, the budget should separate 

the costs of each project component. If 

the project will be completed in phases, 

the budget should separate the costs of 

each phase. The budget should be 

detailed enough to demonstrate that the 

project satisfies the statutory costsharing requirements described in 

Section C.2. 

(G) Information showing that the 

applicant has budgeted sufficient 

contingency amounts to cover 

unanticipated cost increases. 

(H) The amount of the requested 

INFRA funds that would be subject to 

the limit on freight rail, port, and 

intermodal infrastructure described in 

Section B.2. 

In addition to the information 

enumerated above, this section should 

provide complete information on how 

all project funds may be used. For 

example, if a particular source of funds 

is available only after a condition is 

satisfied, the application should identify 

that condition and describe the 

applicant’s control over whether it is 

satisfied. Similarly, if a particular 

source of funds is available for 

expenditure only during a fixed time 

period, the application should describe 

that restriction. Complete information 

about project funds will ensure that the 

Department’s expectations for award 

execution align with any funding 

restrictions unrelated to the Department, 

even if an award differs from the 

applicant’s request. 

v. Merit Criteria 

This section of the application should 

demonstrate how the project aligns with 

the Merit Criteria described in Section 

E.1 of this notice. The Department 

encourages applicants to address each 

criterion or expressly state that the 

project does not address the criterion. 

Applicants are not required to follow a 

specific format, but the following 

organization, which addresses each 

criterion separately, promotes a clear 

discussion that assists project 

evaluators. To minimize redundant 

information in the application, the 

Department encourages applicants to 

cross-reference from this section of their 

application to relevant substantive 

information in other sections of the 

application. 

The guidance here is about how the 

applicant should organize their 

application. Guidance describing how 

the Department will evaluate projects 

against the Merit Criteria is in Section 

E.1 of this notice. Applicants also 

should review that section before 

considering how to organize their 

application. 

Criterion #1: Support for National or 

Regional Economic Vitality 

This section of the application should 

describe the anticipated outcomes of the 

project that support the Economic 

Vitality criterion (described in Section 

E.1.a of this notice). The applicant 

should summarize the conclusions of 

the project’s benefit-cost analysis, 

including estimates of the project’s 

benefit-cost ratio and net benefits. The 

applicant should also describe 

economic impacts and other datasupported benefits that are not included 

in the benefit-cost analysis. 

The benefit-cost analysis itself should 

be provided as an appendix to the 

project narrative, as described in 

Section D.2.d. of this notice. 

Criterion #2: Leveraging of Federal 

Funding 

While the Leveraging Criterion will be 

assessed according to the methodology 

described in Section E.1.a., this section 

of the application may be used to 

include additional information that may 

strengthen the Department’s 

understanding of the project sponsor’s 

effort to improve non-federal leverage, 

including: 

(A) A description of the applicant’s 

activities to maximize the non-Federal 

share of the project funding; 

(B) a description of all evaluations of 

the project for private funding, the 

outcome of those evaluations, and all 

activities undertaken to pursue private 

funding for the project; 


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4Projects that may impact protected resources 

such as wetlands, species habitat, cultural or 

historic resources require review and approval by 

Federal and State agencies with jurisdiction over 

those resources. 

(C) a description of any fiscal 

constraints that affect the applicant’s 

ability to increase the amount of nonFederal revenue dedicated for 

transportation infrastructure. 

Criterion #3: Potential for Innovation 

This section of the application should 

contain sufficient information to 

evaluate how the project includes or 

enables innovation in: (1) The 

accelerated deployment of innovative 

technology and expanded access to 

broadband; (2) use of innovative 

permitting, contracting, and other 

project delivery practices; and (3) 

innovative financing. If the project does 

not address a particular innovation area, 

the application should state this fact. 

Please see Section E.1.a for additional 

information. 

Criterion #4: Performance and 

Accountability 

This section of the application should 

include sufficient information to 

evaluate how the applicant will advance 

the Performance and Accountability 

program objective. In general, the 

applicant should indicate which (if any) 

accountability measures they are willing 

to implement or have implemented, 

along with the specific details necessary 

for the Department to evaluate their 

accountability measure. The applicant 

should also address the lifecycle cost 

component of this criterion in this 

section. See Section E.1.a for additional 

information. 

vi. Project Readiness 

This section of the application should 

include information that, when 

considered with the project budget 

information presented elsewhere in the 

application, is sufficient for the 

Department to evaluate whether the 

project is reasonably expected to begin 

construction in a timely manner. To 

assist the Department’s project readiness 

assessment, the applicant should 

provide the information requested on 

technical feasibility, project schedule, 

project approvals, and project risks, 

each of which is described in greater 

detail in the following sections. 

Applicants are not required to follow 

the specific format described here, but 

this organization, which addresses each 

relevant aspect of project readiness, 

promotes a clear discussion that assists 

project evaluators. To minimize 

redundant information in the 

application, the Department encourages 

applicants to cross-reference from this 

section of their application to relevant 

substantive information in other 

sections of the application. 

The guidance here is about what 

information applicants should provide 

and how the applicant should organize 

their application. Guidance describing 

how the Department will evaluate a 

project’s readiness is described in 

section E.1 of this notice. Applicants 

also should review that section before 

considering how to organize their 

application. 

(A) Technical Feasibility. The 

applicant should demonstrate the 

technical feasibility of the project with 

engineering and design studies and 

activities; the development of design 

criteria and/or a basis of design; the 

basis for the cost estimate presented in 

the INFRA application, including the 

identification of contingency levels 

appropriate to its level of design; and 

any scope, schedule, and budget riskmitigation measures. Applicants should 

include a detailed statement of work 

that focuses on the technical and 

engineering aspects of the project and 

describes in detail the project to be 

constructed. 

(B) Project Schedule. The applicant 

should include a detailed project 

schedule that identifies all major project 

milestones. Examples of such 

milestones include State and local 

planning approvals (programming on 

the Statewide Transportation 

Improvement Program), start and 

completion of NEPA and other Federal 

environmental reviews and approvals 

including permitting; design 

completion; right of way acquisition; 

approval of plans, specifications and 

estimates (PS&E); procurement; State 

and local approvals; project partnership 

and implementation agreements 

including agreements with railroads; 

and construction. The project schedule 

should be sufficiently detailed to 

demonstrate that: 

(1) All necessary activities will be 

complete to allow INFRA funds to be 

obligated sufficiently in advance of the 

statutory deadline (September 30, 2022 

for FY 2019 funds), and that any 

unexpected delays will not put the 

funds at risk of expiring before they are 

obligated; 

(2) the project can begin construction 

quickly upon obligation of INFRA 

funds, and that the grant funds will be 

spent expeditiously once construction 

starts; and 

(3) all real property and right-of-way 

acquisition will be completed in a 

timely manner in accordance with 49 

CFR part 24, 23 CFR part 710, and other 

applicable legal requirements or a 

statement that no acquisition is 

necessary. 

(C) Required Approvals. 

(1) Environmental Permits and 

Reviews. The application should 

demonstrate receipt (or reasonably 

anticipated receipt) of all environmental 

approvals and permits necessary for the 

project to proceed to construction on the 

timeline specified in the project 

schedule and necessary to meet the 

statutory obligation deadline, including 

satisfaction of all Federal, State, and 

local requirements and completion of 

the NEPA process. Specifically, the 

application should include: 

(a) Information about the NEPA status 

of the project. If the NEPA process is 

complete, an applicant should indicate 

the date of completion, and provide a 

website link or other reference to the 

final Categorical Exclusion, Finding of 

No Significant Impact, Record of 

Decision, and any other NEPA 

documents prepared. If the NEPA 

process is underway, but not complete, 

the application should detail the type of 

NEPA review underway, where the 

project is in the process, and indicate 

the anticipated date of completion of all 

milestones and of the final NEPA 

determination. If the last agency action 

with respect to NEPA documents 

occurred more than three years before 

the application date, the applicant 

should describe why the project has 

been delayed and include a proposed 

approach for verifying and, if necessary, 

updating this material in accordance 

with applicable NEPA requirements. 

(b) Information on reviews, approvals, 

and permits by other agencies. An 

application should indicate whether the 

proposed project requires reviews or 

approval actions by other agencies,4

indicate the status of such actions, and 

provide detailed information about the 

status of those reviews or approvals and 

should demonstrate compliance with 

any other applicable Federal, State, or 

local requirements, and when such 

approvals are expected. Applicants 

should provide a website link or other 

reference to copies of any reviews, 

approvals, and permits prepared. 

(c) Environmental studies or other 

documents—preferably through a 

website link—that describe in detail 

known project impacts, and possible 

mitigation for those impacts. 

(d) A description of discussions with 

the appropriate USDOT modal 

administration field or headquarters 

office regarding the project’s compliance 

with NEPA and other applicable Federal 

environmental reviews and approvals. 


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5 In accordance with 23 U.S.C. 134 and § 135, all 

projects requiring an action by the Federal Highway 

Administration (FHWA) must be in the applicable 

plan and programming documents (e.g., 

metropolitan transportation plan, transportation 

improvement program (TIP) and statewide 

transportation improvement program (STIP)). 

Further, in air quality non-attainment and 

maintenance areas, all regionally significant 

projects, regardless of the funding source, must be 

included in the conforming metropolitan 

transportation plan and TIP. Inclusion in the STIP 

is required under certain circumstances. To the 

extent a project is required to be on a metropolitan 

transportation plan, TIP, and/or STIP, it will not 

receive an INFRA grant until it is included in such 

plans. Projects not currently included in these plans 

can be amended by the State and metropolitan 

planning organization (MPO). Projects that are not 

required to be in long range transportation plans, 

STIPs, and TIPs will not need to be included in 

such plans in order to receive an INFRA grant. Port, 

freight rail, and intermodal projects are not required 

to be on the State Rail Plans called for in the 

Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 

2008. However, applicants seeking funding for 

freight projects are encouraged to demonstrate that 

they have done sufficient planning to ensure that 

projects fit into a prioritized list of capital needs 

and are consistent with long-range goals. Means of 

demonstrating this consistency would include 

whether the project is in a TIP or a State Freight 

Plan that conforms to the requirements Section 

70202 of Title 49 prior to the start of construction. 

Port planning guidelines are available at 

StrongPorts.gov. 

6Projects at grant obligated airports must be 

compatible with the FAA-approved Airport Layout 

Plan (ALP), as well as aeronautical surfaces 

associated with the landing and takeoff of aircraft 

at the airport. Additionally, projects at an airport: 

Must comply with established Sponsor Grant 

Assurances, including (but not limited to) 

requirements for non-exclusive use facilities, 

consultation with users, consistency with local 

plans including development of the area 

surrounding the airport, and consideration of the 

interest of nearby communities, among others; and 

must not adversely affect the continued and 

unhindered access of passengers to the terminal. 

(e) A description of public 

engagement about the project that has 

occurred, including details on the 

degree to which public comments and 

commitments have been integrated into 

project development and design. 

(2) State and Local Approvals. The 

applicant should demonstrate receipt of 

State and local approvals on which the 

project depends, such as State and local 

environmental and planning approvals 

and STIP or TIP funding. Additional 

support from relevant State and local 

officials is not required; however, an 

applicant should demonstrate that the 

project has broad public support. 

(3) Federal Transportation 

Requirements Affecting State and Local 

Planning. The planning requirements 

applicable to the Federal-aid highway 

program apply to all INFRA projects, 

but for port, freight, and rail projects, 

planning requirements of the operating 

administration that will administer the 

INFRA project will also apply,5

including intermodal projects located at 

airport facilities.6 Applicants should 

demonstrate that a project that is 

required to be included in the relevant 

State, metropolitan, and local planning 

documents has been or will be included 

in such documents. If the project is not 

included in a relevant planning 

document at the time the application is 

submitted, the applicant should submit 

a statement from the appropriate 

planning agency that actions are 

underway to include the project in the 

relevant planning document. 

To the extent possible, freight projects 

should be included in a State Freight 

Plan and supported by a State Freight 

Advisory Committee (49 U.S.C. 70201, 

70202). Applicants should provide links 

or other documentation supporting this 

consideration. 

Because projects have different 

schedules, the construction start date for 

each INFRA grant will be specified in 

the project-specific agreements signed 

by relevant modal administration and 

the grant recipients, based on critical 

path items that applicants identify in 

the application and will be consistent 

with relevant State and local plans. 

(D) Assessment of Project Risks and 

Mitigation Strategies. Project risks, such 

as procurement delays, environmental 

uncertainties, increases in real estate 

acquisition costs, uncommitted local 

match, or lack of legislative approval, 

affect the likelihood of successful 

project start and completion. The 

applicant should identify all material 

risks to the project and the strategies 

that the lead applicant and any project 

partners have undertaken or will 

undertake in order to mitigate those 

risks. The applicant should assess the 

greatest risks to the project and identify 

how the project parties will mitigate 

those risks. 

To the extent it is unfamiliar with the 

Federal program, the applicant should 

contact USDOT modal field or 

headquarters offices as found at 

www.transportation.gov/infragrants for 

information on what steps are prerequisite to the obligation of Federal 

funds in order to ensure that their 

project schedule is reasonable and that 

there are no risks of delays in satisfying 

Federal requirements. 

vii. Large/Small Project Requirements 

To select a large project for award, the 

Department must determine that the 

project satisfies several statutory 

requirements enumerated at 23 U.S.C. 

117(g) and restated in the table below. 

The application must include sufficient 

information for the Department to make 

these determinations. Applicants should 

use this section of the application to 

summarize how their project meets each 

of the following requirements. 

Applicants are not required to 

reproduce the table below in their 

application, but following this format 

will help evaluators identify the 

relevant information that supports each 

large project determination. To 

minimize redundant information in the 

application, the Department encourages 

applicants to cross-reference from this 

section of their application to relevant 

substantive information in other 

sections of the application. 

Large project determination Guidance 

1. Does the project generate national or regional economic, mobility, or 

safety benefits? 

Summarize the economic, mobility, and safety benefits described in 

Section V of the application, and describe the scale of their impact in 

national or regional terms. 

2. Is the project cost effective? ................................................................ Highlight the results of the benefit cost analysis described in Section V 

of the application. 

3. Does the project contribute to one or more of the Goals listed under 

23 U.S.C. 150 (and shown below)? 

Specify the Goal(s) and summarize how the project contributes to that 

goal(s). This information may also be found in Section I or Section V. 

(b) National Goals.—It is in the interest of the United States to 

focus the Federal-aid highway program on the following national 

goals: 

(1) Safety.—To achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. 

(2) Infrastructure condition.—To maintain the highway infrastructure asset system in a state of good repair. 

(3) Congestion reduction.—To achieve a significant reduction 

in congestion on the National Highway System. 


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Large project determination Guidance 

(4) System reliability.—To improve the efficiency of the surface transportation system. 

(5) Freight movement and economic vitality.—To improve the 

national freight network, strengthen the ability of rural communities to access national and international trade markets, 

and support regional economic development. 

(6) Environmental sustainability.—To enhance the performance of the transportation system while protecting and enhancing the natural environment. 

(7) Reduced project delivery delays.—To reduce project costs, 

promote jobs and the economy, and expedite the movement 

of people and goods by accelerating project completion 

through eliminating delays in the project development and 

delivery process, including reducing regulatory burdens and 

improving agencies’ work practices. 

4. Is the project based on the results of preliminary engineering? ......... Yes/No. Please provide evidence of preliminary engineering. For more 

information on preliminary engineering activities, please see: https://

www.fhwa.dot.gov/federalaid/150311.cfm. 

5a. With respect to non-Federal financial commitments, does the 

project have one or more stable and dependable funding or financing 

sources to construct, maintain, and operate the project? 

Please indicate funding source(s) and amounts. Historical trends, current policy, or future feasibility analyses can be used as evidence to 

substantiate the stable and dependable nature of the non-Federal 

funding or financing. 

5b. Are contingency amounts available to cover unanticipated cost increases? Contingency amounts are often, but not always, expressly shown in 

project budgets or the SF–424C. If your project cost estimates include an implicit contingency calculation, please say so directly. 

6. Is it the case that the project cannot be easily and efficiently completed without other Federal funding or financial assistance available 

to the project sponsor? 

Discussion of the impact that not having any Federal funding, including 

an INFRA grant, would have on project’s schedule, cost, or likelihood 

of completion, can help convey whether a project can be completed 

as easily or efficiently without Federal funding available to the project 

sponsor. 

7. Is the project reasonably expected to begin construction not later 

than 18 months after the date of obligation of funds for the project? 

Please reference project budget and schedule when providing evidence. 

For a small project to be selected, the 

Department must consider the cost 

effectiveness of the proposed project 

and the effect of the proposed project on 

mobility in the State and region in 

which the project is carried out. If an 

applicant seeks an award for a small 

project, it should use this section to 

provide information on the project’s 

cost effectiveness and the project’s effect 

on the mobility in its State and region, 

or refer to where else the information 

can be found in the application. 

c. Guidance for Benefit-Cost Analysis 

This section describes the 

recommended approach for the 

completion and submission of a benefitcost analysis (BCA) as an appendix to 

the Project Narrative. The results of the 

analysis should be summarized in the 

Project Narrative directly, as described 

in Section D.2.b.v. 

Applicants should delineate each of 

their project’s expected outcomes in the 

form of a complete BCA to enable the 

Department to consider costeffectiveness (small projects), determine 

whether the project will be cost effective 

(large projects), estimate a benefit-cost 

ratio and calculate the magnitude of net 

benefits and costs for the project. In 

support of each project for which an 

applicant seeks funding, the applicant 

should submit a BCA that quantifies the 

expected benefits and costs of the 

project against a no-build baseline. 

Applicants should use a real discount 

rate (i.e., the discount rate net of the 

inflation rate) of 7 percent per year to 

discount streams of benefits and costs to 

their present value in their BCA. 

The primary economic benefits from 

projects eligible for INFRA grants are 

likely to include savings in travel time 

costs, vehicle operating costs, and safety 

costs for both existing users of the 

improved facility and new users who 

may be attracted to it as a result of the 

project. Reduced damages from vehicle 

emissions and savings in maintenance 

costs to public agencies may also be 

quantified. Applicants may describe 

other categories of benefits in the BCA 

that are more difficult to quantify and 

value in economic terms, such as 

improving the reliability of travel times 

or improvements to the existing human 

and natural environments (such as 

increased connectivity, improved public 

health, storm water runoff mitigation, 

and noise reduction), while also 

providing numerical estimates of the 

magnitude and timing of each of these 

additional impacts wherever possible. 

Any benefits claimed for the project, 

both quantified and unquantified, 

should be clearly tied to the expected 

outcomes of the project. 

The BCA should include the full costs 

of developing, constructing, operating, 

and maintaining the proposed project 

(including both previously incurred and 

future costs), as well as the expected 

timing or schedule for costs in each of 

these categories. The BCA may also 

consider the present discounted value of 

any remaining service life of the asset at 

the end of the analysis period (net of 

future maintenance and rehabilitation 

costs) as a deduction from the estimated 

costs. The costs and benefits that are 

compared in the BCA should also cover 

the same project scope. 

The BCA should carefully document 

the assumptions and methodology used 

to produce the analysis, including a 

description of the baseline, the sources 

of data used to project the outcomes of 

the project, and the values of key input 

parameters. Applicants should provide 

all relevant files used for their BCA, 

including any spreadsheet files and 

technical memos describing the analysis 

(whether created in-house or by a 

contractor). The spreadsheets and 

technical memos should present the 

calculations in sufficient detail and 

transparency to allow the analysis to be 

reproduced by USDOT evaluators. 

Detailed guidance for estimating some 

types of quantitative benefits and costs, 

together with recommended economic 

values for converting them to dollar 


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terms and discounting to their present 

values, are available in the Department’s 

guidance for conducting BCAs for 

projects seeking funding under the 

INFRA program (see https://

www.transportation.gov/office-policy/ 

transportation-policy/benefit-costanalysis-guidance). 

Applicants for freight projects within 

the boundaries of a freight rail, water 

(including ports), or intermodal facility 

should also quantify the benefits of their 

proposed projects for freight movements 

on the National Highway Freight 

Network, and should demonstrate that 

the Federal share of the project funds 

only elements of the project that provide 

public benefits. 

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System 

for Award Management (SAM) 

Each applicant must: (1) Be registered 

in SAM before submitting its 

application; (2) provide a valid unique 

entity identifier in its application; and 

(3) continue to maintain an active SAM 

registration with current information at 

all times during which it has an active 

Federal award or an application or plan 

under consideration by a Federal 

awarding agency. The Department may 

not make an INFRA grant to an 

applicant until the applicant has 

complied with all applicable unique 

entity identifier and SAM requirements 

and, if an applicant has not fully 

complied with the requirements by the 

time the Department is ready to make an 

INFRA grant, the Department may 

determine that the applicant is not 

qualified to receive an INFRA grant and 

use that determination as a basis for 

making an INFRA grant to another 

applicant. 

4. Submission Dates and Timelines 

a. Deadline 

Applications must be submitted by 

8:00 p.m. EST March 4, 2019. The 

Grants.gov ‘‘Apply’’ function will open 

by January 7, 2019. 

To submit an application through 

Grants.gov, applicants must: 

(1) Obtain a Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number: 

(2) Register with the System Award 

for Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov; 

and 

(3) Create a Grants.gov username and 

password; 

(4) The E-business Point of Contact 

(POC) at the applicant’s organization 

must also respond to the registration 

email from Grants.gov and login at 

Grants.gov to authorize the POC as an 

Authorized Organization Representative 

(AOR). Please note that there can only 

be one AOR per organization. 

Please note that the Grants.gov 

registration process usually takes 2–4 

weeks to complete and that the 

Department will not consider late 

applications that are the result of failure 

to register or comply with Grants.gov 

applicant requirements in a timely 

manner. For information and instruction 

on each of these processes, please see 

instructions at http://www.grants.gov/ 

web/grants/applicants/applicantfaqs.html. If interested parties 

experience difficulties at any point 

during the registration or application 

process, please call the Grants.gov 

Customer Service Support Hotline at 

1(800) 518–4726, Monday–Friday from 

7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST. 

b. Consideration of Application 

Only applicants who comply with all 

submission deadlines described in this 

notice and submit applications through 

Grants.gov will be eligible for award. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to 

make submissions in advance of the 

deadline. 

c. Late Applications 

Applications received after the 

deadline will not be considered except 

in the case of unforeseen technical 

difficulties outlined in Section D.4.d. 

d. Late Application Policy 

Applicants experiencing technical 

issues with Grants.gov that are beyond 

the applicant’s control must contact 

INFRAgrants@dot.gov prior to the 

application deadline with the user name 

of the registrant and details of the 

technical issue experienced. The 

applicant must provide: 

(1) Details of the technical issue 

experienced; 

(2) Screen capture(s) of the technical 

issues experienced along with 

corresponding Grants.gov ‘‘Grant 

tracking number’’; 

(3) The ‘‘Legal Business Name’’ for the 

applicant that was provided in the SF– 

424; 

(4) The AOR name submitted in the 

SF–424; 

(5) The DUNS number associated with 

the application; and 

(6) The Grants.gov Help Desk 

Tracking Number. 

To ensure a fair competition of 

limited discretionary funds, the 

following conditions are not valid 

reasons to permit late submissions: (1) 

Failure to complete the registration 

process before the deadline; (2) failure 

to follow Grants.gov instructions on 

how to register and apply as posted on 

its website; (3) failure to follow all of the 

instructions in this notice of funding 

opportunity; and (4) technical issues 

experienced with the applicant’s 

computer or information technology 

environment. After the Department 

reviews all information submitted and 

contacts the Grants.gov Help Desk to 

validate reported technical issues, 

USDOT staff will contact late applicants 

to approve or deny a request to submit 

a late application through Grants.gov. If 

the reported technical issues cannot be 

validated, late applications will be 

rejected as untimely. 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria 

a. Merit Criteria for Construction 

Projects 

To differentiate among applications 

for construction projects under this 

notice, the Department will consider the 

extent to which the project addresses 

the follow criteria, which are explained 

in greater detail below and reflect the 

key program objectives described in 

Section A.2: (1) Support for national or 

regional economic vitality; (2) 

leveraging of Federal funding; (3) 

potential for innovation; and (4) 

performance and accountability. The 

Department is neither weighting these 

criteria nor requiring that each 

application address every criterion, but 

the Department expects that competitive 

applications will substantively address 

all four criteria. 

Criterion #1: Support for National or 

Regional Economic Vitality 

The Department will consider the 

extent to which a project would support 

the economic vitality of either the 

nation or a region. To the extent 

possible, the Department will rely on 

quantitative, data-supported analysis to 

assess how well a project addresses this 

criterion, including an assessment of the 

applicant-supplied benefit-cost analysis 

described in Section D.2.d. In addition 

to considering the anticipated outcomes 

of the project that align with this 

criterion, the Department will consider 

estimates of the project’s benefit-cost 

ratio and net quantifiable benefits. 

There are several different types of 

projects that the Department anticipates 

will successfully support national or 

regional economic vitality, including 

projects that: 

• Achieve a significant reduction in traffic 

fatalities and serious injuries on the surface 

transportation system; 

• Improve interactions between roadway 

users, reducing the likelihood of derailments 

or high consequence events; 

• Eliminate bottlenecks in the freight 

supply chain; 

• Ensure or restore the good condition of 

infrastructure that supports commerce and 

economic growth; 


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• Sustain or advance national or regional 

economic development in areas of need, 

including projects that provide or improve 

connections to the Nation’s transportation 

network to support the movement of freight 

and people; and 

• Reduce barriers separating workers from 

employment centers, including projects that 

are primarily oriented toward reducing traffic 

congestion and corridor projects that reduce 

transportation network gaps to connect 

peripheral regions to urban centers or job 

opportunities. 

The Department anticipates that 

applications for networks of projects are 

likely to align well with this evaluation 

criterion because networks of projects often 

are able to address problems on a broader 

scale. 

Criterion #2: Leveraging of Federal 

Funding 

To maximize the impact of INFRA 

awards, the Department seeks to 

leverage INFRA funding with nonFederal contributions. To evaluate this 

criterion, the Department will assign a 

rating to each project based on how the 

calculated non-federal share of the 

project’s future eligible project costs 

compares with other projects proposed 

for INFRA funding. The Department 

will sort large and small project 

applications’ non-federal leverage 

percentage from high to low, and the 

assigned ratings will be based on 

quintile: Projects in the 80th percentile 

and above receive the highest rating; the 

60th–79th percentile receive the second 

highest rating; 40th–59th, the third 

highest; 20th–39th, the fourth highest; 

and 0–19th, the lowest rating. 

DOT recognizes that applicants have 

varying abilities and resources to 

contribute non-Federal contributions. If 

an applicant describes broader fiscal 

constraints that affect its ability to 

generate or draw on non-Federal 

contributions, the Department may 

consider those constraints. Relevant 

constraints may include the size of the 

population taxed to supply the 

matching funds, the wealth of that 

population, or other constraints on the 

raising of funds. In addition, the 

Department may consider whether there 

are obstacles to collecting non-federal 

revenue from a project’s beneficiaries, 

including the extent to which a project’s 

beneficiaries reside in the sponsor’s 

jurisdiction. 

This evaluation criterion is separate 

from the statutory cost share 

requirements for INFRA grants, which 

are described in Section C.2. Those 

statutory requirements establish the 

minimum permissible non-Federal 

share; they do not define a competitive 

INFRA project. 

Criterion #3: Potential for Innovation 

The Department seeks to use the 

INFRA program to encourage innovation 

in three areas: (1) The accelerated 

deployment of innovative technology 

and expanded access to broadband; (2) 

use of innovative permitting, 

contracting, and other project delivery 

practices; and (3) innovative financing. 

The project will be assigned an 

innovation rating based on how it 

cumulatively addresses these areas. 

Applications which address at least two 

of these three areas will be assigned a 

high rating. Applications which address 

one of these areas will be assigned a 

medium rating. Applications which 

address none of these areas will be 

assigned a low rating. 

In Innovation Area #1: Technology, 

the application will be determined to 

have addressed the Technology 

Innovation Area if the INFRA project 

incorporates any of the following: 

• Conflict detection and mitigation 

technologies (e.g., intersection alerts, signal 

prioritization, or smart traffic signals); 

• Dynamic signaling or pricing systems to 

reduce congestion; 

• Signage and design features that 

facilitate autonomous or semi-autonomous 

vehicle technologies; 

• Applications to automatically capture 

and report safety-related issues (e.g., 

identifying and documenting near-miss 

incidents); 

• V2X Technologies (e.g. technology 

which facilitates passing of information 

between a vehicle and any entity which may 

affect the vehicle); 

• Cybersecurity elements to protect safetycritical systems; 

• Technology at land and sea ports of entry 

that reduces congestion, wait times, and 

delays, while maintaining or enhancing the 

integrity of our border; 

• Other Intelligent Transportation Systems 

(ITS) which directly benefit the project’s 

users. 

The application will also address the 

Technology Innovation Area if the project 

facilitates broadband deployment and the 

installation of high-speed networks 

concurrent with project construction. 

In Innovation Area #2: Project 

Delivery, the Department will assess 

whether the applicant intends to pursue 

an innovative strategy to improve 

project delivery. These strategies will 

result in more efficient project 

implementation. Some of these 

strategies may require the use of a SEP– 

14 or SEP–15 waiver, but many do not: 

An application can address this 

innovation area without requiring a 

waiver. Examples of innovative project 

delivery include: 

• Contracting/Procurement: 

Æ Indefinite Quantity/Indefinite Delivery 

Contracting 

Æ Alternative Pavement Type Bidding 

Æ No Excuse Bonuses 

Æ Lump Sum Bidding 

Æ Best Value Procurement 

Æ System Integrator Contracts 

Æ Progressive Design-Build 

Æ P3 DBFOM Procurements 

• Environmental Requirements 

Æ NEPA/Section 404 Merger 

Æ Use of Permitting/Authorization Agency 

Liaisons 

Æ Establishment of State/Local ‘‘One-StopShop’’ for Permitting 

Æ Programmatic Agreements 

• Every Day Counts Initiative 

Æ Use of proven technologies and 

innovations to shorten and enhance 

project delivery listed at https://

www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/ 

everydaycounts/edc_innovation.cfm 

Finally, in Innovation Area #3, 

Innovative Financing, the Department 

will consider if the project financial 

plan incorporates funding or financing 

from innovative sources, or if the 

applicant describes recent or pending 

efforts to raise significant new revenue 

for transportation investment across its 

program. 

Examples of innovative sources in a 

financial plan include: 

• Private Sector contributions, excluding 

donated right-of-way, amounting to at least 

$5 million, 

• Revenue from the competitive sale or lease 

of publicly owned or operated asset, or 

• Financing supported by direct project user 

fees 

Examples of significant new revenue— 

provided it is dedicated to transportation 

investment across an applicant’s 

program—include: 

• Revenue resulting from recent or pending 

increases to sales or fuel taxes 

• Revenue resulting from the recent or 

pending implementation of tolling 

• Revenue resulting from the recent or 

pending adoption of value capture 

strategies such as tax-increment financing 

• Revenue resulting from the recent or 

pending competitive sale or lease of 

publicly owned or operated assets 

Criterion #4: Performance and 

Accountability 

The Department encourages 

applicants to describe a credible plan to 

address the full lifecycle costs 

associated with the project and 

implement an accountability measure as 

described in Section A.2.d of this 

NOFO. 

A credible plan to address full 

lifecycle costs should include, at a 

minimum, (1) an estimate of the 

lifecycle costs of the project; (2) an 

identified source of funding that will be 

sufficient to pay for operation and 

maintenance of the project; and (3) a 

description of controls in place to 

ensure the identified funding will not be 

diverted away from operation and 


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maintenance. Examples of such controls 

include if a private sector entity is 

contractually obligated to maintain the 

project, if a project sponsor has a 

demonstrated history of fully funding 

maintenance on its assets, or if the 

sponsor describes an asset management 

plan or strategy. 

Applicants intending to address the 

accountability measure portion of this 

criterion should describe how they meet 

at least one of the three options below: 

(1) The applicant should agree to meet a 

specific construction start and completion 

date, detailed in the application. If the 

project sponsor does not meet these 

deadlines, the project will be subject to 

forfeit or return of up to 10% of the awarded 

funds, or $10 million, whichever is lower. 

(2) The applicant should propose a specific 

indicator of project success that will be 

evident within 12 months of project 

completion. The indicator should relate to a 

benefit estimated in the BCA (e.g., travel time 

savings), and the level of performance should 

be consistent with the estimates in the BCA. 

If the project fails to produce this specific 

outcome in the time allotted, it will be 

subject to forfeit or return of up to 10% of 

the awarded funds, or $10 million, 

whichever is lower. 

(3) The applicant should describe a 

specific recent example of enacting state or 

local policy change to facilitate interstate 

commerce. Examples include: 

a. Collaborating with neighboring states on 

interstate toll financing 

b. Collaborating on cross-state energy 

distribution infrastructure 

The project will be assigned a 

Performance and Accountability rating 

based on how it addresses these areas. 

Applications that address both lifecycle 

costs and accountability measures will 

receive a high rating. Applications that 

address either lifecycle costs or 

accountability measures, but not both, 

will receive a medium rating. 

Applications that address neither area 

will receive a low rating. 

b. Additional Considerations 

i. Geographic Diversity 

By statute, when selecting INFRA 

projects, the Department must consider 

contributions to geographic diversity 

among recipients, including the need for 

a balance between the needs of rural 

and urban communities. However, the 

Department also recognizes that it can 

better balance the needs of rural and 

urban communities if it does not take a 

binary view of urban and rural. 

Accordingly, in addition to considering 

whether a project is ‘‘rural’’ as defined 

by the INFRA statute and described in 

section C.3.e, when balancing the needs 

of rural and urban communities, the 

Department will consider the actual 

population of the community that each 

project serves. 

ii. Project Readiness 

During application evaluation, the 

Department considers project readiness 

in two ways: To assess the likelihood of 

successful project delivery and to 

confirm that a project will satisfy 

statutory readiness requirements. 

First, the Department will consider 

significant risks to successful 

completion of a project, including risks 

associated with environmental review, 

permitting, technical feasibility, 

funding, and the applicant’s capacity to 

manage project delivery. Risks do not 

disqualify projects from award, but 

competitive applications clearly and 

directly describe achievable risk 

mitigation strategies. A project with 

mitigated risks is more competitive than 

a comparable project with unaddressed 

risks. 

Second, by statute, the Department 

cannot award a large project unless that 

project is reasonably expected to begin 

construction within 18 months of 

obligation of funds for the project. 

Obligation occurs when a selected 

applicant enters a written, projectspecific agreement with the Department 

and is generally after the applicant has 

satisfied applicable administrative 

requirements, including transportation 

planning and environmental review 

requirements. Depending on the nature 

of pre-construction activities included 

in the awarded project, the Department 

may obligate funds in phases. 

Preliminary engineering and right-ofway acquisition activities, such as 

environmental review, design work, and 

other preconstruction activities, do not 

fulfill the requirement to begin 

construction within 18 months of 

obligation for large projects. By statute, 

INFRA funds must be obligated within 

three years of the end of the fiscal year 

for which they are authorized. 

Therefore, for awards with FY 2019 

funds, the Department will determine 

that large projects with an anticipated 

obligation date beyond September 30, 

2022 are not reasonably expected to 

begin construction within 18 months of 

obligation. 

iii. Previous Awards 

The Department may consider 

whether the project has previously 

received an award from the TIGER, 

BUILD, FASTLANE, INFRA, or other 

departmental discretionary grant 

programs. 

2. Review and Selection Process 

The USDOT will review all eligible 

applications received before the 

application deadline. The INFRA 

process consists of a Technical 

Evaluation phase and Senior Review. In 

the Technical Evaluation phase, teams 

will, for each project, determine 

whether the project satisfies statutory 

requirements and rate how well it 

addresses the selection criteria. The 

Senior Review Team will consider the 

applications and the technical 

evaluations to determine which projects 

to advance to the Secretary for 

consideration. The Secretary will 

ultimately select the projects for award. 

A Quality Control and Oversight Team 

will ensure consistency across project 

evaluations and appropriate 

documentation throughout the review 

and selection process. 

3. Additional Information 

Prior to award, each selected 

applicant will be subject to a risk 

assessment as required by 2 CFR 

200.205. The Department must review 

and consider any information about the 

applicant that is in the designated 

integrity and performance system 

accessible through SAM (currently the 

Federal Awardee Performance and 

Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)). 

An applicant may review information in 

FAPIIS and comment on any 

information about itself. The 

Department will consider comments by 

the applicant, in addition to the other 

information in FAPIIS, in making a 

judgment about the applicant’s integrity, 

business ethics, and record of 

performance under Federal awards 

when completing the review of risk 

posed by applicants. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Federal Award Notices 

Following the evaluation outlined in 

Section E, the Secretary will announce 

awarded projects by posting a list of 

selected projects at https://

www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/ 

INFRAgrants. Following the 

announcement, the Department will 

contact the point of contact listed in the 

SF 424 to initiate negotiation of a 

project-specific agreement. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

a. Safety Requirements 

The Department will require INFRA 

projects to meet two general 

requirements related to safety. First, 

INFRA projects must be part of a 

thoughtful, data-driven approach to 

safety. Each State maintains a strategic 


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7 Information on State-specific strategic highway 

safety plans is available at https://

safety.fhwa.dot.gov/shsp/other_resources.cfm. 

8 Information on FHWA proven safety 

countermeasures is available at: https://

safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/. 

highway safety plan.7 INFRA projects 

will be required to incorporate 

appropriate elements that respond to 

priority areas identified in that plan and 

are likely to yield safety benefits. 

Second, INFRA projects will incorporate 

appropriate safety-related activities that 

the Federal Highway Administration 

(FHWA) has identified as ‘‘proven safety 

countermeasures’’ due to their history of 

demonstrated effectiveness.8

After selecting INFRA recipients, the 

Department will work with those 

recipients on a project-by-project basis 

to determine the specific safety 

requirements that are appropriate for 

each award. 

b. Other Administrative and Policy 

Requirements 

All INFRA awards will be 

administered pursuant to the Uniform 

Administrative Requirements, Cost 

Principles and Audit Requirements for 

Federal Awards found in 2 CFR part 

200, as adopted by USDOT at 2 CFR part 

1201. A project carried out under the 

INFRA program will be treated as if the 

project is located on a Federal-aid 

highway. All INFRA projects are subject 

to the Buy America requirement at 23 

U.S.C. 313. Additionally, applicable 

Federal laws, rules and regulations of 

the relevant operating administration 

administering the project will apply to 

the projects that receive INFRA grants, 

including planning requirements, 

Stakeholder Agreements, and other 

requirements under the Department’s 

other highway, transit, rail, and port 

grant programs. For an illustrative list of 

the applicable laws, rules, regulations, 

executive orders, policies, guidelines, 

and requirements as they relate to an 

INFRA grant, please see http://

www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/Freight/ 

infrastructure/nsfhp/fy2016_gr_exhbt_c/ 

index.htm. 

The applicability of Federal 

requirements to a project may be 

affected by the scope of the NEPA 

reviews for that project. For example, 

under 23 U.S.C. 313(g), Buy America 

requirements apply to all contracts that 

are eligible for assistance under title 23, 

United States Code, and are carried out 

within the scope of the NEPA finding, 

determination, or decision regardless of 

the funding source of such contracts if 

at least one contract is funded with Title 

23 funds. 

3. Reporting 

a. Progress Reporting on Grant Activity 

Each applicant selected for an INFRA 

grant must submit the Federal Financial 

Report (SF–425) on the financial 

condition of the project and the project’s 

progress, as well as an Annual Budget 

Review and Program Plan to monitor the 

use of Federal funds and ensure 

accountability and financial 

transparency in the INFRA program. 

b. Reporting of Matters Related to 

Integrity and Performance 

If the total value of a selected 

applicant’s currently active grants, 

cooperative agreements, and 

procurement contracts from all Federal 

awarding agencies exceeds $10,000,000 

for any period of time during the period 

of performance of this Federal award, 

then the applicant during that period of 

time must maintain the currency of 

information reported to the System for 

Award Management (SAM) that is made 

available in the designated integrity and 

performance system (currently the 

Federal Awardee Performance and 

Integrity Information System (FAPIIS)) 

about civil, criminal, or administrative 

proceedings described in paragraph 2 of 

this award term and condition. This is 

a statutory requirement under section 

872 of Public Law 110–417, as amended 

(41 U.S.C. 2313). As required by section 

3010 of Public Law 111–212, all 

information posted in the designated 

integrity and performance system on or 

after April 15, 2011, except past 

performance reviews required for 

Federal procurement contracts, will be 

publicly available. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts 

For further information concerning 

this notice, please contact the Office of 

the Secretary via email at INFRAgrants@

dot.gov. For other INFRA program 

questions, please contact Paul Baumer 

at (202) 366–1092. A TDD is available 

for individuals who are deaf or hard of 

hearing at 202–366–3993. In addition, 

up to the application deadline, the 

Department will post answers to 

common questions and requests for 

clarifications on USDOT’s website at 

https://www.transportation.gov/ 

buildamerica/INFRAgrants. To ensure 

applicants receive accurate information 

about eligibility or the program, the 

applicant is encouraged to contact 

USDOT directly, rather than through 

intermediaries or third parties, with 

questions. 

H. Other Information 

1. Protection of Confidential Business 

Information 

All information submitted as part of, 

or in support of, any application shall 

use publicly available data or data that 

can be made public and methodologies 

that are accepted by industry practice 

and standards, to the extent possible. If 

the application includes information the 

applicant considers to be a trade secret 

or confidential commercial or financial 

information, the applicant should do the 

following: (1) Note on the front cover 

that the submission ‘‘Contains 

Confidential Business Information 

(CBI)’’; (2) mark each affected page 

‘‘CBI’’; and (3) highlight or otherwise 

denote the CBI portions. 

The Department protects such 

information from disclosure to the 

extent allowed under applicable law. In 

the event the Department receives a 

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 

request for the information, USDOT will 

follow the procedures described in its 

FOIA regulations at 49 CFR 7.17. Only 

information that is ultimately 

determined to be confidential under that 

procedure will be exempt from 

disclosure under FOIA. 

2. Publication of Application 

Information 

Following the completion of the 

selection process and announcement of 

awards, the Department intends to 

publish a list of all applications 

received along with the names of the 

applicant organizations and funding 

amounts requested. Except for the 

information properly marked as 

described in Section H.1., the 

Department may make application 

narratives publicly available. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on December 

17, 2018. 

Elaine L. Chao, 

Secretary of Transportation. 

[FR Doc. 2018–27695 Filed 12–20–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

Office of Foreign Assets Control 

Proposed Collection; Comment 

Request for Iranian Financial 

Sanctions Regulations Report on 

Closure by U.S. Financial Institutions 

of Correspondent Accounts and 

Payable-Through Accounts 

AGENCY: Office of Foreign Assets 

Control, Treasury. 


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