Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division

22001 Loudoun County Parkway

Building E2, Suite 200

Ashburn, VA 20147 

Phone 703-404-6201 

Fax 703-404-6217 

In Reply Refer to: HFPP-15 

Federal Land Management Agencies

Department of Transportation 

Regional, County & Local Governments

Tribal Governments

May 1, 2023 

Eastern Federal Lands Access Program Call for Projects AlertSouth Carolina

Greetings:

The Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division (EFLHD) of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will

be accepting Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) applications in order to develop a multi-year program of 

projects for Federal Fiscal Years (FY) 2023 through FY 2026. All final project approvals will be contingent

upon the availability of funds in the year for which they are being requested. 

The Call for Projects application period opens June 1, 2023 and runs through September 29, 2023. 

Please explore our FLAP website located at https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/programs-access and 

follow the links to the state webpage to download the application, review the state’s associated scoring 

criteria, FAQ’s and tips for preparing a good application. Applications should be submitted via email to

EFL.planning@dot.gov by the end of the day (11:59 PM) on September 29, 2023 to be considered. If

required, applications via mail, Fedex, UPS etc. or fax will also be accepted.

An estimated total of $8.2M will be available for programming in your State.

What is the purpose of the Federal Lands Access Program? 

The purpose of the FLAP is to provide safe and adequate transportation access to and through Federal Lands for

visitors, recreationists, and resource users. The FLAP supplements State and local resources for public roads, 

transit systems, and other transportation facilities, with an emphasis on high-use recreation sites and economic 

generators.

Are matching funds required? 

The federal share for the Access Program in this call-for-projects has been changed to 100 percent based on 

amended program requirements established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The application template 

will not be changed. If a match is submitted in the application, the Programming Decisions Committee (PDC) 

may program this amount with available Access Program funds. If there is a shortage of Access Program 

funds in the state, the PDC may discuss options with the applicant to leverage the match funds towards the 

project to advance the applied-for scope. 

Please note that this is a Title 23 Federal Aid Highway Reimbursable Program and not a lump-sum grant 

program. 
Where can projects be located? 

Proposed projects or studies must be associated with a public highway, road, bridge, trail or transit system that 

is located on, is adjacent to, or provides access to Federal lands for which the transportation facility’s title or 

maintenance responsibility is vested with a State, county, city, township, tribal, municipal, or other local 

government entity.

What types of applications will be considered?

Applications will be accepted for the following: 

Capital Improvements- These proposals include rehabilitation, restoration, construction, and reconstruction of 

roads, bridges, multiuse trails, and other long-term transportation system asset improvements. This 

includes improvements such as safety improvements, widening, realignments, surfacing, culverts, signing, 

guardrail, walls and associated roadway appurtenances.

Enhancements- These proposals are road and trail related improvements such as interpretative signing, kiosks, 

viewpoints, adjacent vehicular parking areas, roadside rest areas (including sanitary and water facilities),

provisions for pedestrians and bicycles, acquisition of scenic easement and scenic or historic sites, trailheads, 

trails, and improvements that improve public safety and reduce vehicle-wildlife mortality while maintaining

habitat connectivity. 

Surface Preservation- These proposals include surface preservation of roads, trails, and adjacent vehicular 

parking areas. They include chip sealing, crack sealing, and aggregate courses. FLAP funds are not intended for

routine maintenance projects (e.g., potholes, mowing, snow removal, same type guardrail replacement, etc.).

Transit- These proposals include construction of transit facilities (e.g. ferry docks, helipads, boat ramps) and 

limited duration operation/maintenance of transit services and facilities (including vehicles) and the purchase of 

transit vehicles.

Planning- These proposals include engineering feasibility studies, corridor management planning, 

bicycle/pedestrian planning and alternative transportation system planning that will provide valuable 

information for future FLAP proposals. 

Research- These proposals include evaluating solutions that enhance access, safety or sustainability. They 

address issues such as wildlife-vehicle collision avoidance measures, context sensitive roadside safety features,

and congestion management strategies.

Safety – These proposals include the following: maintaining minimum levels of retro reflectivity of highway

signs or pavement markings, shoulder and centerline rumble strips and stripes, traffic control signalization, 

traffic circles/roundabouts, safety rest areas, commuter carpooling and vanpooling, rail-highway crossing 

closure, or installation of traffic signs, traffic lights, guardrails, impact attenuators, concrete barrier end 

treatments, breakaway utility poles, or priority control systems for emergency vehicles or transit vehicles at 

signalized intersections.

Who may apply? 

Eligible applicants include State, county, tribal or city government agencies that own or have maintenance

responsibility of the transportation facility or must supply a letter from the facility owner/maintainer indicating

the application is being submitted on their behalf. Project applications must be sponsored and/or supported by 

the appropriate Federal Land Management Agency (FLMA) unit whose access would be enhanced by the 

proposed action. This acknowledgement of sponsorship and support must be demonstrated by an application 

signature and/or letter of support attached to the application from an appropriate representative of the 

benefitting FLMA unit. Early coordination between the appropriate FLMA and state/county/local/tribal 

government is encouraged to ensure adequate time for thorough review and input before the submittal due date.

All projects must be submitted using the EFLHD Access Program Application form (located on the website).

How would the projects be delivered?

On the application form you will select from EFLHD, State DOT or Local Public Agency as the preferred

delivery organization. EFLHD also welcomes the opportunity to provide “cradle to grave” project delivery 
services as the lead agency on behalf of the applicant. This approach allows State or local resources to be 

utilized on their other priorities. State DOTs are eligible to deliver their own projects and projects on behalf of 

local agencies by request. Local agencies requesting to deliver their own project must be certified by the State 

DOT or demonstrate prior experience withthe use of federal transportation funds (Title 23) to deliver projects 

in compliance with Federal Highway Administration regulations. Additional information regarding local 

agency project delivery roles and responsibilities may be found at the following website: 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/federal-aidessentials/stateresources.cfm

The range of potential EFLHD delivered services includes: Planning/Feasibility Studies, Preliminary and Final

Engineering Design, Federal Environmental Compliance, Construction Contract Advertisement, Construction 

Contract Administration, Construction Engineering & Inspection, and Federal Stewardship and Oversight. 

However, the lead agency designation and participating agencies’ roles and responsibilities will be considered 

during both the initial application evaluation and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) development Phases. 

Decisions regarding lead and participating agency roles will be based on the type of project, project complexity, 

and how the work is proposed to be delivered. EFLHD will be responsible for Stewardship and Oversight of all 

programmed projects to assure compliance with federal requirements.

If the applicant would like to request the option of EFLHD delivery, please contact Lewis Grimm, EFLHD

Planning Team Leader at: Lewis.Grimm@dot.gov or at 703-404-6289.

NOTE: Requests for EFLHD delivery must be submitted no less than 30 days prior to the closing date of the 

Call for Projects period to allow time for the EFLHD independent government cost estimate for the provision 

of these requested services to be developed. Applications (minus the estimated project budget values) will still 

need to be submitted to EFLHD by the applicant prior to the closing date of the Call for Projects.

What if I have questions? 

You are welcome to contact any of the FLAP Programming Decisions Committee (PDC) members for your

state with your questions using the contact information contained on the website. Additionally, questions about 

project eligibility or the EFLHD application process can be directed to Lewis Grimm or Richelle Ellis, 

FHWA/EFLHD (contact information shown below). Also please find on the website an EFLHD FAQ 

document, Scoring Criteria and EFLHD FLAP Tip Sheet with suggested factors to be considered for submitting 

a good application. We also invite you to view a brief presentation titled “EFL FLAP Informational 

Presentation” located on the FLAP website that may be helpful. 

Thank you for your interest in the FLAP program. We look forward to working with you in developing a 

multiyear program of projects for the period of FY2023 - FY2026. 

Lewis G. Grimm, P.E.

Planning Team Leader 

EFLHD/FHWA

Tel: (703) 404-6289 

Fax: (703) 404-6217 

Cell: (703) 629-1450 

Lewis.grimm@dot.gov

Richelle J. Ellis

Access Program Planning Coordinator 

 EFLHD/FHWA

Tel: (703) 404-6333 

Fax: (703) 404-6217 

Richelle.Ellis@dot.gov