H. R. 3—54
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a real-time 
system management information program to provide, in all 
States, the capability to monitor, in real-time, the traffic and 
travel conditions of the major highways of the United States 
and to share that information to improve the security of the 
surface transportation system, to address congestion problems, 
to support improved response to weather events and surface 
transportation incidents, and to facilitate national and regional 
highway traveler information. 
(2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the real-time system 
management information program are to—
(A) establish, in all States, a system of basic real-
time information for managing and operating the surface 
transportation system; 
(B) identify longer range real-time highway and transit 
monitoring needs and develop plans and strategies for 
meeting such needs; and 
(C) provide the capability and means to share that 
data with State and local governments and the traveling 
public. 
(b) DATA EXCHANGE FORMATS.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish 
data exchange formats to ensure that the data provided by highway 
and transit monitoring systems, including statewide incident 
reporting systems, can readily be exchanged across jurisdictional 
boundaries, facilitating nationwide availability of information. 
(c) REGIONAL INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ARCHITEC-
TURE.—
(1) ADDRESSING INFORMATION NEEDS.—As State and local 
governments develop or update regional intelligent transpor-
tation system architectures, described in section 940.9 of title 
23, Code of Federal Regulations, such governments shall explic-
itly address real-time highway and transit information needs 
and the systems needed to meet such needs, including 
addressing coverage, monitoring systems, data fusion and 
archiving, and methods of exchanging or sharing highway and 
transit information. 
(2) DATA
EXCHANGE.—States shall incorporate the data 
exchange formats established by the Secretary under subsection 
(b) to ensure that the data provided by highway and transit 
monitoring systems may readily be exchanged with State and 
local governments and may be made available to the traveling 
public. 
(d) ELIGIBILITY.—Subject to project approval by the Secretary, 
a State may obligate funds apportioned to the State under sections 
104(b)(1), 104(b)(2), and 104(b)(3) of title 23, United States Code, 
for activities relating to the planning and deployment of real-time 
monitoring elements that advance the goals and purposes described 
in subsection (a). 
(e) LIMITATION ON STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
section shall be construed as altering or otherwise affecting the 
applicability of the requirements of chapter 1 of title 23, United 
States Code (including requirements relating to the eligibility of 
a project for assistance under the program, the location of the 
project, and the Federal-share payable on account of the project), 
to amounts apportioned to a State for a program under section
H. R. 3—55
104(b) that are obligated by the State for activities and projects 
under this section. 
(f) STATEWIDE INCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM DEFINED.—In this 
section, the term ‘‘statewide incident reporting system’’ means a 
statewide system for facilitating the real-time electronic reporting 
of surface transportation incidents to a central location for use 
in monitoring the event, providing accurate traveler information, 
and responding to the incident as appropriate. 
Subtitle C—Mobility and Efficiency 
SEC. 1301. PROJECTS OF NATIONAL AND REGIONAL SIGNIFICANCE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Under current law, surface transportation programs 
rely primarily on formula capital apportionments to States. 
(2) Despite the significant increase for surface transpor-
tation program funding in the Transportation Equity Act of 
the 21st Century, current levels of investment are insufficient 
to fund critical high-cost transportation infrastructure facilities 
that address critical national economic and transportation 
needs. 
(3) Critical high-cost transportation infrastructure facilities 
often include multiple levels of government, agencies, modes 
of transportation, and transportation goals and planning proc-
esses that are not easily addressed or funded within existing 
surface transportation program categories. 
(4) Projects of national and regional significance have 
national and regional benefits, including improving economic 
productivity by facilitating international trade, relieving conges-
tion, and improving transportation safety by facilitating pas-
senger and freight movement. 
(5) The benefits of projects described in paragraph (4) 
accrue to local areas, States, and the Nation as a result of 
the effect such projects have on the national transportation 
system. 
(6) A program dedicated to constructing projects of national 
and regional significance is necessary to improve the safe, 
secure, and efficient movement of people and goods throughout 
the United States and improve the health and welfare of the 
national economy. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish a program to provide grants to States for projects of national 
and regional significance. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following definitions 
apply: 
(1) ELIGIBLE PROJECT COSTS.—The term ‘‘eligible project 
costs’’ means the costs of—
(A) development phase activities, including planning, 
feasibility analysis, revenue forecasting, environmental 
review, preliminary engineering and design work, and other 
preconstruction activities; and 
(B) construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and 
acquisition of real property (including land related to the 
project and improvements to land), environmental mitiga-
tion, construction contingencies, acquisition of equipment, 
and operational improvements.
H. R. 3—56
(2) ELIGIBLE PROJECT.—The term ‘‘eligible project’’ means 
any surface transportation project eligible for Federal assist-
ance under title 23, United States Code, including freight rail-
road projects and activities eligible under such title. 
(3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning such term 
has in section 101(a) of title 23, United States Code. 
(d) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for assistance under this section, 
a project shall have eligible project costs that are reasonably antici-
pated to equal or exceed the lesser of—
(1) $500,000,000; or 
(2) 75 percent of the amount of Federal highway assistance 
funds apportioned for the most recently completed fiscal year 
to the State in which the project is located. 
(e) APPLICATIONS.—Each State seeking to receive a grant under 
this section for an eligible project shall submit to the Secretary 
an application in such form and in accordance with such require-
ments as the Secretary shall establish. 
(f) 
COMPETITIVE
GRANT
SELECTION
AND
CRITERIA
FOR 
GRANTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall—
(A) establish criteria for selecting among projects that 
meet the eligibility criteria specified in subsection (d); 
(B) conduct a national solicitation for applications; and 
(C) award grants on a competitive basis. 
(2) CRITERIA FOR GRANTS.—The Secretary may approve a 
grant under this section for a project only if the Secretary 
determines that the project—
(A) is based on the results of preliminary engineering; 
(B) is justified based on the ability of the project—
(i) 
to 
generate 
national 
economic 
benefits, 
including creating jobs, expanding business opportuni-
ties, and impacting the gross domestic product; 
(ii) to reduce congestion, including impacts in the 
State, region, and Nation; 
(iii) to improve transportation safety, including 
reducing transportation accidents, injuries, and fatali-
ties; 
(iv) to otherwise enhance the national transpor-
tation system; and 
(v) to garner support for non-Federal financial 
commitments and provide evidence of stable and 
dependable financing sources to construct, maintain, 
and operate the infrastructure facility; and 
(C) is supported by an acceptable degree of non-Federal 
financial commitments, including evidence of stable and 
dependable financing sources to construct, maintain, and 
operate the infrastructure facility. 
(3) SELECTION
CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting a project 
under this section, the Secretary shall consider the extent to 
which the project—
(A) leverages Federal investment by encouraging non-
Federal contributions to the project, including contributions 
from public-private partnerships; 
(B) 
uses 
new 
technologies, 
including 
intelligent 
transportation systems, that enhance the efficiency of the 
project; and 
(C) helps maintain or protect the environment.
H. R. 3—57
(4) PRELIMINARY
ENGINEERING.—In evaluating a project 
under paragraph (2)(A), the Secretary shall analyze and con-
sider the results of preliminary engineering for the project. 
(5) NON-FEDERAL FINANCIAL COMMITMENT.—
(A) EVALUATION OF PROJECT.—In evaluating a project 
under paragraph (2)(C), the Secretary shall require that—
(i) the proposed project plan provides for the avail-
ability of contingency amounts that the Secretary 
determines to be reasonable to cover unanticipated 
cost increases; and 
(ii) each proposed non-Federal source of capital 
and operating financing is stable, reliable, and avail-
able within the proposed project timetable. 
(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In assessing the stability, reli-
ability, and availability of proposed sources of non-Federal 
financing under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall con-
sider—
(i) existing financial commitments; 
(ii) the degree to which financing sources are dedi-
cated to the purposes proposed; 
(iii) any debt obligation that exists or is proposed 
by the recipient for the proposed project; and 
(iv) the extent to which the project has a non-
Federal 
financial 
commitment 
that 
exceeds 
the 
required non-Federal share of the cost of the project. 
(6) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue regulations 
on the manner in which the Secretary will evaluate and rate 
the projects based on the results of preliminary engineering, 
project justification, and the degree of non-Federal financial 
commitment, as required under this subsection. 
(7) PROJECT EVALUATION AND RATING.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—A proposed project may advance from 
preliminary engineering to final design and construction 
only if the Secretary finds that the project meets the 
requirements of this subsection and there is a reasonable 
likelihood that the project will continue to meet such 
requirements. 
(B) 
EVALUATION
AND
RATING.—In 
making 
such 
findings, the Secretary shall evaluate and rate the project 
as ‘‘highly recommended’’, ‘‘recommended’’, or ‘‘not rec-
ommended’’ 
based 
on 
the 
results 
of 
preliminary 
engineering, the project justification criteria, and the 
degree of non-Federal financial commitment, as required 
under this subsection. In rating the projects, the Secretary 
shall provide, in addition to the overall project rating, 
individual ratings for each of the criteria established under 
the regulations issued under paragraph (6). 
(g) LETTERS
OF INTENT
AND FULL FUNDING GRANT AGREE-
MENTS.—
(1) LETTER OF INTENT.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may issue a letter 
of intent to an applicant announcing an intention to obli-
gate, for a project under this section, an amount from 
future available budget authority specified in law that is 
not more than the amount stipulated as the financial 
participation of the Secretary in the project.