Governor Phil Murphy • Lt. Governor Tahesha Way

Department of Transportation

local aid and economic development graphic

Safe Routes to School

Grant Announcement: Safe Routes to School 2024
FY2024 Grant Solicitation Announcement Safe Routes to School

Application Deadline FY 2024: November 17 2023
NJDOT Announced the Grant Solicitation period for Fiscal Year 2024 Safe Routes to School is open.
Starting July 24,2023,applications will be accepted through November 17,2023
View Announcement HERE
FY 2024 Grant Solicitation – Safe Routes to School

The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is pleased to announce that the application period is now open for our 2024 Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. The deadline to apply is November 17, 2023. Program requirements and supporting documents can be found at the following website link: https://www.njdotlocalaidrc.com/federally-funded-programs/safe-routes-to-school

The NJDOT is offering free online training sessions providing participants with information about applying for the SRTS Program. Topics that will be covered in this online training include: Overview of Federal Aid programs and the Safe Routes to School Program; Detailed Review of the Safe Routes to School Grant Application; Grant Application Process; Grant Resources, Tips & Strategies; and Q&A with NJDOT Local Aid Staff. The session is designed to assist you with making your grant application stronger to turn your project into a reality. Dates, times and links to registration are below.

Thursday August 10, 2023, 10am to 11:30am — register here!
Thursday, September 7, 2023, from 12pm to 1:30pm — register here!
Wednesday, October 4, 2023, from 1:30pm to 3:00pm — register here!

Lastly, the NJDOT will be offering One-on-One Application Meetings to provide direct assistance to applicants in developing better and stronger applications. These meetings will be held with a NJDOT District staff member and an MPO representative. Applicants requesting a meeting must be a representative of the Local Public Agency, NOT a consultant. One on One meetings are mandatory requirement to apply for funding. Meetings will be held from July 31, 2023 through September 29, 2023. More information on specific dates and how to sign up will be posted shortly on the NJDOT Local Aid Resource Center at: https://www.njdotlocalaidrc.com. Good luck!!

 

The Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS) is a federally funded reimbursement program that was established in August 2005 by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act - A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) and continued under the MAP-21 regulations enacted July 2012 and the FAST Act regulations enacted December 2015 and as set forth in 23 USC 208 of IIJA.Section 1404 of the legislation provides funding for State Departments of Transportation to create and administer SRTS. Section 1404 of the Act also provides the details of the SRTS program. The SRTS program eligible under SAFETEA-LU, Section 1404 Safe Routes to School Program (23 USC 402 note) has been continued under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) legislation enacted in July 2012 and Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act enacted in December 2015.

Under the most recent legislation, funding does not provide for a standalone SRTS Program. The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has elected to continue funding the SRTS program separately. The SRTS program is funded through the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Federal Aid Program and is being administered by the NJDOT, in partnership with the North Jersey Transportation Planning authority (NJTPA), the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), and the south Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO).

The federal-aid SRTS program provides federal-aid highway funds to State Departments of Transportation. The main objectives of the program are:

  • to enable and encourage children in grades K-12, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school;
  • to make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age; and,
  • to facilitate the planning, development and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity of schools.
County, municipal governments, school districts, and schools are eligible to apply to the program. Nonprofit organizations are eligible as direct grant recipients for this solicitation. However, non-profit organizations may partner with a local public agency that will assume responsibility and administration for the grant.

The SRTS Program provides funding for infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects, as described below.

Infrastructure
Infrastructure projects include the planning, design, and construction or installation of sidewalks, crosswalks, signals, traffic-calming, and bicycle facilities.

NJDOT will solicit SRTS grant applications for infrastructure projects only. The Safe Routes to School Handbook (pdf 949k) explains the infrastructure program's eligibility requirements, guides the applicant through the application, and describes the process by which projects are selected.

SAGE logo All applicants will be required to submit their applications online using SAGE (System for Administering Grants Electronically). Training and instructions.


Non-Infrastructure
Non-infrastructure projects include activities such as public awareness campaigns, walk and bike to school events and training, traffic education and enforcement, and student lessons on bicycle and pedestrian safety, health, and the environment. Federal regulations require that States devote at least 10% of SRTS funding to the non-infrastructure component of the program.

The NJDOT has partnered with the New Jersey Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) to administer a new statewide education and encouragement program using the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) legislation funds. The goal of the program is to educate and encourage more children to walk and bicycle to school. For more information about the program, please contact the TMA in your area:

Atlantic Gloucester Passaic-Suburban
Bergen Hudson Passaic-Urban
Burlington Hunterdon Salem
Camden Mercer Somerset
Cape May Middlesex Sussex
Cumberland Monmouth Union-Suburban
Essex-Suburban Morris Union-Urban
Essex-Urban Ocean Warren

Design Assistance (2022)
NJDOT is pleased to announce the SRTS Design Assistance Program (pdf 2m). This pilot program makes available consultant engineering services to assist Local Public Agencies (LPA's) with the development of plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E) for their SRTS projects. Recipients of NJDOT's 2018 SRTS grants are eligible to participate in the program. The program was developed by NJDOT as part of the FHWA's Every Day Counts initiative and is intended to shorten time, reduce costs, and improve quality in the delivery of NJDOT SRTS projects.

NJDOT has established a pool of engineering design consultants through a quality based selection process. This pool can aid LPAs in the project delivery process by reducing the time required to procure professional services, ensure the consultant selection process is compliant with federal Brooks Act requirements, and provides the LPA with NJDOT prequalified, cost basis approved designers to aid in the development of PS&E submissions for their eligible SRTS project.

Information is available for the three firms in the current consultant pool:
Some highlights of the SRTS Design Assistance Program are:
  • Participation in the SRTS Design Assistance Program is at the sole discretion of the LPA.
  • Recipients of 2022 SRTS grants are eligible to participate in the program.
  • NJDOT will participate in eligible design costs if an LPA elects to participate in the program.
  • The SRTS Design Assistance Program is a reimbursement program.
  • Costs and fees for the work to be performed will be negotiated by the LPA with the firm of their choice.
  • Contracts for the work to be performed will be between the LPA and the firm. All federal requirements apply.
  • Total costs and fees shall not exceed $750,000.
Please contact NJDOT's Local Aid and Economic Development at 609.963.2021 if you are an eligible SRTS recipient interested in the SRTS Design Assistance Program. Questions regarding the 2012 and 2018 grant recipients Design assistance program may also be directed to 609.963.2021

Resources
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files which is available at our state Adobe Acrobat Access page.
Last updated date: February 27, 2020 10:45 AM