Hampton Roads Public Transit and Human Services Transportation Plan
 

Notice of Change in Fund Availability for Cycle 3:
-- Only JARC funds will be available, not New Freedom, at this time.
Application deadline extended to Monday, April 6 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Dear Hampton Roads Transportation Stakeholders:

The primary reason that Cycle 3 had been scheduled at this time, rather than later, is because the Hampton Roads Region must obligate $378,789 in FY 2007 JARC funds by September 30, 2009, or risk losing them to our Region. We only have a small amount of New Freedom funds from FY 2008 currently available, and these funds remain available until September 2010, so the application process for Cycle 3 is being restricted to applications for JARC funds only (Section 5316, Job Access and Reverse Commute). New Freedom applications will be accepted for Cycle 4, at a date to be announced.

In addition, because of this change, the application deadline is being extended until Monday, April 6, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. All other requirements remain unchanged.

In addition to the FY 2007 JARC funds, $634,588 is available from this source from FY 2008, for a total of $1,013,377. However, only the FY 207 funds are currently at risk, so the Project Selection Committee and TDCHR reserve the right to not award all of the FY 2008 JARC funds in this cycle, deepening on the number and quality of applications. Projects approved for Cycle 3 are expected to be available for funding and implementation this Autumn.

The New Freedom funds currently available are only slightly more than half a year’s apportionment, and it has been determined that a better and more fair competitive selection process can be conducted if we await the new funds that will be available from FY 2009.

We apologize for any inconvenience that this causes for prospective New Freedom applicants. You will be given full consideration when Cycle 4 is announced later this year. If you have any questions, pleas contact us via email at coordination@hrtransit.org, or a message can be left at 757-222-6077.

New funds attributable to FY 2009 are expected to be announced by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in the near future, and these will remain available through 2011.

NOTE: For projects that are eligible for funding from either source, public notices specifying only New Freedom will be considered acceptable for this Cycle. Other materials already prepared for possible New Freedom projects can be submitted as part of a Cycle 4 application.

The proposed application schedule for this cycle of funding is:
Stakeholder/Applicant WorkshopThursday, March 5
Deadline for Questions to HRT (5:00 EST)Friday, March 13
Public Notices due (publication)Sunday, March 22
Final Answers from HRTWednesday, March 25
Applications Due to HRT (2:00 p.m. EST) Monday, April 6
Project Review and ApprovalsApril through June

The current Application Form and related materials are available here.

The maximum funds available to the Virginia Beach Urbanized Area for this cycle include:

JARCNew Freedom
FY 2007$ 378,789 $0
FY 2008$ 634,588 $193,039
Total$1,013,377 $193,039

Note: Based on the number and quality of applications received, the Project Selection Committee and HRT may reserve some portion of available funds for a future cycle. Due to limited funding available, and the fact that FY 2009 apportionments have not yet been announced, we are not recommending any funding for continuing operations at this time. Those projects will be considered in a fourth cycle to be announced in the future.

Additional information will continue to be posted at this site. Please check the Meetings & Materials page for the latest materials.

Any questions or comments can be addressed to coordination@hrtransit.org, or via telephone to: 757-222-6077.

For the Hampton Roads area, the plan was developed in partnership by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC), the Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads (Hampton Roads Transit or HRT), and Williamsburg Area Transport (WAT).