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State Implementation
Each State Department of Transportation (DOT) is charged with implementing the federal Safe Routes to School program in their state. Because SRTS is a new program, there are variations in how DOTs have chosen to set up and administer the program, and these differing approaches have varied impacts on SRTS funding.
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership works to monitor the progress of State DOTs in administering SRTS—such as whether they have a full-time, permanent State SRTS Coordinator in place and whether they are awarding and obligating available funds at a reasonable rate. In our ten Network States, our State Organizers work more closely with the State DOTs to provide assistance with outreach, application review, and grantee support.
We also seek to identify and collect best practices for state administration of SRTS that can help keep all states informed and running the best, most efficient programs possible.
Latest News and Information:
New “State of the States” Shows Slowdown in SRTS Award and Obligation Rates
February 3, 2010
The Partnership strongly encourages state Departments of Transportation (DOT) to keep moving forward on awarding any remaining Safe Routes to School funds, and to get the funds obligated as quickly as possible. Our February 2010 quarterly update shows that both award and obligation rates slowed in the first quarter of FY2010. The Partnership will continue to work with our state networks and other advocates to emphasize the importance of getting these federal funds spent in local communities.
New State of the States Report Tracks Award and Obligation Rates
November 20, 2009
Each quarter, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership issues a “State of the States” to track the movement of each state Department of Transportation (DOT) in awarding and obligating federal Safe Routes to School funds. The November 2009 State of the States Chart reveals that over the last quarter (July through September 2009), DOTs have awarded close to $23 million in Safe Routes to School awards and have obligated more than $34 million to allow already-awarded projects to move forward. Many states made big strides in obligating funding, with almost all states obligating funding this past quarter. Overall, approximately 73% of the overall funds have been awarded and 39% have been obligated. The Partnership urges SRTS advocates to continue to work with state leaders to get 100% of the funding awarded and obligated.
Making the Most of Non-Infrastructure Safe Routes to School Funds Policy Paper
November 4, 2009
The Partnership finalized a non-infrastructure white paper in November 2009 - Making the Most of Non-Infrastructure Safe Routes to School Funds. In many states, applications for non-infrastructure funding have been low or of poor quality, but non-infrastructure programs are a critical element of making SRTS succeed. The federally-funded SRTS program requires that at least 10% of a state’s SRTS funding and at most 30% of the funding be spent on non-infrastructure activities throughout the state. With additional statewide leadership to provide outreach, training, and material resources related to education, encouragement, and enforcement, more local communities will apply for funding for comprehensive programs. This paper includes examples of various programs and approaches states are using to help increase the number and quality of non-infrastructure programs, which will also lead toward more walking and bicycling to school in a safe manner, goals of the federal program.
Non-infrastructure elements of SRTS programs are cost-effective and important for achieving the goals of the program. There is a great need to have states and practitioners share more information about successful SRTS non-infrastructure strategies that are already in place. If you have additional examples, please contact Brooke Driesse and we will make periodic updates to this paper.
Serving Students with Disabilities Through Safe Routes to School Programs Position Paper
November 4, 2009
The Partnership created the Serving Students with Disabilities Through Safe Routes to School Programs position paper to apprise Congress, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the National Center for Safe Routes to School (the Clearinghouse) on recommended strategies for meeting the stated goal in section 1404 of SAFETEA-LU for serving students with disabilities through Safe Routes to School programs. The position paper is organized to address the background and need of serving students with disabilities, challenges and benefits, and four recommendations which focus on training and curricula; outreach to parents and students; pilot programs; and evaluation of the inclusion efforts for students with disabilities in Safe Routes to School programs. We hope that this paper will lead toward increased action and focus on serving students with disabilities through existing SRTS funds.
Rescissions Process Likely to Result in Loss of Up to 4.45% of SRTS Funds in Each State
September 21, 2009
In our last issue of E-News, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership notified you that a number of transportation programs are currently subject to rescissions. All state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) must return a portion of their federal transportation funds to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)—including the Safe Routes to School program. The rescissions process is complicated for SRTS – but states will have to return a maximum of 4.45% of their SRTS funds. For additional information on how the rescission amount will be calculated, including a state-by-state table of maximum SRTS rescissions, please review our rescissions memo. UPDATE: the final rescission numbers for each state are now available.
Partnership Issues July 2009 State of the States
August 11, 2009
Each quarter, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership issues a “State of the States” to track the movement of each state Department of Transportation (DOT) in awarding and obligating federal Safe Routes to School funds. The July 2009 State of the States Chart reveals that over the last quarter (April to June 2009), DOTs have awarded close to$40 million in Safe Routes to School awards and have obligated more than $40 million to allow already-awarded projects to move forward. This shows a great deal of momentum—states awarded nearly double and obligated nearly quadruple the funds awarded and obligated during the prior quarter. Overall, approximately 66% of the overall funds have been awarded and 32% have been obligated.
Partnership Issues April 2009 State of the States
May 12, 2009
Each quarter, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership issues a “State of the States” to track the movement of each state Department of Transportation (DOT) in awarding and obligating federal Safe Routes to School funds. The April 2009 State of the States chart reveals that over the last quarter (January to March 2009), DOTs have awarded $23 million in Safe Routes to School awards and have obligated $11 million to allow already-awarded projects to move forward. Overall, now that DOTs have the FY2009 funds available to them, approximately 60% of the overall funds have been awarded and 25% obligated. While many states have moved forward expeditiously to ensure that SRTS funds are benefiting local communities, a total of 21 states have more than half of their funds to award out. Take a look at our chart to see how your state is progressing.
Partnership Releases Working Group Report on SRTS Implementation Challenges
May 7, 2009
Last fall, the Partnership has convened a Working Group on Implementation to examine the impact of the title 23 regulations that govern SRTS on project delivery and costs and develop more specific recommendations. Together, Working Group participants convened monthly to discuss implementation challenges and opportunities. The Partnership’s Working Group on Implementation has just released the product of those discussions, a report entitled “Implementation Challenges with the Federal SRTS Program: An Examination of Title 23 Regulations, the Impact on Project Costs and Timing, and Opportunities for More Efficient Project Delivery". The report provides background on the existing regulatory processes, identifies best practices that many state DOTs are already undertaking, and proposes legislative and administrative solutions that could make SRTS projects more efficient, without undermining important environmental and labor projections. We have already begun to share the report with key Congressional offices and the Federal Highway Administration, and hope that state SRTS Coordinators will find it useful in their own implementation. We would like to thank the members of the Working Group, who are identified in the report’s appendix, and all those local SRTS recipients who completed the implementation survey last December.
Partnership Issues Best Practices for State SRTS Programs on Addressing the Needs of Low-Income Communities
April 10, 2009
Low-income communities often face challenges in applying for and implementing SRTS projects, due to shortages in staff, funding challenges, and engineering expertise. Yet, these schools and communities often have very high levels of childhood obesity, and can be the very institutions were significant numbers of children are encountering unsafe traffic conditions. A number of state SRTS programs have implemented varied approaches to address the special needs and challenges of low-income communities, either in the application process or the implementation phase. Based on input from State SRTS Coordinators, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership has compiled a best practices guide that can help other state Departments of Transportation ensure participation in SRTS from diverse communities throughout the state.
State of the States Quarterly Update
January 31, 2009
Quarterly, the Partnership provides an updated look at each state’s progress on awarding and obligating its available share of Safe Routes to School funding. The quarterly update provides an important benchmark in each state’s progress in implementation SRTS. Take a look at the January 2009 chart to see where your state stands. Past updates are available for November 2008 and March 2008.
Partnership Sends Letter to State Governors Regarding SRTS Implementation
December 3, 2008
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership has sent a letter to each state’s Governor plus the Mayor of the District of Columbia regarding state implementation of the federal Safe Routes to School program. The letter congratulates states for their work in implementing SRTS, and asks them to award the remainder of available funding to help schools and communities struggling with traffic safety, childhood obesity, poor air quality, and school bus route cuts. The letter also encourages states to mitigate where possible the delays in implementing SRTS projects due to federal regulations and state procedures. Finally, the letter encourages Governors to share best practices or challenges they face in implementing SRTS with the Partnership so that we can work with states and Congress to implement best practices to urge implementation challenges.
Safe Routes to School: 2007 State of the States Report
October 1, 2007
On Monday, October 1, 2007 at 12:30 PM, Chairman Oberstar of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a press conference in Washington, DC to unveil the Partnership’s Safe Routes to School: 2007 State of the States Report. The report discusses progress on implementation of the federal Safe Routes program. Photos are available from the event:
• Congressman Oberstar and children at the press conference
• Deb Hubsmith at the press conference
• DC children on bikes at the press conference
• DC children with signs at the press conference
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