Funding Available to Local Governments

On this page are links and information on funding sources available to local governments for financing improvements to the road and street system.  Some of the links have information on funds that are available from other agencies.  These links are here for informational purposes.  For further information contact those agencies directly.  For further information on Federal funds that are allocated to Ohio and made available to local governments by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) please contact ODOT District One.

ODOT Program Resource Guide

The ODOT Program Resource Guide is available online.  This guide is a very good source of information about transportation funding programs available through ODOT.  Sources of transportation infrastructure funding available from other agencies are also discussed.

Credit Bridge Program

ODOT has reinstated the Credit Bridge Program (CBP).  The CBP, which was in place during the 1990s, was a program by which Cities and Counties could earn "soft match credit" by spending Local dollars on bridge projects that would have otherwise qualified for Federal funding.  This "soft match credit" could later be used in place of the required 20% match just like Toll Revenue Credit (TRC) on local-participating bridge projects.  The program was discontinued due to large Toll Revenue Credit (TRC) balances that ODOT was receiving as a result of the capital expansion taking place on the Ohio Turnpike.  ODOT allowed the local governments to use TRC in place of the Credit Bridge credits, but with TRC quickly being depleted, reinstatement of the CBP program was warranted.

The CBP balances for the counties as well as the Policy and Standard Operating Procedure are linked from the Credit Bridge Program page of the Local Projects section of the ODOT Office of Systems Planning and Program Management.

Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program

Information on the Ohio CMAQ program project eligibility review process is on the ODOT Office of Systems Planning and Program Management website.

The site of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) also has information on the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program.

A CMAQ Fact Sheet on the FHWA site discusses the CMAQ program and changes made to the program by SAFETEA-LU in 2005.

The only area in ODOT District One eligible to use CMAQ funds is Allen County.  This area has had budgets of CMAQ funds starting in FY 2007.  Local governments in Allen County that desire to use these funds should contact the Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission.

Funding for Safety Projects

The Application and Guidelines are located in the funding files section on the right of of the Highway Programs page of the ODOT Office of Systems Planning and Program Management website.  Applications must be submitted through the Local's appropriate ODOT District office or the application will not be considered for funding.  For further information for local governments in ODOT District One please contact Eric Pfenning.

For additional information on funding for construction of safety projects please see the ODOT Highway Safety Program policy on the Policies & Initiatives page.

Transportation Enhancement Funds

The two-step application cycle is annual, beginning each January 1 with submittal of a Letter of Interest (LOI) due to the respective ODOT district by February 1.

The Transportation Enhancement Program Policy - Policy No: 25-005(P) is linked from the Local Projects section Transportation Enhancement Program page. (viewing the policy requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)  The Letter of Interest guidance is also linked from the Office of Local Projects Transportation Enhancement Program page. 

The Lima-Allen County Regional Planning Commission (L-ACRPC) has opted to join the ODOT statewide transportation enhancement program.  Agencies in the L-ACRPC area are now eligible to apply for funding directly from ODOT.

The website of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has an overview of the transportation enhancement program.  Included in this overview is a list of eligible transportation enhancement activities.  There are 12 activities that are eligible.

Another source of information is the site of the National Transportation Enhancements Clearinghouse. 

Repayment of Preliminary Engineering Costs 

There is a directive on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) site dated April 26, 2011 that provides policy direction on the repayment of Federal-aid funds expended on preliminary engineering (PE) projects when reasonable progress has not been made toward right-of-way (ROW) acquisition or construction.