Transportation Alternatives Program
The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), authorized by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century or MAP-21 federal legislation, allows for the funding for programs and projects defined as “transportation alternatives.” This includes:
Provision of on-road and off-road facilities for bicycles and pedestrians, such as:
- Sidewalks
- Bicycle infrastructure
- Pedestrian and bicycle signals
- Traffic calming techniques
- Lighting and other safety related improvements
- Transportation projects to achieve ADA compliance
- Conversion of abandoned railway corridors for trails
- Planning, design, and construction of infrastructure-related projects/systems that will provide safe routes for non-drivers
- Infrastructure and non-infrastructure Safe Routes to School activities that improve the ability of students to walk and bicycle to school
- Community improvement activities related to transportation
- Environmental mitigation related to transportation
Recreational trails are another element funded by TAP. In Nevada, this portion of funding is administered by the Nevada Division of State Parks. Information on how to apply for recreational trail projects can be found here.
The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC), as the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for Southern Nevada, has federal authority to administer a portion of the TAP funds received in Nevada for local projects. Based on this authority, the RTC held a series of workshops in early 2013 with local stakeholders ranging from local public works and planning agencies, school and health district officials, and citizens representing bicycle interests. The two main goals of the workshops were to determine the priorities for the Southern Nevada TAP and create a process for project selection.
FY 2013 – 2016 Transportation Improvement Program
The result of those workshops was a list of selected projects for Fiscal Years 2013 thru 2016, which can be found here: Southern Nevada TAP Projects_FY 2013-16. Projects found on this list have been included into the RTC’s Transportation Improvement Program.
The next steps for the Southern Nevada TAP are to monitor the implementation progress of selected projects and adjust the local priorities and selection process of the program as needed.