ITS Funding in USA

As a result of congressional legislation, the budget of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) invests in the future, in a national transportation system that will be ready to meet the demands of the 21^st century. Building upon the excellent transportation network that exists today, the budget advances the concept of a truly integrated system that is intermodal in form, international in reach, intelligent in character, and inclusive in service. A key to achieving an integrated and intermodal system is through the deployment of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century" is the current legislation that authorizes funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs and for other transportation purposes. The Act supports new technological and innovative solutions and the development and increased use of technologies, such as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

The primary source of research and development funds for ITS in TEA-21 is designated in the "Transportation Research" Title of the Act where ITS is specifically identified. The ITS funds for FY 2000 are nearly evenly divided between Pre-Deployment funds [$105,327,000] and Deployment funds [$112,850,000]. The Pre-Deployment funds are discretionary funds with recipients to be designated as the program develops. The Deployment funds have been designated for specific locations but the specific project scope was not defined in the legislation. The scope of work for each Deployment project is expected to be developed and approved by the end of March 2000. The specific budget line items for the Fiscal Year 2000 Spending Plan are listed in the following table.

US DOT Fiscal Year 2000 ITS Research and Development Spending Plan
I. Pre-Deployment		$105,327,000
A. Research and Development
B. Operational Tests
C. Evaluation/Program Assessment
D. Architecture and Standards
E. Integration/Mainstreaming
F. Program Support
G. Other Activities (National Advanced Driver Simulator, Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System, Advanced Vehicle Technology Consortia)
II. Deployment Incentives		$112,850,000
Albuquerque, New Mexico	$2,000,000
Arapahoe County, Colorado	$1,000,000
Brans, Missouri	$1,000,000
Central Pennsylvania	$1,000,000
Charlotte, North Carolina	$1,000,000
Chicago, Illinois	$1,000,000
City of Superior & Douglas County, Wisconsin	$1,000,000
Clay County, Missouri	$300,000
Clearwater, Florida	$3,500,000
College Station, Texas	$1,000,000
Central Ohio	$1,000,000
Commonwealth of Virginia	$4,000,000
Corpus Christi, Texas	$1,500,000
Delaware River, Pennsylvania	$1,000,000
Fairfield, California	$750,000
Fargo, North Dakota	$1,000,000
Florida Bay County, Florida	$1,000,000
Fort Worth, Texas	$2,500,000
Grand Forks, North Dakota	$500,000
Greater Metro, Capital Region Washington, DC	$5,000,000
Greater Yellowstone, Montana	$1,000,000
Houma, Louisiana	$1,000,000
Houston, Texas	$1,500,000
Huntsville, Alabama	$500,000
Inglewood, California	$1,000,000
Jefferson County, Colorado	$1,500,000
Kansas City, Missouri	$1,000,000
Las Vegas, Nevada	$2,800,000
Los Angeles, California	$1,000,000
Miami, Florida	$1,000,000
Mission Viejo, California	$1,000,000
Monroe County, New York	$1,000,000
Nashville, Tennessee	$1,000,000
Northeast Florida	$1,000,000
Oakland, California	$500,000
Oakland County, Michigan	$1,000,000
Oxford, Mississippi	$1,500,000
Pennsylvania Turnpike, Pennsylvania	$2,500,000
Pueblo, Colorado	$1,000,000
Puget Sound, Washington	$1,000,000
Reno/Tahoe,k California/Nevada	$500,000
Rensselaer County, New York	$1,000,000
Sacramento County, California	$1,000,000
Salt Lake City, Utah	$3,000,000
San Francisco, California	$1,000,000
Santa Clara, California	$1,000,000
Santa Teresa, New Mexico	$1,000,000
Seattle, Washington	$2,100,000
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia	$2,500,000
Shreveport, Louisiana	$1,000,000
Silicon Valley, California	$1,000,000
Southeast Michigan	$2,000,000
Spokane, Washington	$500,000
St. Louis, Missouri	$1,000,000
State of Alabama	$1,300,000
State of Alaska	$3,000,000
State of Arizona	$1,000,000
State of Colorado	$1,500,000
State of Delaware	$2,000,000
State of Idaho	$2,000,000
State of Illinois	$1,500,000
State of Maryland	$2,000,000
State of Minnesota	$7,000,000
State of Montana	$1,000,000
State of Nebraska	$500,000
State of Oregon	$1,000,000
State of Texas	$4,000,000
State of Vermont, Rural Systems	$1,000,000
State of New Jersey and New York	$2,000,000
Statewide Transcom/Transmit, New Jersey	$4,000,000
Tacoma Puvallup, Washington	$500,000
Thurston, Washington	$1,000,000
Towamencin, Pennsylvania	$600,000
Wausau-Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin	$1,500,000
Wayne County, Michigan	$1,000,000
GRAND TOTAL		$218,177,000

Another Title in TEA-21 where ITS is specifically designated is in the Federal Transit Administration Title. A section within the authorizations established in TEA-21 for the Federal Transit Administration is titled, "Intelligent Transportation Systems Applications." That section authorizes funds for (a) Fixed Guideway Technology, (b) Bus Technology, and (c) Advanced Propulsion Control System. The following table identifies the locations where these ITS technologies will be developed.

In addition to the funds authorized specifically for ITS as described above, there are a number of other major capital program areas in which ITS technologies can be used to improve the operational efficiencies and safety of the transportation system. Funds from the National Highway System account and from the Surface Transportation Program of the Federal Highway Administration may be used for infrastructure-based ITS capital improvements. The TEA-21 legislation authorized $4,793,429,000 in Fiscal Year 2000 for the National Highway System and $5,592,333,000 in Fiscal Year 2000 for the Surface Transportation Program of the Federal Highway Administration. Although these funds are eligible for ITS projects, most of the funding is used for non-ITS activities.

In the Federal Transit Administration, the major capital funding sources for transit systems are the Formula Grant program and the Capital Program grants. ITS projects have now been defined to be capital projects and are, therefore, eligible for related funding. In Fiscal Year 2000, the Capital Grant Program of the Federal Transit Administration was authorized at $3,061,000,000 and the Formula Grant Program was authorized at 3,248,000,000. Most of these funds, however, are used for construction, modernization and other non-ITS activities.

In addition to these major capital grant programs of the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, there are other targeted program areas where ITS projects are eligible and where the project is consistent with the program criteria. For example, funds from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program may be used for the implementation of ITS strategies that contribute to air quality improvement. Activities within this category can include transit improvements, travel demand management strategies, traffic flow improvements, and public fleet conversions to cleaner fuels. In Fiscal Year 2000, $1,358,138,000 was authorized for this program area. Although these funds are eligible for ITS-related activities, most of the funds are used for non-ITS purposes.

The Job Access and Reverse Commute program of the Federal Transit Administration consists of a number of projects that use ITS technologies to assist in developing transportation services. This program is designed (a) to transport welfare recipients and low-income individuals to and from jobs and (b) for residents of urban centers and rural and suburban areas to get to suburban employment opportunities. The program was authorized at $150,000,000 for Fiscal Year 2000. Although these funds are eligible for ITS-related activities, most of the funds are used for non-ITS purposes.

Federal Transit Administration Fiscal Year 2000 Authorizations for ITS
I. Fixed Guideway Technology
A.North Orange-South Seminole County, Florida [This was funded in Fiscal Year 1999 at $750,000]
B. Galveston, Texas Fixed Guideway Activities [This was funded in Fiscal Year 1999 at $750,000]
II. Bus Technology		$5,250,000
A. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Massachusetts, Advanced Electric Transit Buses and Related Infrastructure [This was also funded in Fiscal Year 1999]	$1,500,000
B. Palm Springs, California, Fuel Cell Buses [This was also funded in Fiscal Year 1999]	$1,000,000
C. Gloucester, Massachusetts, Intermodal Technology Center [This was also funded in Fiscal Year 1999]	$1,500,000
D. Washoe County, Nevada, Transit Technology [This was also funded in Fiscal Year 1999]	$1,250,000
III. Advanced Propulsion Control System		$3,000,000
A. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) Advanced Propulsion Control System [This is also being funded in Fiscal Years 1999 and 2001]	$3,000,000
GRAND TOTAL		$8,250,000

	ITS FUNDING IN THE USA