SCDOT’s Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside Program (TAP)

Non-Transportation Management Areas

SCDOT manages the TAP funding for entities located in non-Transportation Management Areas. IIJA defined new population sub-groups for this category of funding, collectively referred to as the Rural and Small Urban Transportation Alternatives Program. The tentative funds available in these categories for the first 2024 TA funding round are shown below:

Eligible Applicants

The following entities may apply for TA Funding:

• Local governments
• Regional Transportation Authorities
• Transit Agencies
• Natural Resource or Public Lands agencies
• School Districts, local education agencies or schools
• Tribal Governments
• Nonprofits
• Any other local or regional governmental entity with responsibility for, or oversight of transportation that the State determines to be eligible. This would include eligible COGs.
• SCDOT, at the request of an eligible applicant
• Eligible entities within a TMA’s boundaries that were not funded by the TMA (With approval from SCDOT)

Applicants may request that SCDOT administer their project, or they may apply to SCDOT to be a Local Public Agency (LPA) if they wish to administer the project themselves.

Eligible Projects

Planning, design and construction of:

• On-road and off-road trail facilities for transportation purposes for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other non-motorized forms of transportation (Note: The term “pedestrians” is inclusive of all users of the pedestrian infrastructure, including persons with disabilities.)
• Projects that will provide safe routes for non-drivers, including children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities to access daily needs
• Safe Routes to Schools infrastructure (23 U.S.C. 208)
• Projects listed in an applicable SCDOT, COG/MPO non-motorized transportation, bicycle, or other related plans
• Projects that meet SCDOT’s Complete Streets Departmental Directive

Prioritization will be given to:

• Projects that address documented safety issues, and are in a TIP, STIP, LRTP, or other planning document.
• Projects that align with SCDOT’s Complete Streets Policy, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Action Plan, and TA-eligible projects / components of projects in SCDOT’s 10-Year Plan.
• Projects that are located in and impact high-need areas of the state, as defined by the SC Department of Revenue’s County Development Tiers.

Grant Award & Match Requirements

TAP funds may be used for up to 80% of a project’s eligible costs. Generally, an applicant must provide 20% of the project’s cost as local match. Note: Projects located in Tier IV and III counties, as defined by the SC Department of Revenue, and projects in municipalities with populations under 5,000 may request to have a percentage of their non-federal match covered by SCDOT.

• The minimum grant request is $400,000 (minimum total project cost of $500,000).
• The maximum grand request may not exceed the funds available in each population category for that TAP round.
• Local match must be non-federal funds, i.e. local, state or private funds; in-kind match is not accepted.
• Applicants will be required to provide documentation that their match will be available upon grant award.
• The applicant will be billed and must provide 100% of their match before the project can start.

Grant Performance Period

TAP funds are available for obligation for a period of three (3) years after the last day of the fiscal year for which the funds were authorized. Thus, funds are available for obligation for up to four (4) years.

Any TA funds not obligated within their performance period are subject to lapse, and will not be replaced by SCDOT. It will be the applicant’s responsibility to cover any lapsed funds as determined by SCDOT.

An entity must advance the project by having substantial work underway no less than 6 months after project award. If substantial work has not started after 6 months, SCDOT reserves the right to repeal its award.

Annual Funding Rounds

FHWA requires Transportation Alternative Set-Aside projects to be publicly solicited and selected through a competitive process carried out at the State and TMA levels. For the Rural and Small Urban TA Program, SCDOT will solicit applications twice a year, and will coordinate with the COGs and MPOs serving populations less than 200,000 to review and provide feedback on projects.

SCDOT will start accepting Letters of Intent (LOI) for the 2024 Round One on April 1, 2024. The LOI will be due back to SCDOT no later than Friday, May 3, 2024, by 4:00 pm.

2023 Round Two TAP Schedule

Tentative 2024 Round One TAP Schedule

• TAP Point of Contact:
• Amy Blinson, TAP Program Manager
• (803) 737-1952
• BlinsonAL@scdot.org