Transportation
Enhancement Program
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December 9, 2005 - FY2006 Enhancement Projects Selected
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NEBRASKA TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Nebraska Department of Roads Transportation Enhancement Program provides funding to local, state, and regional governmental entities to construct and restore transportation infrastructure that are not eligible to be funded through other programs. Examples of transportation infrastructure projects that are eligible under this program include non-motorized facilities for pedestrians and bicycles, development of scenic byways, restoration of historic transportation facilities, and other projects directly related to the historic, current, or future transportation infrastructure.

The Transportation Enhancement Selection Committee prioritizes these quality of life projects based on available funding for each year. For fiscal year 2005 over $6 million was committed to 21 projects which now make up a total of 808 projects awarded to communities statewide since the inception of the program. Among those funded was a set-aside to help fund eligible projects on the state owned Cowboy Trail, the Main Street Program, and the smaller landscaping projects administered by the Nebraska Forest Service/UNL Arboretum NCEP Program. The NCEP Program has now funded well over 400 transportation corridor improvement projects which has helped distribute these TE funds to now almost 200 communities in Nebraska. (info in this paragraph updated 12-19-2005)

ORIGINS OF THE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

The Transportation Enhancement Program was established by Congress in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). The law broadened the Federal transportation focus from constructing roads to providing diverse surface transportation options to help make communities more livable.

ISTEA expired in 1997, but the initial success of the program resulted in the reauthorization of enhancement funding in the 1998 passage of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). To implement the federal act, the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) established the Nebraska Transportation Enhancement Program.

TEA-21 expired September 30, 2003. However, three extensions to TEA-21 have been signed by the President. These extensions allow states to continue to solicit, rank, and select Transportation Enhancement Projects.

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CONTACT INFO

Questions? More Info? Please contact:

R. James Pearson, NDOR Transportation Enhancement Administrator
jpearson@dor.state.ne.us
Phone: (402) 479-4881

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