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Job Access and Reverse Commute / New Freedom Program |
The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Act, a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) was enacted in August 2005 and provides guaranteed funding for Federal surface transportation programs through FFY 2009. SAFETEA-LU requires the establishment of a locally-developed, coordinated public transit – human services transportation plan (HSTP) in order for the northeastern Illinois region to access two specific funding programs; Section 5316 Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC), and Section 5317 New Freedom (NF).
In response to this requirement, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) embarked on a thorough HSTP planning process, called Connecting Communities through Coordination, to identify strategies that encourage more efficient use of available service providers that bring enhanced mobility to the region’s older adults, persons with disabilities and individuals with lower incomes.
The completion of the HSTP allows the northeastern Illinois region to access nearly $7 million in federal funding available from the JARC and NF programs. The HSTP's goal is to maximize these two programs’ collective coverage by minimizing the duplication of services and ensure the provision of efficient transportation services for the Northeastern Illinois region.
The JARC/NF programs advance the RTA’s Strategic Plan goal of providing attractive, high-quality; innovative transit choices that link people to jobs and facilitate the use of transit for other trips. In addition, these programs will support the Strategic Plan objectives to increase the amount of transit service provided and serve more of the region’s travel markets using innovative approaches as appropriate and increase the ease of connection between different transit providers by coordinating service, fares, information and physical connections. Selected projects will support the RTA’s Regional Transit Coordination Program Goal of providing customers with a seamless regional transit system that most effectively takes people where they need to go by transit.
The potential for sustainability and self-sufficiency beyond the grant period will be a major determining factor for operating projects. In order to achieve the most benefit with available resources, project readiness will be considered for all project types.
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Annual Call for Projects Timeline
April 8, 2009
Call for Projects launched
June 12, 2009
Applications are due
to the RTA by 3:00 P.M. CST
August 20, 2009
Preliminary Programs of Projects
presented to the RTA Board of Directors
August 20- September 30, 2009
Public Comment period
October 15, 2009
Programs of Projects presented to the RTA Board of Directors for approval
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