FUNDING STRATEGIES
FEDERAL FUNDING Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) The SS4A grant is an annual funding opportunity from the Federal Highway Administration that supports improving roadway safety for all users by reducing or eliminating serious-injury and fatal crashes. It requires the development and implementation of a comprehensive safety plan, such as a Safety Action Plan or a Vision Zero Plan. The grant provides funding for planning, demonstration, and implementation grants. This grant requires a local funding match of no less than 20 percent, but North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) may help cover local match for some project using Transportation Development Credits (TDCs). The City of Fort Worth has applied TDCs in the past and may do so in the future to help meet the funding needs for implementing the actions and projects identified in this plan. STATE FUNDING Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) Texas’s Highway Safety Improvement Plan (HSIP), directed by the Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), aims to reduce traffic fatalities and severe injuries on all public roads. It provides a standardized approach for identifying and reviewing specific traffic safety concerns throughout the state. Program funds are eligible to cover up to 90 percent of project construction costs. HSIP funds are only eligible to cover construction costs.
Traffic Safety Grant via NHTSA NHTSA awards grants for occupant protection, state traffic safety information systems, impaired driving countermeasures, distracted driving, motorcyclist safety, state graduated driver licensing laws, and non-motorized safety. Funds are awarded to the state and administered through TxDOT. TxDOT Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) TxDOT TAP provides funds for locally sponsored bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in the state. TxDOT TAP has four different project categories that decide eligibility and funding amounts: community-based, large scale, network enhancements, and non-infrastructure. All require a local match of 20 percent. The current call for projects will provide funding for FY2027-FY2029. REGIONAL FUNDING Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) The MTP is a long-range plan that serves as a guide for the projects and programs the region would like to implement over the life of the plan. Projects and programs may only be included in the MTP if funding exists or can be identified for their implementation. The Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) lies within the greater MTP. Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) The NCTCOG and TxDOT, along with local governments and transportation agencies, develop a new TIP every two years. It is a staged, multi-year listing of transportation projects and programs
propositions approved by the voters. These projects can include initiatives such as the construction and improvement of highways, bridges, ports, airports, rail lines, and public transit systems. Pay-As-You-Go (PayGo) Financing Pay-As-You-Go (PayGo) is another alternative to debt financing. It uses cash, not debt to maintain, improve, and reinvest in the city’s infrastructure. PayGo financing saves the City from paying interest costs on debt and reduces debt, thereby improving financial flexibility. Improvements can be made in the current fiscal year instead of waiting for the next bond program. Using PayGo to supplement the capital program helps the city meet its capital needs without adding to the total debt outstanding. Transportation Impact Fee A transportation impact fee is a one-time charge charged by the city to new development projects to help raise revenue for transportation projects. Impact fees are based on the anticipated demand for infrastructure that the new development creates. The general purpose of impact fees is to help fund transportation improvements that are needed as development occurs and to help pay for the infrastructure necessary to accommodate new development or re-development.
within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area with committed funding from federal, state, and local sources. The TIP outlines four years of funded transportation projects within the long-range Metropolitan Transportation Plan. NCTCOG TAP Fort Worth is also eligible to apply for TAP funds through NCTCOG. Approximately $50 million in TA federal funds will be available to award eligible projects which may include Safe Routes to School Planning; Safe Routes to School Infrastructure; Shared-Use Paths (trails); On-street Bikeways; Sidewalks, Crosswalks and Curb Ramps; Sidewalks and Bikeways to Transit; Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Countermeasures and Technology; and Protected Intersections, according to the 2025 NCTCOG TA Program Call for Projects. LOCAL FUNDING Tarrant County Transportation Bond Program In 2021, Fort Worth proposed and passed a transportation bond program. Projects identified in the bond have a goal to increase mobility, reduce congestion, enhance safety, and improve connectivity General Obligation (GO) Bond A General Obligation (GO) Bond provides cities with a tool to raise funds for capital improvement projects that are otherwise not funded by city revenue. This debt is guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the city. The funding source for GO bond payments is property taxes, which are generated each year based on the tax rate adopted by the City Council. GO bonds can only be used to fund the projects authorized in the
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