The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently announced the 2025 Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside of the Federal Highway Administration’s Surface Block Grant Program began accepting applications July 14 and will be open for submissions through Oct. 31.

The Shapiro Administration will offer a total of $80 million across award recipients, supporting the administration’s goal of expanding access to a range of transportation options and improving safe access to schools in communities across Pennsylvania.

A webinar for municipalities and other project sponsors was held July 9 to talk through the application process and answer questions applicants may have; project sponsors may include regional transportation authorities, transit agencies, public land agencies and school districts, local education agencies or schools. To learn more about the application process and eligible projects, visit https://www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/research-planning-and-innovation/transportation-alternatives-set-aside-program.html.

“Pennsylvanians make decisions about how they travel for many reasons, the most critical of which is the infrastructure available to them,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. “The TA Set-Aside program offers communities around the Commonwealth the opportunity to improve infrastructure and provide residents with a broader range of transportation options.”

The TA Set-Aside program provides funds to construct pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improve access to public transportation, create safe routes to schools, incorporate community improvements such as historic preservation and vegetation management, provide environmental mitigation related to stormwater and habitat connectivity, create trail projects that serve a transportation purpose and provide for vulnerable road user safety assessment program projects.

Draft applications must be submitted to PennDOT district offices by Sept. 5.

All participating large Metropolitan Planning Organizations’ selections and all District and Planning Partner application review comments will be due Jan. 23, 2026.

The statewide project selection committee will meet in March 2026 to recommend projects for receipt of statewide TA Set-Aside funds.

Potential sponsors can submit questions to RA-pdTASA@pa.gov.

Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at https://www.pa.gov/agencies/penndot/projects-near-you.html.

Contributed article