Resources for Rural Communities
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has many resources available to help rural communities address the unique transportation challenges and opportunities they face. This page highlights a selection of available resources as a starting point for rural communities. This list is not comprehensive; if you have specific questions or needs, please reach out to rural@dot.gov or USDOTAssist@dot.gov.
General Resources
Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES): The ROUTES Initiative prioritizes the needs of rural America by advancing rural transportation policy and supporting rural and Tribal communities that face challenges relating to transportation safety, mobility, and economic development. The ROUTES Initiative addresses the transportation infrastructure needs of rural communities by developing user-friendly tools and information, aggregating DOT resources, and providing direct technical assistance to better connect rural communities with the funding, financing, and outreach resources available.
FHWA Rural Programs and Resources: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) supports rural communities with the construction, maintenance, and preservation of highways, bridges, and tunnels. FHWA offers funding, technical assistance, and other resources to State, Tribal, and local agencies to advance safe, efficient, and reliable transportation on all rural roads. This page provides resources for communities related to safety, Federal lands, infrastructure, operations, and other topics.
Rural Roadway Safety Resources: This ROUTES webpage provides data and information sources for analyzing roadway safety in rural areas.
Proven Safety Countermeasures in Rural Communities: This FHWA guide highlights a subset of the proven safety countermeasures (PSCs) with direct application in rural areas, including considerations, crash reduction effectiveness, case studies, and other resources. The guide also features a Desktop Reference table of PSCs that may be considered in rural communities and compares Safe System Roadway design hierarchy alignment, relative cost, unpaved road applicability, relative crash reduction, and typical service life.
Traffic Safety Countermeasures that Work in Rural Communities: This National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) resource introduces behavioral traffic safety countermeasures for rural stakeholders interested in building capacity, forming partnerships, and addressing problems in their community. Designed as a rural supplement to the 11th edition of Countermeasures That Work, it features select speed, alcohol-impaired driving, and occupant protection countermeasures that may be relevant to rural communities. This resource is meant to be a tool for community engagement and greater involvement of non-traditional traffic safety partners.
Small Town and Rural Multimodal Networks: An FHWA resource for practitioners developing and promoting multimodal networks in small and rural communities. The opportunities for road design highlighted in this document build on a broad range of existing national design guidelines and references. This guide translates existing street design guidance and best practices for bicycle and pedestrian safety and comfort to the rural context, and provides examples of how to interpret and apply these design practices to create safe, accessible, and comfortable multimodal networks.
Access to Intercity Transportation in Rural Areas: The Bureau of Transportation Statistics' access to intercity transportation interactive map shows, by county, the percent of the rural population with access to scheduled air (commercial), intercity bus, and intercity rail transportation for the years 2006, 2012, 2018, and 2021.
DOT State Contacts: A tool to help users find their local DOT offices and staff contacts.
Funding Resources
Rural Grant Applicant Toolkit for Competitive Federal Transportation Funding: This ROUTES toolkit guides potential applicants in identifying and navigating discretionary opportunities for rural transportation projects. Although the focus of the Grant Applicant Toolkit is rural transportation projects, many of the grant funding resources contained throughout also apply more broadly to other types of transportation projects. The Grant Applicant Toolkit is designed for all levels of grant applicant experience. It illustrates key applicant activities for the discretionary grants process, covers USDOT and non-USDOT grant programs, and provides resources to maximize the potential for award success. Popular pages within the grant application toolkit include:
DOT Competitive Grants Dashboard: The DOT Competitive Grants Dashboard provides communities with an overview of grant opportunities that can help meet their transportation infrastructure needs. Designed with all communities in mind, the Dashboard identifies grant programs with rural and Tribal set-asides or match waivers available. The Dashboard also includes Federal grant programs outside of DOT that may be of particular interest to rural communities. The Dashboard is updated weekly.
Rural Eligibility: The definition of 'rural' vs 'non-rural' varies across the Department. This webpage highlights definitions used across the Department’s modal administrations and programs.
Rural Road Safety Funding at USDOT - Example Projects from 2022: A selection of projects awarded in 2022 from certain USDOT discretionary and non-discretionary grant programs that aim to address rural road safety. This compilation is meant to support prospective rural applicants in understanding how USDOT grants have previously been used to improve rural road safety, and to showcase the underlying importance of safety across USDOT grant programs.
Technical Assistance Programs
National Rural Transit Assistance Program: Provides technical assistance, collaboration opportunities, free training, and transit industry materials to help create rural and tribal transit solutions.
Center for Local Aid Support: FHWA’s Center for Local Aid Support Office connects with Local, Tribal and Federal Land Management Agency transportation networks to provide national leadership in the advancement of innovative technologies and practices. Local Aid Support is focused on workforce development and promoting cutting-edge solutions to deliver real results that enhance our nation's transportation system.
Local Technical Assistance Program: A network of 51 local Centers across the US and in Puerto Rico funded by FHWA that provides low- or no-cost training and technical assistance to local and rural road agencies.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure Resources
Toolkit for Planning and Funding Rural Electric Mobility Infrastructure: A one-stop resource to help rural communities scope, plan, and identify ways to fund electric vehicle (EV)-charging infrastructure. A rural organization or individual—such as a property owner, business, town, Tribe, or planning or transit agency—can use the toolkit to identify key partners for a project, take advantage of relevant planning tools, and identify available funding or financing to help make that project a reality. Popular pages within the EV toolkit include: