Rural Eligibility
Notes:
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Description:
The definition of 'rural' vs 'non-rural' varies across the Department. There are at least a dozen programs at DOT that distinguish between ‘rural’ and ‘non-rural’ for prospective applicants. Questions about any of these programs can be sent to the respective program office or to rural@dot.gov.
| Modal Administration | Program | Definition of Rural |
|---|---|---|
| FTA | Passenger Ferry Program & Ferry Service for Rural Communities | Located outside of a U.S. Census-designated urbanized area (<50,000) |
| Low or No Emission Vehicle Program | ||
| Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Pilot Program (ICAM) | ||
| Bus and Bus Facilities | ||
| FRA | Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) | Located outside of a U.S. Census-designated urbanized area (<50,000) |
| Railroad Crossing Elimination | Located outside of a U.S. Census-designated urbanized area (<50,000) | |
| FHWA | Advanced Transportation Technologies & Innovation (ATTAIN)* | Located outside of a U.S. Census-designated urbanized area (<50,000) |
| OST | Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) | Located outside of a U.S. Census-designated urbanized area (<50,000). The SMART program also has a set-aside for midsize communities (between 50,000 & 400,000) |
| Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) | Located outside of a U.S. Census-designated urbanized area with a population of 150,000 or more | |
| Rebuilding America's Infrastructure Sustainably and Equitably (RAISE) * | Located outside of a U.S. Census-designated urbanized area with a population of 200,000 or more | |
| Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA)* | ||
| Rural Surface Transportation Grant (Rural) |
Source:
Urban areas are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, more information about their methodology can be found here.
*The ATTAIN program is also referred to as Advanced Transportation Technologies and Innovative Mobility Development (ATTIMD). This program was named Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) from FY16-FY21.
* The RAISE program was known as TIGER from FY09-FY17 and BUILD from FY18-FY20.
* The INFRA program was known as FASTLANE in FY16-FY17.