State of California

Business, Transportation and Housing Agency

M e m o r a n d u m

To:	ALL DISTRICT DIRECTORS	Date:	February 16, 2000
From:	DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Design and Local Programs Program MAIL STATION #28	File No:
Subject:	Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Funding

The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program was established by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and has been continued by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). The State of California currently receives $300 million in annual CMAQ apportionments, and by State statute those funds have been passed down to the local entities for use at the regional level.

Many projects on the State highway may be eligible for CMAQ funds. Please work with your local agencies to provide viable candidate projects.

In order to determine which projects will be eligible for CMAQ funding, the following will be implemented:

1. The Project Manager Must Determine CMAQ Eligibility of Project

To be eligible for CMAQ funds, a project must complete an emission reduction analysis. This is a requirement of TEA-21. The emission reduction analysis is accomplished during the Project Report and alternatives analysis stage of the project. "Methods to Fund the Cost Effectiveness of Funding Air Quality Projects" has been prepared as a guide to prepare an emission reduction analysis and can be found at Caltrans website at (www.dot.ca.gov/hq/transprog/).

2. Attachment "A" of the PS&E Submittal Revised

The Division of Office Engineer (DOE) has modified the PS&E submittal "Attachment A" in the OE Database to request the Districts to indicate projects that are CMAQ eligible. The request has been added to the "Funding Information" section of the Attachment and requires input by the Districts immediately.

3. Project Development Manual Revised to Incorporate Changes

Appendices K (Project Report) and L (Project Study Report) of the Project Development Procedures Manual will be revised to include instructions regarding CMAQ eligibility of the project. All PDPM holders-of-record will be notified via email of the changes in Appendix K and Appendix L. Downloadable copies of these revised sections of the manual are available via the Design Program internet site as of the date of this memo (http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/oppd/pdpm/pdpm.htm). A separate Manual Change Transmittal Memo will not be generated for these changes; more comprehensive revisions to these appendices will be incorporated with the next hard copy of the PDPM.

Cooperation from all functional units is necessary as we continue to seek ways to accommodate the shortfall in local project delivery. If you have any questions, please call Tim Craggs at (916) 653-1027.

Original signed by:

ROBERT L. BUCKLEY
Program Manager
Design and Local Programs

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