Apply Now for OVRDC’s Surface Transportation Block Grant FY25 Program

 The Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission (OVRDC) is announcing a new round of funding for the Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG) program.

In the previous budget, the 134th Ohio General Assembly allocated $5.2 million in funding for the creation of a Regional Transportation Planning Grant Program to assist rural communities with transportation projects, and each RTPO in Ohio received an allocation of STBG funding. In the current budget, House Bill 23 of the 135th Ohio General Assembly increased the allocation to $10 million to be spent evenly in FY2024 and FY2025, which doubles the amount to be used by the RTPO to conduct a rural transportation planning grant program.

“The initial round of funding was a starting point for additional transportation financing to be available for projects in rural Ohio. We are pleased to see how effectively our counties put the money to work for projects and want to thank state legislators and the Ohio Department of Transportation for their support in expanding the program,” said John Hemmings, Executive Director of OVRDC.

The OVRDC STBG allocation can be used for roadway projects that occur on federal-aid eligible routes, with a few exceptions. Exceptions to that rule include bike/ped, transit, safety, and non-highway freight projects. If you are unsure whether a project is located on a federal-aid eligible route, please consult the OVRDC Federal Aid Route map on our website.

“The RTPO Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program is important for implementing the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Transportation Plan through the financing of local projects. We see this program growing, an indicator of big things to come for our region,” said Stephanie Gilbert, OVRDC Transportation Coordinator.

Applications may be submitted electronically and must be received at the OVRDC office by the application deadline February 29, 2024, by 12:00 pm.

Some details of the program include:

• Any phase of construction is eligible.
• Project must be located in one of our RTPO member counties which include:  Adams, Brown, Fayette, Gallia, Highland, Jackson, the rural portion of Lawrence (not covered by KYOVA), Pike, Ross, Scioto, and Vinton.
• Project must be listed in the OVRDC 2045 Comprehensive Transportation Plan (Appendix B). If you have a project that is not included in the plan, please contact sgilbert@ovrdc.org to discuss getting the project added in future updates.
• Funding will be on a re-imbursement basis.
• 10% local match will be required.
• Maximum award amount is $200,000 for preliminary engineering and $500,000 for other phases of construction.
• Please make sure the engineer’s estimate accounts for inflation.

Please be aware…this funding will come through ODOT and will need to go through the Let process.  This can potentially add cost to your project, so make sure you are familiar with this process:

• • ODOT Let: A project for which the construction contract is prepared and administered by ODOT. The plan package for a Let project is delivered to the Office of Estimating, the proposal and bid documents are prepared by the Office of Contracts, which also oversees the letting (opening of bids) and the award of the contract.
  • Local Let: A project, sponsored by a Local Public Agency, for which the LPA will hold the construction contract and perform the construction administration. For an LPA to deliver projects through the local-let program, the LPA must complete the required training and review process. For more information on the Let process, visit https://www.transportation.ohio.gov/programs/local-programs/local-programs#page=1

For questions regarding the STBG program, contact Stephanie Gilbert, OVRDC Transportation Planning Coordinator, call (740)947-2853.

See project awards allocated from SFY 24 – Round 3 funding in the chart below.

About OVRDC

Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission (OVRDC) is a regional planning commission and Local Development District (LDD) dedicated to the development of Southern Ohio, providing multi-jurisdictional planning and economic development, administrative, professional and technical assistance to local governments, nonprofits, communities and citizens in a twelve-county region. More information at www.OVRDC.org.

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