Funding related to highways, bridges, the interstate system, and related facilities and programs are distributed to states by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). To determine available highway resources, funds were calculated by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and distributed the respective regions.  As part of NYSDOT Region 8, OCTC receives a percentage of the NYSDOT-Region 8 federal-aid resources and distributes the funding to local project sponsors through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).  For more information on the TIP, visit the Transportation Improvement Program page.

FHWA Funding Programs

National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)

The NHPP supports maintenance and improvement activities for the National Highway System (NHS). The NHS is a 163,000 mile network of interconnected principal arterial routes that serves major population centers, international border crossings, ports, airports, public transportation facilities, and other inter-modal transportation facilities and major travel destinations. The NHS is intended to meet national defense requirements and serve both interstate and interregional travel. The designated NHS includes all Interstate System segments; other urban and rural principal arterials meeting the goals of the NHS; and all strategic highways and strategic highway connectors. Federal funds provided for the NHPP may be used for a wide variety of projects on the NHS, including: construction, reconstruction, resurfacing, restoration, and rehabilitation; operational improvements; construction of and operational improvements for a non-NHS highway; construction of a transit project eligible for assistance under the Federal Transit Act (if the project is in an NHS corridor and in proximity to a fully access controlled NHS highway, if the project improves the level of service on the access controlled highway, and the project is more cost-effective than improvements to the highway); highway safety improvements; transportation planning; highway research and planning; technology transfer activities; start-up costs for traffic management and control; fringe and corridor parking facilities; carpool and vanpool projects; bicycle and pedestrian facilities; development of certain required management systems; publicly owned intra-city and intercity bus terminals; intelligent transportation system (ITS) capital improvements and a variety of wetland and natural habitat mitigation efforts.

Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)

HSIP is a core federal transportation program that was originated under SAFETEALU with MAP-21 increasing it substantially. The goal of HSIP is to achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads, through the implementation of infrastructure-related highway safety improvements. Eligible safety projects must be consistent with the State’s strategic highway safety plan. The purchase, operation, or maintenance of an automated traffic enforcement system (except in a school zone) is prohibited, while workforce development, training, and education activities remain an eligible use.

Surface Transportation Program (STP)

The STP is the most flexible of all federal-aid programs, allowing for the widest array of transportation projects. Examples of such projects are construction, reconstruction, resurfacing, restoration, rehabilitation, and operational improvements for highways (including Interstate highways) and bridges (including Interstate bridges), including any project necessary to accommodate other transportation modes; mitigation of damage to wildlife, habitat, and ecosystems caused by any transportation project; capital cost of transit projects eligible for assistance under the Federal Transit Act; publicly-owned intracity and intercity bus terminals and facilities; highway and transit safety improvements and hazard elimination; surface transportation planning; highway and transit research and planning and technology transfer activities; capital and operating costs for traffic monitoring, management, and control; fringe and corridor parking facilities; carpool and vanpool projects; bicycle and pedestrian facilities; transportation control measures; transportation enhancement activities; development of certain required management systems; and a variety of wetland mitigation efforts.

Congestion Mitigation / Air Quality (CMAQ)

The CMAQ Program provides funds to states for transportation programs and projects that are likely to contribute to the attainment and maintenance of national ozone, carbon monoxide, or particulate ambient air quality standards. Examples of such projects are programs for improved transit; construction of lanes for use by buses or HOVs; employer-based transportation management plans; traffic flow improvement programs; fringe and corridor parking facilities; carpool and vanpool programs; flexible work schedule programs; alternative fuels programs; and non-motorized transportation facilities.