The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Act, signed into law in July 2012, was a long-term highway improvement authorization that funded surface transportation programs. Map-21 was replaced with The Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, signed into law in December 2015. Both legislative acts funded what is known as the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), which provides funding for programs and projects defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects to improve non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities, environmental mitigation, recreational trail program projects, safe routes to schools projects, and projects for planning, designing, or constructing boulevards and other roadways largely in the right of way of former interstate system routes or other divided highways.

Historically, FDOT allowed several Applications (5-10+ Applications per agency) per grant cycle, but due to the number of Applications which must be reviewed, there is now a limit of two Applications per agency. Staff has evaluated six candidate projects (see attached list) from various resources based on need, connectivity, and feasibility, and recommends Massachusetts Avenue and Patricia Drive as the two Escambia County Application submittals, as they each had high scores based on the TAP project scoring criteria. Therefore, at its next regular meeting, the TPO Board will consider up to 10 Applications from the 5 TPO agencies (Escambia County, City of Pensacola, Santa Rosa County, City of Gulf Breeze, and City of Milton).

TAP submittals must include a Resolution supporting the named projects, which must be adopted in conjunction with the approval to submit. Staff is preparing the Applications and, upon Board approval, will acquire the appropriate signatures prior to submitting in advance of the December 15, 2019, TPO deadline.