$13 Million in TAP Grants Awarded
Funding for 27 bicycle and pedestrian projects will go to communities statewide, including Milwaukee.
On Monday the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced approximately $13 million in funding will go toward 27 Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) projects around the state. Municipalities are required to supply a 20 percent local match for the projects. Milwaukee County received $860,672 for bicycle-pedestrian connectivity in the Root River Parkway area. The City of Milwaukee received $547,016 for a citywide bicycle parking program, $144,000 for an interactive bicycle mapping application, and $412,692 to add bicycle plating to the N. Emmber Ln. And N. Plankinton Ave. bridges. Additionally, the city and county are to share in $152,000 for a coordinated trail and bicycle facilities plan. Along with these project, the grants include funding to expand bike sharing from Milwaukee into Shorewood, Wauwatosa and West Allis and for Safe Routes to School Programs around the state.
TAP grants help pay for Safe Routes to School programs at Milwaukee Public Schools. Here you see one of our Bike Fed bike/walk instructors teaching bicycle handling skills on a playground. We then take kids onto a street blocked off from traffic and finally on rides in traffic.
TAP allocates federal funds to transportation improvement projects that expand travel choice, strengthen the local economy, improve the quality of life and protect the environment. Many TAP projects enhance non-motorized forms of transportation like biking and walking.
It is a special treat to see kids’ faces light up when they pedal a bicycle on their own for the first time. Our instructors take time to teach those kids who’ve never learned how to ride a bicycle.
TAP is a legislative program that was authorized in 2012 by federal transportation legislation, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). TAP combines three programs that were separate under previous legislation: Safe Routes to School, Transportation Enhancements, and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Program.
TAP is a reimbursement program. Local sponsors incur authorized costs and are reimbursed. TAP projects are generally funded 80 percent federally, with a 20 percent local match. Federal funds are capped at the award amount for all projects approved in the State Fiscal Year 2014-2018 Transportation Alternatives Program — and which are listed in the table below.
Click to open PDF of list.
Bike Czar
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Wow that safe routes to school program is expensive! You can build a bridge for less then some of these programs.
Andy, look a little closer at the chart. Milwaukee Public Schools is getting $445,584 for Safe Routes to School, but separately City of Milwaukee is getting $254,400 for Safe Routes to School Policy and plans. Actually, Safe Routes for School is getting quite a few of these line items (though admittedly the others don’t appear to overlap).
>>> “… and $412,692 to add bicycle plating to the N. Emmber Ln. And N. Plankinton Ave. bridges.”
Having ridden over those bridges, I won’t complain about the end result, but what are they plating them with, stainless?
I would love to see detailed budgets of some of these programs. They don’t seem to be readily available online though. Maybe I just don’t know all the details of what goes on during these programs and the amounts are justified. Without seeing the budgets though, it appears excessive to me.
$412,692 to add bicycle plating in both directions on two bridges isn’t really a lot of money, in public or private project terms. Very little of the expense is for materials; it also includes contractors, equipment & people, all on the job site for X days, not to mention engineering and administrative costs related to maintaining the safety of the public roadways,
It’s not the same as a D-I-Y project to build a toolshed in your backyard, where you don’t pay yourself or your brother-in-law, you don’t hire engineers, you don’t buy insurance just for the project, you don’t need to implement traffic control, and you don’t have to bring in welding equipment, cherry-pickers, high-lifts, etc.