In 2010, Governor Bev Perdue proposed the creation of the Mobility Fund as a way to generate new dollars for transportation projects of statewide or regional significance. The North Carolina General Assembly included her proposal in the 2010 Appropriations Act.
The General Assembly identified the I-85 Corridor Improvement Project Phase II (I-85 widening from NC 150 to I-85 Business) as the first project to be funded by the Mobility Fund. Subsequent Mobility Fund projects are to be advanced using the project criteria and selection process developed by the Department, in accordance with the Act.
During the 2011 legislative session the General Assembly revised specific components of the Mobility Fund requirements. In particular language regarding preferential consideration to projects eligible for the Congestion Relief and Intermodal Fund was removed along with references to the involvement of the public and stakeholders. Additionally a reserve account in the amount of $45 million in FY 2013 and $58 million in FY 2014 (and subsequent fiscal years) was established to bring long term stability to the Mobility Fund.
Click here to download a copy of the final Report (with revised project selection criteria) provided by the Department to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee (JLTOC) on October 11, 2011.
According to Chapter 136 of the N.C. General Statutes:
MOBILITY FUND PROJECT SELECTION CRITERIA ADJUSTMENT; MOBILITY FUND MONEY PLACED IN RESERVE ACCOUNT FOR FY 2012-2013 AND FUTURE FISCAL YEARS
SECTION 28.33.(a) Section 28.7(b) of S.L. 2010-31, as rewritten by Section 8.2 of S.L. 2010-123, reads as rewritten:
"SECTION 28.7.(b) The Department of Transportation shall develop selection criteria under G.S. 136-188, as enacted by this act, and shall report to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee on its development of the selection criteria. A preliminary report on the selection criteria for projects is due to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee by October 1, 2010. A final report is due to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee by December 15, 2010. "
"SECTION 28.33.(b) The Department of Transportation shall report to the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee on its development of the selection criteria, taking into account the modification by subsection (a) of this section, by October 15, 2011."
"SECTION 28.33.(c) Effective July 1, 2012, G.S. 105-187.9(c) reads as rewritten:
(c) Prioritization Reserve Transfer. – In each fiscal year, the State Treasurer shall transfer forty-five million dollars ($45,000,000) from the taxes deposited in the Trust Fund to the DOT Prioritization Reserve account within the Trust Fund. The transfer of funds authorized by this section may be made by transferring one-fourth of the amount at the end of each quarter in the fiscal year or by transferring the full amount annually on July 1 of each fiscal year, subject to the availability of revenue."
"SECTION 28.33.(d) Effective July 1, 2013, G.S. 105-187.9(c) as amended by subsection (c) of this section reads as rewritten:
(c) Prioritization Reserve Transfer. – In each fiscal year, the State Treasurer shall transfer fifty-eight million ($58,000,000) from the taxes deposited in the Trust Fund to the DOT Prioritization Reserve account within the Trust Fund. The transfer of funds authorized by this section may be made by transferring one-fourth of the amount at the end of each quarter in the fiscal year or by transferring the full amount annually on July 1 of each fiscal year, subject to the availability of revenue."
Note: A subsequent technical corrections bill clarified that $31 million in FY 2012 Mobility Funds were to be used to complete construction of I-85 Corridor Improvement Project (Phase II of the Yadkin River Bridge Project) and that $45 million in FY 2013 Mobility Funds and $58 million in FY 2014 and subsequent Fiscal Year’s Mobility Funds were to be placed in the Prioritization Reserve Fund.
During and after the 2011 legislative session the Department worked proactively with legislative staff to follow the proposed legislative changes and kept key stakeholders and internal staff aware of potential revisions and revised the project criteria and selection process. The revised project selection criteria were presented to the Department’s Board of Transportation (BOT) on August 4, 2011. After a 30 day period of review the BOT approved the revised Mobility Fund selection criteria on Sept 7, 2011.
Minimum Eligibility Requirements
- Projects must be on Statewide or Regional Tier facilities (“Tier” designation is defined by the Department). Light rail, bus rapid transit, and commuter rail are all eligible for Mobility Funds.
- Projects must be ready to have funds obligated for construction within 5 years.
- Projects must be consistent with MPO/RPO transportation planning efforts; Projects must be included in an adopted transportation plan; and must be found to be consistent with local land-use plans where available.
- Projects must be in a conforming transportation plan in non-attainment or maintenance areas.
- Only project capital costs (right-of-way and construction) will be eligible for the Mobility Fund, not maintenance, operation, or planning costs.
- No minimum project capital cost will be established as a threshold for funding.
Note: The above requirements were unchanged from those submitted to the JLTOC on December 14, 2010.
Project Criteria
Projects will be scored on a point scale with a weighted factor as listed below. Details on each factor are outlined in the full report.
| Criterion |
Weight |
|---|
| Mobility Benefit-Cost – measured by the estimated travel time savings the project will provide divided by the cost to the Mobility Fund. |
80% |
| Multimodal / Intermodal – measured by whether the project provides an improvement to more than one mode of transportation and thereby improve the overall efficiency of the transportation system. |
20% |
From December 1, 2011 to February 29, 2012 the Department will solicit Mobility Fund candidate projects according to the final project criteria and selection process as described in the final report. These project scores will be published in May 2012.
Click here to submit a candidate project to NCDOT
You can also can download the form and send a hardcopy directly to:
North Carolina Department of Transportation, ATTN: Mobility Fund Project Submission, 1501 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1501.
Questions may be sent to Contact Us. Completed project applications must be submitted by close of business February 29, 2012.