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Capital Program Funds |
Financial assistance from the Capital Program of 49 U.S.C.
This program enables the Secretary of Transportation to make discretionary capital
grants and loans to finance public transportation projects divided among fixed guideway
(rail) modernization; construction of new fixed guideway systems and extensions to
fixed guideway systems; and replacement, rehabilitation, and purchase of buses and
rented equipment, and construction of bus-related facilities.
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Clean Air Act (CAA) |
Identifies actions to be taken by states and MPOs to reduce
emissions from on-road mobile sources.
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Capacity |
A transportation facility.s ability to accommodate a moving stream of people
or vehicles in a given time period.
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Conformity |
The compliance of any transportation plan, program, or project with air
quality implementation plans. The CAA defines the conformity process.
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Department of Transportation (DOT) |
When used alone, indicated U.S. Department of
Transportation. In conjunction with a place name, indicates state, city, or county
transportation agency (e.g., Virginia DOT, Illinois DOT).
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Emissions Budget |
The part of the SIP that identifies the allowable emissions levels
mandated by the NAAQS for certain pollutants emitted from mobile, stationary, and area
sources. The emissions budget is used for meeting emission reduction milestones,
attainment, or maintenance demonstrations.
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Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) |
A branch of the U.S. Department of
Transportation that administers the Federal-Aid Highway Program, providing financial
assistance to states to construct and improve highways, urban and rural roads, and
bridges. The FHWA also administers the Federal Lands Highway Program, including
survey, design, and construction of forest highway system roads, parkways and park
roads, Indian reservation roads, defense access roads, and other federal lands roads.
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Fiscal Constraint |
Making sure that a given program or project can reasonably expect
to receive funding within the time allotted for its implementation.
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Federal Transit Administration (FTA) |
A branch of the U.S. Department of
Transportation that is the principal source of federal financial assistance to
America's communities for planning, development, and improvement of public or mass
transportation systems. FTA provides leadership, technical assistance, and financial
resources for safe, technologically advanced public transportation to enhance mobility
and accessibility, to improve the Nation.s communities and natural environment, and to
strengthen the national economy.
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Geographic Information System (GIS) |
Computerized data management system designed to
capture, store, retrieve, analyze, and display geographically referenced information.
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High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) |
Vehicles carrying two or more people. The number that
constitutes an HOV for the purposes of HOV highway lanes may be designated differently
by different transportation agencies.
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Interstate Highway System (HIS) |
The system of highways that connects the principal
metropolitan areas, cities, and industrial centers of the United States. Also connects
the United States to internationally significant routes in Canada and Mexico.
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Intermodal |
The ability to connect, and the connections between, modes of
transportation.
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Land Use |
Refers to the manner in which portions of land or the structures on them are
used; i.e, commercial, residential, retail, industrial, etc.
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Maintenance Area |
A probationary status for a region that is nonattainment for air
quality but is taking the required steps to comply with the Clean Air Act.
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Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) |
The official intermodal transportation plan
that is developed and adopted through the metropolitan transportation planning process
for the metropolitan planning area, in accordance with 23 U.S.C 134, 23 U.S.C. 135, and
49 U.S.C. 5303.
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Mobile Source |
Mobile sources are referred to as contributors to pollution. Some
examples include motor vehicles, aircraft, seagoing vessels, and other transportation
modes. The mobile source-related pollutants are carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons
(HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and small particulate matter (PM-10).
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Mode |
A specific form of transportation, such as automobile, subway, bus, rail, or
air.
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Nonattainment |
Any geographic area that has not met the requirements for clean air as
set out in the Clean Air Act of 1990.
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Ozone (O3) |
Ozone is a colorless gas with a sweet odor. Ground-level ozone is not a
direct emission from transportation sources. It is a secondary pollutant formed when
volatile organic compounds, such as pesticides and solvents, and NOx combine in the
presence of sunlight. Although the ozone in the upper atmosphere protects us from
harmful ultraviolet rays, ground-level ozone is the main component of smog.
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Performance Measures |
Indicators of how well the transportation system is performing
with regard to such things as average speed, reliability of travel, and accident rates.
Used as feedback in the decision making process.
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Planning Funds (PL) |
Primary source of funding for metropolitan planning designated by
the FHWA.
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Public Participation |
The active and meaningful involvement of the public in the
development of transportation plans and programs.
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State Implementation Plan (SIP) |
Produced by the state environmental agency, not the
MPO. Contains specific strategies for controlling emissions and reducing ambient
levels of pollutants, in order to satisfy the CAA requirements for demonstrations of
reasonable further progress toward attainment. Must be taken into account in the
transportation planning process.
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Smart Growth |
A set of policies and programs design to protect, preserve, and
economically develop established communities and valuable natural and cultural
resources.
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Sources |
Refers to the origin of air contaminants. Can be point (coming from a
defined site) or non-point (coming from many diffuse sources). Stationary sources
include relatively large, fixed facilities such as power plants, chemical process
industries, and petroleum refineries. Area sources are small, stationary,
non-transportation sources that collectively contribute to air pollution, and include
such sources as dry cleaners and bakeries, surface coating operations, home furnaces,
and crop burning. Mobile sources include on-road vehicles such as cars, trucks, and
buses; and off-road sources such as trains, ships, airplanes, boats, lawnmowers, and
construction equipment.
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Sprawl |
Urban form that connotatively depicts the movement of people from the central
city to the suburbs. Concerns associates with sprawl include loss of farmland and open
space due to low-density land development, increased public service costs, and
environmental degradation as well as other concerns associated with transportation.
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State Planning and Research Funds (SP&R)
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Primary source of funding for statewide
long-range planning.
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Stakeholders |
Individuals and organizations involved in or affected by the
transportation planning process. Include federal/state/local officials, MPOs, transit
operators, freight companies, shippers, and the general public.
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Statewide Transportation Plan |
The official statewide intermodal transportation plan
that is developed through the statewide transportation planning process.
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State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) |
A staged, multi-year, statewide,
intermodal program of transportation projects, consistent with the statewide
transportation plan and planning processes as well as metropolitan plans, TIPs, and
processes.
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Surface Transportation Program (STP) |
Federal-aid highway funding program that funds a
broad range of surface transportation capital needs, including many roads; transit, sea
and airport access; vanpool; bike; and pedestrian facilities.
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Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) |
Authorized in 1998, TEA-21
authorized federal funding for transportation investments for fiscal years 1998-2003.
Approximately $217 billion in funding was authorized, the largest amount is history,
which is used for highway, transit, and other surface transportation programs.
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Transportation Control Measures (TCM) |
Specific measures that reduce emissions by
either reducing vehicle use or reducing traffic flow. Examples: improved public
transit, high-occupancy vehicle lanes, shared-ride services, bicycle/pedestrian
facilities, and flexible work schedules.
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Transportation Demand Management (TDM) |
Programs designed to reduce demand for
transportation through various means, such as the use of transit and of alternative
work hours.
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Telecommuting |
Communicating electronically (by telephone, computer, fax, etc.) with
an office, either from home or from another site, instead of traveling to it
physically.
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Title VI |
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Prohibits discrimination in any
program receiving federal assistance.
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Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) |
A document prepared by a metropolitan
planning organization that lists projects to be funded with FHWA/FTA funds for the next
one to three year period.
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Transportation Management Area (TMA) |
All urbanized areas over 200,000 in population,
and any other area that requests such designation.
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Trust Fund |
A fund credited with receipts that are held in trust by the government and
earmarked by law for use in carrying out specific purposes and programs in accordance
with an agreement or a statute.
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Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) |
The management plan for the (metropolitan)
planning program. Its purpose is to coordinate the planning activities of all
participants in the planning process.
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Urbanized Area
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Area that contains a city of 50,000 or more population plus
incorporated surrounding areas meeting size or density criteria as defined by the U.S.
Census.
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