Safe Routes to School Program

The Safe Routes to School Program is a federally funded transportation safety program administered in New Jersey by the New Jersey Department of Transportation in partnership with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization. Funding is provided through the Federal Highway Administration's Federal Aid Program, and the program is authorized under 23 U.S.C. Section 133(h)(5) as part of the Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside program. Its objectives are to enable and encourage children in grades K-12, including children with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school; make walking and bicycling safer and more appealing transportation alternatives; encourage healthy and active lifestyles; and improve safety while reducing traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution near New Jersey schools serving K-12 students. For this solicitation, funding is limited to construction of infrastructure projects. Eligible projects must be located within two miles of a school serving students in grades K-12. Examples of eligible infrastructure identified in the solicitation include sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, multi-use paths, traffic calming measures, and other improvements intended to make walking and bicycling to school easier and safer. Applicants may apply only for construction funds. The solicitation does not specify an award floor, award ceiling, total program funding amount, number of awards, or required matching percentage. Funds are disbursed on a reimbursement basis, and recipients must be capable of complying with applicable federal financial management, project implementation, oversight, cost principle, and audit requirements, including Title 23 requirements and 2 CFR Part 200. Any New Jersey municipality, school district, or county may apply directly for funding. Nonprofit organizations are not generally eligible as direct SRTS grant sub-recipients unless they independently qualify through an eligible entity category, such as being a designated transit agency, school, or entity responsible for administering local transportation safety programs. Nonprofit entities may partner with an otherwise eligible entity on an eligible project when State or local requirements permit. NJDOT retains final authority to determine applicant eligibility. Projects and public rights-of-way must also comply with accessibility requirements, including Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2027, NJDOT Local Aid programs include evaluation criteria related to projects located within a High Injury Network under New Jersey's Target Zero initiative. Applicants are strongly encouraged to propose projects that address documented safety concerns in identified High Injury Networks, use evidence-based safety countermeasures, prioritize infrastructure improvements proven to reduce pedestrian and bicycle crashes involving school-age children, and incorporate Safe Systems Approach principles. Projects demonstrating clear safety benefits in High Injury Network areas, particularly those serving school-age pedestrians and bicyclists, will receive favorable consideration during selection. Every applicant must participate in a one-on-one pre-application consultation with NJDOT Local Aid staff and the appropriate Metropolitan Planning Organization before submitting an application, including applicants that previously received SRTS funding. Applicants must submit the meeting request form no later than October 5, 2026, and complete the consultation no later than October 15, 2026. The virtual meeting generally lasts 45 to 60 minutes and is intended to review eligibility and federal compliance, identify potential project scope, cost estimate, or implementation timeline issues, clarify Target Zero alignment and accessibility, and strengthen application competitiveness. Applicants should be prepared to discuss the proposed project, preliminary cost estimates, project location, schools served, and anticipated implementation schedule. Failure to complete the required meeting results in automatic application disqualification. Informational webinars are optional but highly recommended, particularly for first-time applicants and applicants unfamiliar with federal-aid requirements. Applications are being accepted as of the solicitation letter dated August 17, 2026 and must be submitted on or before November 13, 2026 through the NJDOT SAGE online system at https://njsage.intelligrants.com/. Applicants are encouraged to consult their Local Aid District Office and corresponding Metropolitan Planning Organization while preparing an application. The Local Aid and Economic Development Division Office is located in Trenton and lists telephone number 609-963-2021; district office telephone numbers are also provided for the four Local Aid districts. Recipients of this solicitation will also be eligible to participate in NJDOT's SRTS Design Assistance Program, through which consultant engineering services may assist Local Public Agencies with development of plans, specifications, and estimates. Consultant costs under that assistance program are paid by NJDOT and are not part of the SRTS grant amount when an eligible LPA elects to participate. The solicitation does not state an award notification date, performance period, or an explicit recurring schedule for future solicitations.

Develop projects that address documented safety concerns within identified High Injury Networks; demonstrate Target Zero alignment through evidence-based safety countermeasures; prioritize infrastructure improvements proven to reduce pedestrian and bicycle crashes involving school-age children; incorporate Safe Systems Approach principles; complete the mandatory pre-application consultation because failure to do so results in automatic disqualification; consult the applicable Local Aid District Office and Metropolitan Planning Organization while preparing the application.