National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)
Federal Agency
Sub-Department
Federal Highway Administration (FHA)
Purpose
To support the condition and performance of the National Highway System (NHS), construction of facilities on the NHS, and progress toward targets established in States' NHS asset management plans. Recent updates aim to increase NHS resilience to sea level rise, extreme weather events, flooding and other natural disasters.
Applicant and/or Project Eligibility Requirements
NHPP funds may be used for a project on an "eligible facility"; that is a project, part of a program of projects, or an eligible activity supporting progress toward national performance goals for improving infrastructure condition, safety, congestion reduction, system reliability, or freight movement on the NHS. Projects must be identified in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)/Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and be consistent with the Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan and the Metropolitan Transportation Plan(s).
Decarbonization Considerations
NHPP projects can help traffic flow more efficiently and reduce vehicle congestion, thereby reducing emissions. Applicants should prioritize projects that will repair existing roads (promote a state of good repair), decrease the need for private vehicles on the road and increase transit ridership, promote carpooling and ridesharing, and coordinate with regional transit-oriented development planning. Highway expansions should be avoided - research has shown that expanding highways induces additional demand and does little to mitigate overall traffic. Funds can also be used for community resilience to climate disasters, including natural infrastructure to mitigate the risk of recurring damage or the cost of future repair from extreme weather events, flooding, or other natural disasters.
Equity Considerations
In order to effectively and equitably improve road performance, understand which communities lack reasonable and convenient access to transit and multi-modal options. This could include additional collaboration with frontline communities and other stakeholders to address both procedural and distributional equity concerns.
Helpful Tips
The IIJA recently amended NHPP to provide for (1) the undergrounding of public utility infrastructure carried out in conjunction with a project otherwise eligible under this section; (2) resiliency improvements on the National Highway System, including protective features described in subsection (k)(2); and (3) the implementation of activities to protect segments of the National Highway System from cybersecurity threats. Applicants are encouraged to speak to these new priorities.
Other Notes
From the State's NHPP apportionment, 2% is to be set aside for State Planning and Research (SPR). A new NHPP pilot program allows up to 10 states each year to determine the Federal share on a project, multiple-project, or program basis for eligible projects.