Policies for Active Program Management of CMAQ Projects

The CMAP region, as other parts of the US, are subject to potential loss of CMAQ funds due to lapses and federal rescissions that can claim much of the region's unobligated balance. The Chicago region has over $250 million dollars of unobligated CMAQ funds.  New policies  regarding CMAQ program development and management have taken affect to reduce our exposure. On time delivery of CMAQ projects will help the region meet air quality goals and reduce congestion.

All CMAQ projects are required to have a specific project schedule that identifies what federal fiscal year the federal funds will be needed for each phase.

One schedule change will be allowed before the consideration of removal of CMAQ funding.

Each May
• Project sponsors are required to submit brief progress updates for each CMAQ project via the CMAP website.

Each October
Project sponsors are required to:
• Submit a progress update for each project through the CMAP website.
• Identify any project phases that did not meet planned schedule for obligation. Obligations must occur by September 30 of the year the phase is programmed.
• If obligation has not occurred a onetime change is allowed.
o If the onetime change has already been used, the project will be considered for removal from the program.

Upon Funding Notification

• Staff of sponsoring agencies of selected projects must attend a CMAP/IDOT project initiation seminar held in November for new projects.
• Job number requests forms are required to have been submitted to IDOT by the time of the May review for non-transit projects. Grant applications are required to have been submitted to FTA by the time of the May review for transit projects.
• Projects approved only for phase I engineering would have only one fiscal year to initiate phase I with a job number request form submitted to IDOT or a FTA grant agreement. Failure to do so would cause funding to be considered for removal from the project. 
• All projects without an obligated are included on the CMAQ A list.  Even though the project has a TIP ID, it is not included in the active TIP.  If you request federal authorization for your project and it is shown in the TIP with CMAQ A as the fiscal year, USDOT will not authorize the project.
• In order to move your project into the current year of the TIP you must show progress on the project.  For phase 1 engineering, phase 2 engineering, or ROW phases, when the projects local agency agreement is submitted from IDOT District 1 to IDOT Springfield for processing you should contact your Planning Liaison/Project Contact requesting they move that phase from the CMAQ A list into the active TIP.  For construction, when pre-final plans are submitted to IDOT District 1 a request to move the phase into the TIP should be made to your Planning Liaison/Project Contact.
• For transit projects, once the grant application is submitted to FTA, CMAP should be contacted requesting movement into the active year of the TIP.

For questions, information and guidance:
Sponsors are encouraged to work with their regional contact or Planning Liaison if guidance is needed.

CMAP staff contact is Holly Ostdick (312) 386-8836 or HOstdick@cmap.illinois.gov.