Transit Infrastructure Fund

Fiscal Year 2022 Applications Open April 1

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) will begin accepting applications on April 1, 2022, for this year's round of Transit Infrastructure Fund grants. Applications are due by June 30, 2022, with recipients being announced in the fall. Please see below for updated application and project guidelines.

Background

In May 2020, the residents of Hamilton County voted to replace Cincinnati Metro's existing funding model, which relied primarily on the city's earnings tax, with a new funding structure. Effective January 2021, a 0.8-percent sales tax will fund SORTA for the next 25 years.

Seventy-five percent of the sales tax levy (or 0.6 percent) funds Metro’s bus service operations and capital costs. The remaining 25 percent (0.2 percent) goes toward infrastructure improvements — such as road, bridge and sidewalk improvements — that fall within Metro's service area and would benefit bus service.

Purpose

The Transit Infrastructure Fund (TIF) program was established to manage the portion of the sales tax levy (the 0.2 percent) allocated to roadway infrastructure.

The goal of the program is to:

• Assist localities within Hamilton County in improving the state of their roadway infrastructure
• Improve overall mobility for Hamilton County residents by providing grant funds to roads that are within Metro’s service area

Eligible Projects

Infrastructure projects eligible for consideration must be within ¾ mile of a Metro fixed transit route – excluding stretches on limited access highways, classified as Class 1, such as I-275, I-75, I-74 and I-71.

Applicant Guidelines

Hamilton County and all municipalities and townships in Hamilton County are eligible to apply for grants. The Transit Infrastructure Fund Applicant Guidelines provide details on the grant program and the application process.

Click or tap to download the 2022 applicant guidelines.
Click or tap to download the 2022 application.
Click or tap to download the Bus Stop Guidelines.

Timeline

Fiscal Year 2022 submissions will follow this timeline:

• Application submissions accepted: April 1 - June 30, 2022 (due by 2 p.m. EST)
• Project review and scoring: July 1 - Aug. 31, 2022
• Authorizing legislation resolutions of support due: July 15, 2022 (due by 2 p.m. EST)
• Support Staff priority approval: Aug. 31, 2022
• SORTA Board review/confirmation of staff recommendations: Sept. 20, 2022
• Hamilton County Integrating Committee final review/approval: October 2022
• SORTA enters into agreements with recipients: Q4 2022
• Funds granted: Q1 2023

Contact

Any questions regarding the Transit Infrastructure Fund may be directed to Khaled Shammout, Chief Strategic Planning, Development and Innovation Officer, at kshammout@go-metro.com or by phone at (513) 632-7671.

Project Approval

The Transit Infrastructure Fund program is being administered by SORTA staff. Transit Infrastructure Fund applications will be scored by an evaluation committee designated by SORTA. Final approval of selected projects will be granted by the OPWC District 2 Integrating Committee.

District 2 Integrating Committee

District 2 Integrating Committee Alternates

Fiscal Year 2021 TIF Award Recipients

Congratulations to the 22 Hamilton County communities that were awarded grants for 30 infrastructure improvement projects during the inaugural round of transit infrastructure funding! View the communities' applications in the table below.

FY 2021 TIF Applications

See the full list of 2021 recipient projects here.
See 2021 recipient projects' score table here.