Consultant KNM Consulting, LLC Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States
The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) was established in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, the primary funding legislation of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and it’s Highway Trust Fund. The CMAQ program provides funds for transportation projects and programs located in nonattainment and maintenance areas that would contribute to air quality improvement and congestion relief. Administered by the Federal Highway Administration, the CMAQ program supports a variety of projects including diesel retrofits and advanced vehicle technologies, alternative fuel vehicles and infrastructure, transit improvements, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and technologies that improve traffic flow and reduce idle emissions. The results of the CMAQ Program have led to reduced emission and improved air quality in areas with air pollution problems of carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). The continuation of this Program has been beneficial to States, regions and local organizations in their attempts to control emissions from vehicles within their jurisdiction as funding programs from the Federal government can be influenced by an area’s failure to meet their targets for reducing emissions from vehicles. This presentation will discuss the origin of the program, the various types of projects and programs that are eligible for CMAQ funding, the potential cost-effectiveness of the various categories of projects, and methods by which the emission reduction can be determined.
