Federal-aid Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG)
The Iowa DOT’s Federal-aid Surface Transportation Block Grant funds research, planning, and construction for diverse transportation infrastructure and transit projects statewide.
Funder: Iowa Department of Transportation
Due Dates: Varies by Regional Planning Affiliation (RPA) / Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
Funding Amounts: ~$97 million annually distributed statewide; individual award sizes and durations vary by RPA/MPO.
Summary: Supports a broad range of transportation infrastructure, transit, and planning projects for public road jurisdictions and agencies across Iowa.
Key Information: Application deadlines, forms, and eligible uses are set by each RPA/MPO; applicants must coordinate locally.
Description
The Federal-aid Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program, managed by the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT), provides flexible federal funding to support transportation infrastructure and planning needs throughout Iowa. The program funds a wide variety of projects, including construction and preservation of highways, bridges, tunnels, transit capital improvements, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and eligible planning activities. The intent is to enable local jurisdictions to address their unique transportation needs while adhering to state and federal requirements.
Funds are distributed annually to Iowa’s Regional Planning Affiliations (RPAs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), which then set their own application processes, deadlines, and project selection criteria. Eligible applicants are typically public road jurisdictions, cities, counties, and transit agencies.
