Fulton Sun

A total of $3.1 million in federal tax money is available to Central Missouri nonprofit and government agencies through a Transportation Enhancement Program administered by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Dion Knipp, a MoDOT transportation planning specialist, said local governments and organizations can apply for federal grants.

The grants are available only for projects deemed to enhance the state’s transportation system. However, this federal money cannot be used for highway construction.

The projects must “improve cultural, historic, aesthetic and environmental aspects of the transportation infrastructure.”

“Eligible projects,” Knipp said, “can include bicycle and pedestrian facilities, streetscape improvements and other projects that improve the community’s transportation experience.”

To be approved, the projects must fit into one of 12 eligible activities that are somehow related to surface transportation but does not include actual highway construction.