FAST Act
On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or “FAST Act” - the first Federal law in over ten years to provide long-term funding certainty for surface transportation. The FAST Act authorizes $305 billion over fiscal years 2016 through 2020 for the Department’s highway, highway and motor vehicle safety, public transportation, motor carrier safety, hazardous materials safety, rail, and research, technology and statistics programs. With its enactment, States and local governments may now move forward with critical transportation projects, like new highways and transit lines, with the confidence that they will have a Federal partner over the long term.
Accelerating Project Delivery
Purpose
The FAST Act builds on the authorities and requirements in SAFETEA-LU, MAP-21 and efforts under FHWA’s Every Day Counts in an effort to accelerate the environmental review process for surface transportation projects by institutionalizing best practices and accelerating complex infrastructure projects without undermining critical environmental laws or opportunities for public engagement. See Accelerating Project Delivery FAST-41 Act Fact Sheet for additional information.
Statutory Citations
FAST Act §§ 1301-1318, 1415, 1432, 1439, 11502; 23 U.S.C. 138, 139, 168, 169, 330; 49 U.S.C. 304
LAWS AND REGULATIONS
| Subject/Title |
Resource URL |
| Planning |
| Final Rule on Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning; Metropolitan Transportation Planning |
Final Rule, 81 FR 34049 |
| Planning and Environmental Linkages for Statewide and Non-Metropolitan Planning |
Final Rule, 81 FR 34049 |
| Planning and Environmental Linkages for Metropolitan Planning |
Final Rule, 81 FR 34049 |
| Planning Assistance and Standards |
23 CFR 450 |
| Categorical Exclusion |
| Categorical Exclusion for Projects of Limited Federal Assistance and Programmatic Agreements |
Final Rule |
| Environmental Impacts and Related Procedures |
| Final Rule on Environmental Impacts and Related Procedures |
Final Rule, 83 FR 54480 |
| Proposed Rulemakings |
| Program for Eliminating Duplication of Environmental Review established by Section 1309 of the FAST Act |
NPRM, 82 FR 45220 |
GUIDANCE
| Subject/Title |
Resource URL |
| Planning |
| Planning and Environmental Linkages |
Q&A |
| Categorical Exclusion |
|---|
| Memorandum of Programmatic Agreements for Categorical Exclusions |
Memorandum |
| A Practitioner’s Guide to FHWA Programmatic Agreements for Categorical Exclusion |
Guide |
| 2016 Model Programmatic Categorical Exclusion Agreement |
Model Agreement |
| Environmental Review |
|---|
| Questions and Answers on the Applicability of 23 U.S.C. § 139 to FHWA, FRA, and FTA Projects |
Q&A |
| Questions and Answers on the procedural changes to 23 U.S.C. § 139 as they relate to FHWA, FRA, & FTA projects |
Q&A |
| Memorandum on Changes to 23 U.S.C. §§ 326 and 327 through Implementation of Sections 1307 and 1308 of the FAST Act |
Memorandum |
| Historic Sites/Bridges |
|---|
| Questions and Answers Related to Parks, Recreation Areas, Wildlife and Waterfowl Refuges, and Historic Sites |
Q&A |
| Treatment of Certain Bridges Under Preservation Requirements |
Requirements |
| Questions and Answers Related to Emergency Exemptions for Reconstruction Projects |
Q&A |
| Interim Guidance for Implementing FAST Act Section 1439: Elimination of Barriers to Improve At-Risk Bridges |
Guidance |
| Wildlife and Habitat |
| Administrative Provisions to Encourage Pollinator Habitat and Forage on Transportation Rights-of-Way |
Provisions |
OUTREACH
Environmental Impact and Related Procedures and Section 4(f) (23 CFR 771/774) Final Rule, December 2018-January 2019
FAST Act - Key Provisions for Project Delivery, June 2016
