Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ)

The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program has provided Delaware with federal transportation funds for projects that target and reduce emissions from on-road motorized vehicles since 1991. Current guidelines from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) direct CMAQ funding to go to areas that have been designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as nonattainment or in maintenance, meaning these areas either currently or previously had more than the acceptable level of emissions of ozone, carbon monoxide, and/or particulate matter. While the program itself has evolved over time, the goal of improving air quality has remained the same.

The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program has provided Delaware with federal transportation funds for projects that target and reduce emissions from on-road motorized vehicles since 1991. Current guidelines from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) direct CMAQ funding to go to areas that have been designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as nonattainment or in maintenance, meaning these areas either currently or previously had more than the acceptable level of emissions of ozone, carbon monoxide, and/or particulate matter. While the program itself has evolved over time, the goal of improving air quality has remained the same. To track and analyze the estimated reduction of emissions that will result from a particular project, DelDOT creates an annual CMAQ report. The data from this report is submitted to the federal CMAQ Public Access System (PAS) by March 1st every year. Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements Projects, Incident Management and Traffic Signal Synchronization, Park and Ride Facilities, and Rideshare Programs State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) must participate in and report certain emission reduction strategies through FHWA’s performance management process. DelDOT develops emission reduction estimates to support the CMAQ and performance management reporting requirements, and further coordinates both programs with Delaware’s three Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs). The CMAQ annual emission estimates are integrated with the performance management reporting requirements, which follows a two-year reporting cycle: Baseline Performance Period Report and CMAQ Performance Plan: due October 1st, 2022 Mid Performance Period Progress Report and Performance Plan: due October 1st, 2024, and Full Performance Period Progress Report and CMAQ Performance Plan: due October 1st, 2026. DelDOT has developed a CMAQ project prioritization process to determine which project candidates may receive CMAQ funds in a given fiscal year. This process considers multiple factors, including the project’s relationship to other DelDOT actions, the availability of alternative funding sources, the program’s overall annual budget and other benefits such as improving safety or reducing fuel consumption. DelDOT FY23 Congestion Management and Air Quality Program Annyal Report - Appendix A_Final FY23 Annual DelDOT CMAQ Report Final