NEPA, as the designated Rural Planning Organization (RPO) for the five county region including Carbon, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill and Wayne counties, is announcing the opening of the application round for the F.Y. 2008-2009 Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) & New Freedom Programs.

These programs have been derived from the current Federal Transportation Bill known as Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users or commonly referred to as SAFETEA-LU. SAFETEA-LU, which was signed into law by President Bush on August 10, 2005, authorized funding for federal surface transportation programs over six years through Federal Fiscal Year 2009.

The documents below include:

1. "Application transmittal letter JARC-W2W and New Freedom Programs" - Letter from PennDOT to MPOs and RPOs explaining the details of the programs, application process and selection process. Click Here to download
2. "JARC and New Freedom attachments March 2008" Click Here - This documents includes the following five attachments:
   • Attachment 1 - Current Welfare to Work projects in the Commonwealth of PA
   • Attachment 2 - JARC Program Criteria & New Freedom Program Criteria
   • Attachment 3 - Selection Process Guideline
   • Attachment 4 - JARC & New Freedom Federal & State Funding Summary
   • Attachment 5 - JARC & New Freedom Eligible Projects
3. New Freedom Application Form Click Here
4. W2W and JARC Application Form Click Here
5. NEPA RPO - Coordinated Public Transit & Human Services Transportation Plan Click Here