The Regional Solicitation is a competitive process to award transportation funding to projects that meet regional transportation needs. It includes three different programs: Regional Solicitation for federal transportation funding, Active Transportation Solicitation, and Highway Safety Improvement Program Solicitation.
The three solicitations are competitive grant processes that the Transportation Advisory Board and Met Council use to prioritize and invest federal transportation funds and regional sales tax funds in infrastructure and services like roads, bridges, transit routes, bike paths, sidewalks, and electric vehicle charging and programs like travel demand management and active transportation planning. These solicitations are part of the Metropolitan Council’s federally required continuing, comprehensive, and cooperative transportation planning process for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.
The application period for the 2026 Regional Solicitation and Active Transportation Solicitation closed on June 25, 2026 at 4 p.m.
Next Steps
The scoring process has begun for the qualified applications. The technical scoring committees have concluded their scoring process. However, the Community Considerations scoring measures and guidance are being revised to clarify compliance with federal policy. This revision will be vetted and recommended by the technical committees and Transportation Advisory Board and approved by the Metropolitan Council. This will delay the final selection of the program of projects, with tentative milestones including:
- Summer 2026 to early 2027 – Scoring committees including technical experts from across the region will evaluate and score the qualified applications.
- Spring 2027 – Committees will discuss funding options for the Transportation Advisory Board’s consideration.
- Spring/summer 2027– The Transportation Advisory Board will recommend a program of projects and the Metropolitan Council will approve.
More information will be provided directly to applicants when it is available.