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The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is soliciting funding proposals for projects across all transportation modes that are designed to relieve congestion and enhance mobility across the state.

Selected projects will receive allocations through the Mobility Fund, a funding mechanism proposed by Gov. Bev Perdue that was pushed through the state Legislature. NCDOT will accept applications for projects until Feb. 29, 2012. The department then will rank the projects through a data-driven approach — which will help determine which ones would provide the greatest benefit in travel-time savings and increase the overall efficiency of the state’s transportation system — by May 2012.

Light- and commuter- rail, and bus rapid transit projects are eligible to apply for Mobility Funds. Among the selection criteria: Projects must be ready to have funds obligated for construction within five years.

The amount of money available through the program is estimated at $45 million in fiscal-year 2012-13 and $58 million in succeeding fiscal years, NCDOT officials said in a prepared statement.

“Creating jobs is my top priority, and the Mobility Fund is another tool to make North Carolina more economically competitive,” said Perdue. “Businesses looking to relocate or expand want a strong transportation infrastructure to effectively move their goods, and that’s what these projects are all about.”