| TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (TIP) What is the Transportation Improvement Program or TIP? The NEPA RPO Committee develops a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). What is a TIP you ask, well a TIP is an agreed upon list, covering a four year period, of transportation priorities. It is a project specific, fiscally constrained by year transportation program of highway, bridge, and transit priorities for a region. The federal transportation law known as the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) requires a TIP. TEA-21, enacted in 1998, authorizes federal funding for highway, bridge, transit, and other surface transportation programs. The TIP is the document used for budgeting the funds needed to make transportation improvements. So, as is important for any good budget, the federal law requires that the TIP be financially constrained to the amount of funds that are expected to be available. Therefore, once the TIP is developed any additions/deletions must have corresponding deletions/additions in order to maintain a balance. The TIP is submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and becomes a part of the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The STIP is a compilation of all of the TIPs from the regional agencies across the Commonwealth. The STIP is the official document, submitted by PENNDOT, to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for approval. The STIP/TIP shows estimated costs and schedule of a project by phase, including preliminary engineering, final design, utilities, right–of–way acquisition, and construction. The TIP may be changed after it is adopted by the NPRTPO. The approved TIP can be modified or amended to add, delete, or advance projects, or to accommodate cost and phase of work changes. Inclusion of a project phase in the TIP is not a guarantee or commitment of funds. However, being listed on the TIP is a requirement for consideration of funds to a project, and means that the project will have a good chance of being implemented. The TIP is updated every two years.
2009 - 2012 TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (TIP)
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