Transportation Improvement Program
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a five-year capital improvement program that allocates federal highway and transit funds to surface transportation projects that have been selected through A/GFTC’s planning process.
Inclusion of a project in the TIP allows specific project development, design and construction activities to proceed using federal funds according to the defined schedule. The TIP provides information regarding federal funding assistance and project costs for the 5 year time period. A/GFTC updates the TIP every two years to maintain a current list of projects and to reflect its Long Range Transportation Plan (LRP) for the area. Projects that appear in the first four years of the program are incorporated into the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and generally have first priority for funding. Projects that appear in later years may be advanced if changes in the first four years of the program occur that result in programming flexibility. Financial constraints have been applied in the programming of listed projects so that resources are reasonably available to implement the program.
How Projects Are Selected for Funding
Prior to the programming of any new projects for a TIP update, projects with existing commitments from the previous TIP are reviewed and updated. Some projects require rescheduling and others need cost revisions.
A formal solicitation for new TIP projects from area municipalities and other eligible project sponsors is then conducted for the TIP update. While adjusting the program to reflect changes in costs and schedules, a concerted effort is made to maintain funding allocations within the TIP in accordance with fiscal constraints. The overall project review and selection process is monitored and performed by members of the Technical Advisory Committee.
Projects that do not require immediate attention or are of a scale that exceed present resources have been identified as potential projects beyond the five-year horizon are listed in the Post-TIP period as potential future candidates for federal funding. Some of these projects may have originally been proposed for the current TIP period, but financial constraints require that those projects be delayed until adequate funding becomes available.
The draft TIP is then presented to the Technical Advisory Committee and forwarded to the Policy Committee, who approves the contents of the TIP for public comment. After completion of the public comment period and an additional review by the TAC, the Policy Committee votes to accept a final program. This final TIP is then submitted to NYSDOT and federal funding agencies for review and approval.
Amending the Transportation Improvement Program
Changes to the TIP Table of Projects (including scope, year of work, cost or addition of new projects) require the review and approval of the TAC and/or the Policy Committee depending on the nature of the amendment. Minor changes to cost or schedules may be approved by the TAC alone. More significant changes require public review and then approval by the Policy Committee.