List of Priority Projects (LOPP)

The List of Priority Projects (LOPP) is a document that all Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are required to develop annually. The LOPP represents the unfunded transportation improvements that were not programmed for the following five year period, in order of priority. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) uses each MPO’s LOPP to aid in their decisions as to which projects should be added to their Work Program each year. The Lake~Sumter MPO approves its LOPP annually.

Each Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is required to develop a List of Priority Projects (LOPP), in coordination with the FDOT District Planning staff, and to submit the list to the District by September 1 of each year. The LOPP represents those projects that have not yet been programmed but are considered high priorities by the MPO.

The MPO’s LOPP must be formally reviewed by the technical and citizens’ advisory committees and approved by the MPO before being transmitted to the District. In addition, all major capacity projects on the priority list, with the exception of Florida Intrastate Highway System (FIHS) and bridge replacement projects, should be screened under the Efficient Transportation Decision Making (ETDM) process (programming screen), prior to being transmitted.

Projects from the LOPP are included in the FDOT Work Program to the maximum extent feasible. Any significant disputes identified during the ETDM programming screen will be resolved prior to adding the priority project to the Work Program. The District will coordinate with the MPO to resolve any significant issues pertaining to projects on the MPO priority list pursuant to the ETDM dispute resolution process.

The District’s review of the MPO’s List of Priority Projects should ascertain that, at a minimum, it considers the following: the MPO’s approved Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), the Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) Plan, the priorities developed pursuant to the Transportation Regional Incentive Program (TRIP), and the MPO’s public involvement procedures.