Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

All Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are required, by Federal and Florida law, to develop a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which is defined as “a staged, multiyear, intermodal program of transportation projects which is consistent with the metropolitan Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).” The TIP is developed in cooperation with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and local public transit operators.

The TIP must be updated annually, approved by the MPO Board and transmitted by July 15 of each year. The schedule for the development of the TIP must be compatible with the schedule for the development of FDOT’s Work Program and the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), since the TIP is incorporated into the STIP. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) approval of the STIP allows federal funding for metropolitan areas.

There must be a reasonable opportunity for public comment before the TIP is approved by the MPO. The draft, or proposed, TIP must be made available for public review and comment.

The TIP is financially constrained by year and includes a financial plan that shows which projects can be implemented using existing revenue sources and which projects are to be implemented using proposed revenue sources. Projects in the TIP must be consistent with the LRTP. The financial plan for the TIP is developed by the MPO, in cooperation with FDOT and local public transit operators. FDOT and the local public transit operators must provide the MPO with estimates of available state and federal funds. The TIP must include only projects for which construction and operating funds can reasonably be expected to be available. Any new funding sources must be identified.

How projects are selected for the TIP depends on whether the metropolitan area has a population of 200,000 or greater, i.e., whether the area is a Transportation Management Area (TMA). The Lake~Sumter MPO is not a TMA, as its population did not exceed 200,000 until after the 2000 Census was performed. In an area not designated as a TMA, projects using Title 23 funds are selected by FDOT, or the local public transit operator, in cooperation with the MPO. Federal land program projects will be chosen by the appropriate federal agencies in collaboration with FDOT and the MPO and must be included in the TIP.

        CURRENT APPROVED TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM 

        LAST YEAR'S TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM