PUBLIC FORUM ON THE FY 2009-2014 Transportation Improvement Program

On May 15, 2008, the TPB will host its second annual public forum on the region's six-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The meeting is designed to give citizens an understanding of how projects are selected and prioritized for the TIP and how funding decisions are made.

As required by federal law, the TIP includes all the regionally significant projects that are anticipated to be funded over the next six years. Along with the Constrained Long-Range Plan (CLRP), the TIP is one of the TPB’s fundamental planning documents.

The 2005 federal transportation reauthorization legislation (SAFETEA-LU) requires metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) like the TPB to conduct a public meeting during the TIP development process.

The TIP forum will feature presentations from the agencies responsible for implementing transportation in the region, including the state departments of transportation and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Representatives of these agencies will discuss their project selection processes and agency revenue streams.

TPB staff will provide information about federal requirements detailing the development of the TIP; financial summaries of transportation funding for the state DOTs and WMATA; and the schedule for approval of the TIP. Representatives from the DOTs of the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia (DDOT, MDOT, and VDOT) and WMATA will describe how projects are developed, prioritized and funded within their jurisdictions.

The TIP Forum will feature a status report on a number of high-visibility projects, which may include the following:

District of Columbia

Maryland

Virginia

Because the TIP includes hundreds of listings, it is not possible for staff to provide information on the status of every project. But staff will take note of the questions and comments of attendees and if possible, staff will respond to inquiries in the future.