Consent 1.C.
Regular City Council Meeting
- Meeting Date:
- 06/08/2020
- TITLE
- 2020-2024 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
- PRESENTED BY:
- Scott Walker
- Department:
- Planning & Community Services
Presentation:
No
PROBLEM/ISSUE STATEMENT
Federal regulations require that Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) review and update their Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) periodically. This TIP amendment is required since funding adjustments have been made to several transportation projects listed in the plan. But it is also an opportunity to reformat the document to provide a clearer understanding and flow of the content and align better with other TIPs in Montana per State and Federal requirements.
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a short-range program of highway and transit projects in the Billings MPO area and is prepared by City-County Planning Division staff in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and local agencies. The purpose of the TIP is to provide the mechanism for scheduling federal funds for surface transportation projects, indicate regional priorities, and demonstrate a short range transportation vision for the area. A secondary purpose of the TIP is to provide information about other transportation projects in the urbanized area that are exempt from the TIP approval process, such as projects that do not utilize federal funds.
This TIP is being presented to the Council for review due to cost updates to several projects. The projects listed in the TIP that have cost updates include: The North Bypass, 1st Avenue N., I-90 Yellowstone River Bridges, and MET Bus Operating funds. Staff has attached the TIP document for reference as well as TIP Tracking Sheet which provides an overview of the specific changes.
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a short-range program of highway and transit projects in the Billings MPO area and is prepared by City-County Planning Division staff in cooperation with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and local agencies. The purpose of the TIP is to provide the mechanism for scheduling federal funds for surface transportation projects, indicate regional priorities, and demonstrate a short range transportation vision for the area. A secondary purpose of the TIP is to provide information about other transportation projects in the urbanized area that are exempt from the TIP approval process, such as projects that do not utilize federal funds.
This TIP is being presented to the Council for review due to cost updates to several projects. The projects listed in the TIP that have cost updates include: The North Bypass, 1st Avenue N., I-90 Yellowstone River Bridges, and MET Bus Operating funds. Staff has attached the TIP document for reference as well as TIP Tracking Sheet which provides an overview of the specific changes.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYZED
The current TIP includes updates of federal funding for several projects in the Billings area. The Council may:
- Recommend approval to the Policy Coordinating Committee (PCC) of the 2020-2024 TIP as drafted in order to continue the implementation of federally funded transportation projects in the Billings MPO area.
- Recommend modifications to the proposed 2020-2024 TIP and present these recommendations to the Policy Coordinating Committee for further consideration.
FISCAL EFFECTS
A range of federal funding sources is available to the Billings MPO area for the purposes of funding transportation system improvements. A list of those sources is shown in the TIP. There is no known direct impact to City or County funds in budgeting for these projects given the use of federal funding sources. Projects in the TIP that are not federally funded have already been identified in other programming documents, like the City's Capital Improvement Program.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the 2020-2024 TIP and forward that recommendation to PCC through its designee, Mayor Cole. The PCC is scheduled to meet on June 16, 2020 for action on this item.