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 Planning Board for review due to cost updates to several projects and transportation planning staff will provide a presentation with a detailed overview of the changes during the meeting. Additionally, a TIP Tracking Sheet with an overview of changes has been attached along with the TIP document. 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. The format if the entire TIP document also has been revised to make it more accessible to the public and staff, and to provide for a better display of the key funding information included in the document. Staff has attached the TIP document for reference.

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.

Staff recommends that the Yellowstone County Board of Planning approve the Draft 2020-2024 TIP and forward that recommendation to PCC through its designee. The PCC is scheduled to meet on June 16, 2020 for action on this item.