A. 2045 MTP Amendment Process Overview
On December 12, 2019, the Broward MPO Board adopted the Commitment 2045 MTP. The MTP is updated every five years with a new 25-year planning horizon and incorporates demographic and traffic analysis updates to develop a list of cost feasible transportation projects (utilizing Federal and State funding) to meet the future needs of the transportation network. Occasionally, an adopted MTP will need to be amended prior to the five-year update cycle in order to add, remove, or modify a transportation project in the Cost Feasible Plan. According to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), an amendment to the MTP "requires public review and comment and a redemonstration of fiscal constraint."

On June 11, 2020, the Broward MPO Board voted to amend the MPO Rules and established an annual MTP amendment cycle. MTP amendment requests must be submitted to the Broward MPO by November 10. This will ensure that MTP amendments have adequate time to undergo a financial constraint analysis and public review prior to being adopted by the MPO Board and included in the upcoming Florida Department of Transportation Work Program/MPO Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) development cycle. The annual MTP amendment cycle requires that MPO member governments and partner agencies submit formal MTP amendment requests (in writing) to the MPO for any projects to be added, deleted, or modified in the 2045 MTP. MPO staff also requires that member governments and partner agencies meet with the MPO as early as possible prior to submitting an MTP amendment request to ensure the proposed request meets the necessary thresholds for an MTP amendment. Finally, MTP amendment requests must meet the program-ready criteria (Scope of Work, Cost Estimate, Partner Collaboration, and Resolution of Support) established by the MPO Board in order to be considered.

B. Incorporating Local Projects Seeking Federal Discretionary Grants Into MPO Plans
The passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021 introduced many new sources of discretionary grant funding. In many cases, local transportation projects seeking Federal discretionary grants require locals to demonstrate planning consistency between local plans and the MPO's MTP or TIP. In order to prepare potential projects for these Federal discretionary grants, MPO staff has worked with its Federal and State partners to develop a process for including local projects into the aforementioned plans. 

Inclusion in the MTP or TIP depends largely on the determination of whether a local project is considered to be "regionally significant," according to the definition found in 23 CFR § 450.104. Local projects seeking Federal funding that are deemed "regionally significant" will likely require an MTP amendment (process described in Part A above) to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) transportation conformity regulations and ensure the National Environmental Protection Act process is followed. Generally speaking, projects that do not require right-of-way and are exempt from the EPA's transportation conformity regulations may be included directly in the TIP as long as the local project meets the MPO's program-ready criteria. Local agencies will be required to meet with MPO staff prior to submitting a formal request to include a local project in an MPO plan.