ALTERNATIVE METHODS FOR DEVELOPING TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS FOR URBAN AREAS

Three approaches for preparing a transportation improvement program (TIP) are examined. The first involves ratification by the metropolitan planning organization of programming decisions made by state and local transportation-implementing agencies. The second would rely on the collective judgment of an urban-area committee or forum to choose projects for implementation. The third would also use such a forum but would provide the committee with a formalized decision-making structure whereby programming decisions would be based on an expressed determination of priorities. Such a structure is described in detail: Projects are first submitted by implementing agencies. They are then reviewed for consistency with the transportation plan and those found to be consistent are placed on needs lists by type of project. The projects from the needs lists are placed in groups of similar relative priority. The groups are arrayed in priority order by funding source. The available money in from that source arrayed in priority order. Projects in whole groups covered by available funds are inserted directly in the TIP. An analysis is made of the intermediate connective transportation system that will result. The results of this analysis are combined with other considerations, and projects from the unfunded groups are selected to use the remainder of the available funds. /Author/