State Transportation Improvement Program (TIP/STIP)
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) identifies the transportation projects that GCLMPO and NCDOT plan to undertake over the next ten years. The TIP is established through NCDOT’s Board of Transportation to allocate funds to highway, aviation, public transportation, bicycle and pedestrian, and other modes of transportation. All projects receiving federal funding must be in the TIP. The TIP is the region’s way of allocating its transportation resources among the various capital and operating needs of the area, based on a clear set of short-term transportation priorities.
NCDOT maintains a “Current STIP” that is updated monthly based upon TIP amendments that are approved by the Board of Transportation. Federal law requires the State Transportation Improvement Program to be updated at least every four years. NCDOT generally updates it every two years. Background
Passed in 2013, the Strategic Transportation Investments law allows the N.C. Department of Transportation to use its funding more efficiently and effectively to enhance the state’s infrastructure, while supporting economic growth, job creation and a higher quality of life. This process encourages thinking from a statewide and regional perspective while also providing flexibility to address local needs.
STI also establishes the Strategic Mobility Formula, which allocates available revenues based on data-driven scoring and local input. It is used to develop NCDOT’s State Transportation Improvement Program, which identifies the transportation projects that will receive funding during a specified 10-year period.
The process by which the NCDOT STIP is developed is known as NCDOT Prioritization.
The TIP/STIP:
- Is updated at least every two years;
- Is fiscally constrained, based on available funding and not just a “wish list” of projects;
- Conforms with the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for air quality (Gaston and Lincoln counties are classified as nonattainment for ozone);
- Is approved by the MPO and the governor; and
- Is incorporated directly into North Carolina’s State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), a 10-year State and Federal-mandated plan that identifies the construction funding for and scheduling of transportation projects throughout the state.
STIP Updates
Work is currently underway to update the STIP for 2024-2033.
The cycle to update the STIP for 2024-2033 began in Fall 2019. Due to rising costs for projects funded in the current 2020-2029 STIP, there is no funding available for any new projects in the next STIP. Therefore, on August 4, 2021, the current prioritization cycle was halted and the 2024-2033 STIP is being developed using existing projects from the current STIP.
On August 4, 2022, a Revised Draft 2024-2033 STIP was released for public review.