UDOT updates TIF/TTF nomination process; projects can be nominated year-round with stronger cost estimates

Andrea Olsen, UDOT planning director, briefed Transcom on changes to UDOT—s Transportation Investment Fund (TIF) and Transit Transportation Investment Fund (TTF) processes. She said highway and transit projects that are in phase one (fiscally constrained, within the first 10 years of a long-range plan) are automatically included on ranked lists. "For highway and for transit, any eligible project...that is in phase 1, fiscally constrained phase 1 of your entity's, regional transportation plan or long range transportation plan is automatically included on that ranked list," Olsen said.

Olsen explained that previously nominations were accepted in a limited window but the Transportation Commission has removed that window. "A change that, the transportation commission recently made is that there's no window anymore, and a local government or a transit district can nominate a project at any time," she said. UDOT will require a more detailed cost estimate for newly nominated projects and is working with existing project sponsors to collect improved cost estimates by the end of the calendar year for projects already on ranked lists.

Olsen urged local sponsors to coordinate with UDOT planning staff when nominating highway projects outside MPO boundaries (Morgan and Tooele counties) and said UDOT will start a long-range planning process soon to ensure priorities are reflected in those areas. She directed sponsors to projectprioritization.utah.gov for ranked lists and nomination forms.

No formal action was taken at the meeting on UDOT—s policies; the presentation was informational.