TPO staff reviews FY 2026–29 Transportation Improvement Program draft; October adoption targeted
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Summary
Staff told the Executive Board the draft FY 2026–29 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) has been submitted to TDOT for review and the MPO is targeting an October adoption after sequential state and federal reviews, public comment and air-quality conformity checks.
TPO staff provided the Executive Board on June 23 an update on development of the FY 2026–29 Transportation Improvement Program, the region’s multi-year capital programming document that schedules federally funded projects for delivery. Staff said the draft TIP has been submitted to the Tennessee Department of Transportation for an initial 30-business-day review and will then proceed to Federal Highway for additional review and air-quality conformity analysis.
“Essentially a capital improvement program for the region,” Craig, the presenter, said of the TIP, adding the program contains a mix of 32 individual local projects and several consolidated “groupings” for bike/pedestrian, congestion and clean air, planning and pavement management, and TDOT projects. Craig described the LSTBG (locally flexible) program as the largest and most flexible funding source in the TIP and said staff has set aside a program reserve equal to roughly 10% of projected revenue to manage cost overruns and delivery risk.
Staff described the schedule as sequential: TDOT review (30 business days), interagency air-quality consultation, an FHWA review window and a 30‑day public comment period, with a target for Executive Board adoption in October and a November fallback if needed. Adoption in October would enable the TIP to become the operable programming document in January; staff said the TIP guides funding obligations and project delivery.
The draft submitted to TDOT includes 32 non-grouped projects (mainly local), four local groupings and three TDOT groupings; bike and pedestrian projects have been placed into a flexible “bike/ped grouping” containing 15 individual projects so the MPO can manage delivery and respond to cost and timing changes. Staff noted the TIP constrained programming to projected revenues and left contingency reserves for each program area.
No formal board action was taken; staff will circulate the draft document, appendices and the public-comment schedule to board members and the technical committee and begin the interagency review steps. The TIP presentation was informational; staff requested questions and said the draft will be circulated to member jurisdictions and committees later the same day.
