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Tippecanoe MPO advances draft 2026–2030 TIP, details funding swap and project-year change
Summary
The Tippecanoe County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board heard updates Thursday on the draft 2026–2030 Transportation Improvement Program and two administrative TIP changes: a loan of FY25 federal funds to the South Bend MPO to be repaid in FY29, and a swap of construction years for an emergency vehicle preemption project between West Lafayette and Lafayette.
The Tippecanoe County Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board heard updates Thursday on the draft 2026–2030 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and two administrative changes affecting near-term federal funding.
The board was told the draft five-year TIP has been completed and submitted for review to state and federal partners, and a public comment period and a combined Citizens’ Participation Committee meeting are planned as part of the adoption process. Doug (staff member) said the MPO sent the draft to the Indiana Department of Transportation and to the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration for review and that a May board meeting is the target for final approval after comments are addressed.
The board was also informed of two administrative modifications to the current 2024–2028 TIP that do not require board votes. Doug (staff member) described one as “a funding swap that we did with the South Bend MPO,” saying the MPO is loaning a portion of its FY25 federal funds to the South Bend MPO with repayment scheduled in FY29. He said the swap and a letter included in the meeting materials explain how the funds will be spent and that staff updated the TIP document accordingly.
The second administrative modification affects an emergency vehicle preemption signal project led by the City of Lafayette that is cooperative with West Lafayette. Doug explained the project construction years were switched so West Lafayette’s work will occur before Lafayette’s “purely due to how much the cost would be and how we can get the best use out of our funds.” The staff explanation emphasized both cities will receive the signal preemption improvements; only the order of construction changed.
Board members and staff also discussed broader discretionary federal funds and an INDOT trade line of $340,523 marked in the MPO’s obligation tables. Doug said staff proposes using that balance to start a formal study of the US 231 extension, also referred to as the Northern Corridor connection, moving the concept from the long-range plan into a funded planning study; staff expects to present a TIP amendment related to that study next month. The MPO reported an April 24 deadline for obligating federal funds for the fiscal cycle mentioned.
Doug noted one TIP/STIP amendment is progressing slowly through federal review; when approved staff intends to request transfer of a set-aside of FHWA funds to FTA for a project to improve pedestrian and bicycle mobility at the Paramount and Sagamore Parkway intersection.
No formal board action was required on the administrative modifications presented; staff characterized them as notifications and said the TIP document has been updated to reflect the changes. The MPO will accept public comments during the planned Citizens’ Participation Committee meeting and through the online comment process before returning a revised document to the policy board for adoption.
The board meeting closed with routine items and no additional TIP votes.
