TPO staff opens 2026 TIP project call, outlines funding, scoring and cost-estimate guidance

Transportation Planning Organization staff on Thursday walked members through the 2026 Transportation Improvement Program project call, projected federal funding levels and changes to application and cost-estimate procedures ahead of the draft TIP due back to technical committees in June.

The presentation laid out federal-program totals, rollover programming expectations and a new request that all project cost estimates be submitted in current-year (fiscal 2025) dollars. Staff said they will apply TDOT-prescribed inflation factors to grow those figures to the years projects are programmed, and urged agencies to re-evaluate legacy cost estimates rather than simply inflating older numbers.

The guidance matters because the new TIP’s programmed dollars typically take effect Jan. 1 after adoption; staff told members they are targeting a June draft review by technical committees and executive board, with adoption expected in September or October and new project programming active beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

Staff presented high-level funding numbers and contingency planning. The region’s STBG (Surface Transportation Block Grant) project-call total discussed in the meeting was roughly $126,000,000 in federal revenue. Staff said the TPO’s current ending balance…