TPO begins FY2026–29 TIP update; staff proposes 10% contingency and stricter overrun review

The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization Technical Committee on Jan. 14 reviewed the draft schedule, funding assumptions and policy tweaks for the Fiscal Year 2026–2029 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), with staff proposing a return to a 10% contingency reserve and clarifying when cost overruns must be brought to the committee.

The draft schedule calls for a project call to open the week of Jan. 17 and run through the end of February, staff review and project scoring tied to the 2050 Mobility Plan, TDOT submittal of draft TIP projects in May, federal review over the summer, and targeted local adoption in October; the TIP would take effect in January of calendar year 2026 when the new program becomes operational.

The TIP update matters because it programs federal and state transportation funds for regionally significant roadway and transit projects and establishes policies that affect which projects move forward and how cost changes are handled.

At the…