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Council approves TIP modification for State Street pedestrian improvements; staff report shows $1.3 billion in federal obligations statewide for FY24
Summary
The council approved a board modification to the 2025–2030 TIP to add an $800,000 pedestrian safety project on State Street (North Temple to 300 North) in Salt Lake City and received the annual report showing about $1.3 billion in federal obligations statewide for FY24.
The Wasatch Front Regional Council voted to approve a single board modification to the 2025–2030 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) at its March 27 meeting. The modification funds pedestrian safety improvements on State Street between North Temple and 300 North in Salt Lake City.
Project and funding
WFRC staff described the project as pedestrian safety enhancements that include bulb‑outs at intersections, reconfiguration of a right‑turn pocket to combine through/right lanes, and additional signage and artistic treatments near a recently constructed roundabout. The project is estimated at approximately $800,000; staff said the funds are coming from a UDOT transportation grant program (described in the meeting as the “Transportation Solutions” grant/program).
Council action
A motion to approve the resolution to modify the TIP was made, seconded and approved by voice vote.
Annual federal obligations report
Ben Worthrich, WFRC staff, presented the TIP/federal obligations report required under IIJA and noted that obligated funds reported for fiscal year 2024 (Oct. 1, 2023–Sept. 30, 2024) do not necessarily equal final project costs or project completion. He reported roughly $1.3 billion in federal obligations statewide and summarized obligations in the Wasatch Front area as roughly $521 million in federal share and approximately $552 million when local match (about $31 million) is included.
TIP amendment process change
Wayne Bennion, WFRC staff, explained a procedural change being implemented after a quadrennial FHWA/FTA review: future TIP amendment materials will include a written air quality conformity determination rather than a verbal determination, and the inter‑agency consultation (ICT) team (EPA, FHWA, FTA, UDOT, UTA, WFRC, state air quality staff and other MPOs) will be formally involved in review of conformity for board modifications. Ben Worthrich described the new TIP tables that will show the level of conformity analysis performed (exempt, funding adjustment, or a Federal Highway letter confirming the existing conformity determination remains valid) and, for new projects, will show existing versus proposed improvements to clarify changes for reviewers.
Quotations
"When you have an obligation and a de‑obligation... that means when it's been obligated and the federal authority has been given to use those funds. When those funds, if they're not needed, they're put back into the project or back into the program, and so that's considered a negative," Ben Worthrich said, explaining an accounting feature of the obligations report.
"One of those recommendations was to more specifically reflect the procedural requirements of the air quality conformity regulations in our TIP amendment process," Wayne Bennion said of the procedural updates.
Ending
Staff said the new conformity practices and the revised TIP tables are intended to make the TIP amendment process clearer to federal partners and to ensure compliance with air quality conformity regulations while keeping the region’s programming transparent.
