The TIP must be consistent with the Metropolitan Transportation Plan. In order for transportation projects to receive federal funds they must be included in the TIP. This document has to be prepared in cooperation with State and public transit operators. The TIP has to be approved by the MPO and the Governor. This document becomes part of the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The TIP document is prepared every year to fulfill Federal statutory requirements which provide that, as a condition to receive Federal funding, each urbanized area will have a continuing planning process that results in plans and programs consistent with the comprehensively planned development of the urbanized area. This document programs transportation projects that serve this purpose.

The priorities established by this document express the policy decision of the MPO as to the order in which transportation improvements will be advanced during the program period. This document also fulfills Federal requirements in that the included projects are derived from the area's Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) for inclusion in the program and addresses new program requirements relating to the recently enacted federal Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU): A legacy for users of 2005.

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

The TIP process begins at the start of each fiscal year. A letter is sent to all municipalities, involved agencies and private parties informing them that the process is to begin, providing them with the tentative scheduling and soliciting their input. The Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) provides a forum for citizens to evaluate the recommendations developed through the MPO's transportation planning and programming process.

The MPO provides adequate public notices for public hearings so as to allow community citizens the opportunity to participate in the development of the TIP. The proposed TIP is published and made readily available for review and comment. Similarly, the approved TIP is published and made readily available for information purposes. The functional responsibilities of participating agencies are needed to insure the continuing development and operation of urban transportation system facilities. Usually, three to four presentations are made to CTAC for reviewing the document. The final public hearing for adoption is scheduled on May of every year.

PROJECT SELECTION

In its efforts to comply with federal requirement regarding the development of a TIP project selection procedure, and due to the fact that the need for transportation improvements exceed the available funding, the TIP Development Committee formed a subcommittee to organize the selection criteria into a more structured and understandable format. The committee recommends that the first three years of the adopted TIP be considered as committed and the selection criteria should be applied to the remaining two years in addition to the outstanding project proposals. There are three generalized steps to follow and they are:

1. Project Selection - This stage, which serves as a prescreening step, evaluates the eligibility and category of each project, as well as their consistency with the most recently adopted Long Range Plan.
2. Project Ranking - Nearly identical to what was done in the Long Range Plan prioritization process, the project proposals listed in the matrix or spreadsheet are considered in order of the most favorable project rankings.
3. Project Prioritization - A combination of quantitative and qualitative criteria to select and prioritize projects was used. The end product of this stage is envisioned to be a matrix or spreadsheet listing of project proposals with numerical rankings and qualitative "scores" for other supporting features they possess.

WHAT IS THE TIP?

The TIP is a staged multi-year program that prioritizes transportation improvement projects for federal, state and local funding. The TIP is also the capital improvements element of the LRTP. The TIP has a role in putting the LRTP into action.

TIP: Putting the Long Range Transportation Plan into action. Picturing the project contained in the 2030 LRTP for Miami-Dade County as a warehouse full of transportation projects for the next 20+ years, the TIP is the vehicle that carries those projects to market.

TIP FUNDING

Where does highway funding come from? Gasoline taxes, such as the federal gas tax, state motor fuel tax, local option gas tax, voter gas tax, motor vehicle fees and road impact fees and automobile related user fees such as tolls.

Where does transit funding come from? Transit funding comes from a combination of funds from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the State of Florida through the Florida Department of Transportation Public Transportation Office, local dedicated source of funding (half-penny sales tax) and Miami-Dade County's budget (from local general funds).

TIP PROJECTS

The projects in the TIP are grouped into major categories, with order of priority established within each category insofar as possible or applicable. The groupings are established primarily by virtue of funding source and implementing responsibility. These major categories are:

• Primary State Highways and Intermodal Projects
• Multi-Modal Transit Improvements
• Secondary Roads
• Road Impact Fee Improvements
• Local Option Gas Tax
• Improvements by the Private Sector
• Airport Improvements
• Seaport Improvements
• Turnpike
• South Florida Regional Transportation Authority
• Non-Motorized Component
• Intelligent Transportation Systems
• Transportation Disadvantaged
• RUSH Program
• Miami-Dade Expressway Authority
• Unfunded Priority Needs
• Freight-related Transportation Improvements
• Multimodal People's Transportation Plan (PTP)

UNFUNDED SECTION

In order to provide continuity to the process, the TIP includes a section for unfunded projects. These projects are those that were not included in the document due to the limited available funds. However, they are included in the priority list of the LRTP and will be first considered in case funding becomes available.

AMENDMENTS

The annual element may be amended at anytime during the program year through the same procedures required for developing and adopting this original program. The amendments may be for the purpose of deleting projects, adding projects, revising the funding of a project, or modifying the scope or limits of a project.

Any amendment to the TIP has to follow the transportation planning process established for Miami-Dade County. Detailed information of the amendment process is available from the MPO upon request.