TIP - Transportation Improvement Program
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) (pronounced: t
p) is a three-year schedule of transportation improvements to be constructed. This includes projects that are ready for, or in the process of, final engineering design, right-of-way acquisition or construction. Improvements include projects on both the roadway network and transit system -- ranging from rebuilding bridges, paving roadways, and redesigning intersections to buying new buses, improving rail stations, and creating park-and-ride facilities. The majority of projects found in the TIP involve the use of Federal funds, and Federal law (23 CFR 450:332) requires that any transportation projects financed with Federal funds appear in the TIP. Other major transportation projects, for which there are no Federal funds being utilized, must also be referenced in the TIP because they are included in the evaluation of Northern New Jersey’s compliance with Federal air quality standards.
Transportation improvements for county or local roads, however, are not included in the TIP. These projects are part of the county or municipal capital improvement program.
The TIP also lists a variety of statewide "programs" that accomplish ongoing maintenance and enhancement of the transportation system, such as installing signs, repairing railbeds, and inspecting bridges. For each project and program, the TIP includes a detailed description and a funding schedule.
Transportation projects in the TIP are “fiscally constrained”, which means they must fit within the total Federal, state, and local transportation funds available for the region in the three-year funding cycle. Dollar amounts as well as funding sources must be identified for all projects.
The TIP, which is prepared by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority together with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, NJ Transit, and the individual counties, is updated every year.
Visit the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) web site for more details.