The transportation improvement program (TIP) is a listing of all arterial highway, public transit, and other transportation improvement projects proposed to be carried out by State and local governments over the next four years in the seven county Southeastern Wisconsin Region.
The current program is for the period 2009-2012 and may be found here. The TIP indicates the transportation system improvement priorities of State and local governments in Southeastern Wisconsin by their programming of projects to be undertaken in each of the next four years. Federal regulations require that transit, arterial highway, and other improvement projects proposed to be implemented in the next four years with Federal U.S. Department of Transportation funding be included in this program if these projects are to be eligible for capital or operating federal funding.
Each TIP is compiled by an interagency staff team drawn from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Southeast Region; the Milwaukee County Department of Public Works; the Milwaukee County Transit System; the City of Milwaukee; and SEWRPC. This staff team contacted all local engineers, planners, and transit operators within the Region in an attempt to include all proposed State and local government transportation projects in the TIP. The TIP is reviewed by the SEWRPC’s Advisory Committees for Transportation System Planning and Programming for the Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine, and Round Lake Beach-McHenry-Grayslake, Illinois-Wisconsin urbanized areas. These committees are comprised of local elected and appointed officials and agency representatives responsible for transportation system improvement, operation, and maintenance within each urbanized area. The TIP is also reviewed by SEWRPC for consistency with the regional transportation plan. The TIP and any amendments thereto must be approved by SEWRPC as the MPO governing body.
The project-by-project listing of the 2009-2012 transportation improvement program includes for each project a brief description; estimated costs; estimated levels of federal, state, and local funding; and the state or local unit of government sponsor responsible for project implementation. The 2009-2012 TIP contains 676 projects representing a total potential investment in transportation improvements and services of $3.28 billion over the next four years. Of this total, $1.51 billion, or about 46 percent, is proposed to be provided in federal aids; $1.37 billion, or about 42 percent, in state funds; and $398 million, or about 12 percent, in local funds.
About 26 percent of the four year 2009-2012 TIP proposed expenditures, or about $864 million, are programmed in 2009, the first year of the TIP. A significant proportion of the 2009 financial resources are devoted to the preservation of existing transportation facilities and services – about $568 million or 66 percent. The expenditure of funds for highway expansion – the construction of new arterials – is about $14 million, or about 2 percent, of total programmed expenditures in the Region. The expenditures for highway improvements – widening existing arterials – are about $209 million, or about 24 percent of total expenditures. A significant portion of total financial resources is devoted to public transit projects, which account for about $226 million or 26 percent of programmed funding. Of the programmed funding for public transit, about 92 percent is programmed for preservation of existing services, and less than 1 percent for service improvement and about 7 percent for service expansion.
The TIP may be amended from time-to-time. This occurs when projects are substantially modified or funding sources substantially change and, in some cases, when new funding sources arise. Amendments also include significant changes in project timing. In addition, projects in the TIP can be administratively modified to correct errors or make relatively small changes to project scope, timing, and funding sources. SEWRPC posts on this website all TIP amendments and modifications.
In an activity related to the TIP, Federal law requires that the MPO post for public access on an annual basis a listing of projects for which the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has obligated funds in the preceding program year. This material may be found listed in the right toolbar.
American Recovery And Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
ARRA Funding for Local Transportation Projects in the Milwaukee Urbanized Area
As the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Milwaukee Urbanized Area SEWRPC is working with the State and local units of government to select projects for two categories of ARRA funds allocated to the Milwaukee Urbanized Area:
- $28.5 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307/5340 formula funds
- $38.7 million in Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Surface Transportation Program – Milwaukee Urbanized Area funds (STP-M)
The $28.5 million in ARRA FTA Section 5307/5340 funds has been allocated among the transit operators within the Milwaukee urbanized area based on the amount of transit service and ridership carried by each, with Milwaukee County receiving 90 percent, and the other four transit operators receiving 10 percent.
With regard to the $38.7 million in ARRA FHWA STP-M funding, the Advisory Committee recommended to the Commission for approval, and the Executive Committee of SEWRPC acting on behalf of SEWRPC approved on May 7, 2009, a procedure for funding allocation and project selection, and a list of projects to receive ARRA FHWA STP-M funding. The funding allocation and project selection prepared by SEWRPC staff attempted to treat each county and community fairly and equitably, and attempted to address the three criteria identified for consideration in funding allocation and project selection:
- Recognize the overall need for funding is, and the allocation of funding and project selection should be, in proportion to the lane-miles of arterial facilities under the jurisdiction of each county and community.
- Recognize that the ARRA states that priority is to be given to projects located in economically distressed areas, and the long used lane-mile funding allocation should be adjusted to account for this concern.
- Recognize that the ARRA is an economic stimulus bill, and projects which would be under construction in 2009, as compared to 2010, should receive priority for funding.
The list of projects selected to receive ARRA FHWA STP-M funding may differ slightly from those identified in the procedure for funding allocation and project selection as local governments with multiple projects, including the City and County of Milwaukee, were provided the flexibility to reprioritize their projects provided they stay within the total cost of their approved projects.
For information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, please review the sidebar links to a presentation made by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and handouts distributed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation at the March 16, 2009 joint meeting of the Advisory Committees on Transportation System Planning and Programming in the Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine, and Round Lake Beach Urbanized Areas that relate to ARRA funding for local transportation projects within Southeastern Wisconsin. In addition, more information related to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 can be found at the websites also listed on the sidebar to the right.