450.216—Development and content of the statewide transportation improvement program (STIP).
(a)
The State shall develop a statewide transportation improvement program (STIP) for all areas of the State. The STIP shall cover a period of no less than four years and be updated at least every four years, or more frequently if the Governor elects a more frequent update cycle. However, if the STIP covers more than four years, the FHWA and the FTA will consider the projects in the additional years as informational. In case of difficulties developing a portion of the STIP for a particular area (e.g., metropolitan planning area, nonattainment or maintenance area, or Indian Tribal lands), a partial STIP covering the rest of the State may be developed.
(b)
For each metropolitan area in the State, the STIP shall be developed in cooperation with the MPO designated for the metropolitan area. Each metropolitan transportation improvement program (TIP) shall be included without change in the STIP, directly or by reference, after approval of the TIP by the MPO and the Governor. A metropolitan TIP in a nonattainment or maintenance area is subject to a FHWA/FTA conformity finding before inclusion in the STIP. In areas outside a metropolitan planning area but within an air quality nonattainment or maintenance area containing any part of a metropolitan area, projects must be included in the regional emissions analysis that supported the conformity determination of the associated metropolitan TIP before they are added to the STIP.
(c)
For each non-metropolitan area in the State, the STIP shall be developed in consultation with affected non-metropolitan local officials with responsibility for transportation using the State's consultation process(es) established under § 450.210.
(d)
For each area of the State under the jurisdiction of an Indian Tribal government, the STIP shall be developed in consultation with the Tribal government and the Secretary of the Interior.
(e)
Federal Lands Highway program TIPs shall be included without change in the STIP, directly or by reference, once approved by the FHWA pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 204(a) or (j).
(f)
The Governor shall provide all interested parties with a reasonable opportunity to comment on the proposed STIP as required by § 450.210(a).
(g)
The STIP shall include capital and non-capital surface transportation projects (or phases of projects) within the boundaries of the State proposed for funding under title 23 U.S.C. and title 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53 (including transportation enhancements; Federal Lands Highway program projects; safety projects included in the State's Strategic Highway Safety Plan; trails projects; pedestrian walkways; and bicycle facilities), except the following that may (but are not required to) be included:
(2)
Metropolitan planning projects funded under 23 U.S.C. 104(f), 49 U.S.C. 5305(d), and 49 U.S.C. 5339 ;
(4)
At the State's discretion, State planning and research projects funded with National Highway System, Surface Transportation Program, and/or Equity Bonus funds;
(5)
Emergency relief projects (except those involving substantial functional, locational, or capacity changes);
(h)
The STIP shall contain all regionally significant projects requiring an action by the FHWA or the FTA whether or not the projects are to be funded with 23 U.S.C. Chapters 1 and 2 or title 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53 funds (e.g., addition of an interchange to the Interstate System with State, local, and/or private funds, and congressionally designated projects not funded under title 23 U.S.C. or title 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53). For informational and conformity purposes, the STIP shall include (if appropriate and included in any TIPs) all regionally significant projects proposed to be funded with Federal funds other than those administered by the FHWA or the FTA, as well as all regionally significant projects to be funded with non-Federal funds.
(i)
The STIP shall include for each project or phase (e.g., preliminary engineering, environment/NEPA, right-of-way, design, or construction) the following:
(1)
Sufficient descriptive material (i.e., type of work, termini, and length) to identify the project or phase;
(2)
Estimated total project cost, or a project cost range, which may extend beyond the four years of the STIP;
(3)
The amount of Federal funds proposed to be obligated during each program year (for the first year, this includes the proposed category of Federal funds and source(s) of non-Federal funds. For the second, third, and fourth years, this includes the likely category or possible categories of Federal funds and sources of non-Federal funds); and
(j)
Projects that are not considered to be of appropriate scale for individual identification in a given program year may be grouped by function, work type, and/or geographic area using the applicable classifications under 23 CFR 771.117(c) and (d) and/or 40 CFR part 93. In nonattainment and maintenance areas, project classifications must be consistent with the “exempt project” classifications contained in the EPA's transportation conformity regulation ( 40 CFR part 93 ). In addition, projects proposed for funding under title 23 U.S.C. Chapter 2 that are not regionally significant may be grouped in one line item or identified individually in the STIP.
(k)
Each project or project phase included in the STIP shall be consistent with the long-range statewide transportation plan developed under § 450.214 and, in metropolitan planning areas, consistent with an approved metropolitan transportation plan developed under § 450.322.
(l)
The STIP may include a financial plan that demonstrates how the approved STIP can be implemented, indicates resources from public and private sources that are reasonably expected to be made available to carry out the STIP, and recommends any additional financing strategies for needed projects and programs. In addition, for illustrative purposes, the financial plan may (but is not required to) include additional projects that would be included in the adopted STIP if reasonable additional resources beyond those identified in the financial plan were to become available. The State is not required to select any project from the illustrative list for implementation, and projects on the illustrative list cannot be advanced to implementation without an action by the FHWA and the FTA on the STIP. Starting December 11, 2007, revenue and cost estimates for the STIP must use an inflation rate(s) to reflect “year of expenditure dollars,” based on reasonable financial principles and information, developed cooperatively by the State, MPOs, and public transportation operators.
(m)
The STIP shall include a project, or an identified phase of a project, only if full funding can reasonably be anticipated to be available for the project within the time period contemplated for completion of the project. In nonattainment and maintenance areas, projects included in the first two years of the STIP shall be limited to those for which funds are available or committed. Financial constraint of the STIP shall be demonstrated and maintained by year and shall include sufficient financial information to demonstrate which projects are to be implemented using current and/or reasonably available revenues, while federally-supported facilities are being adequately operated and maintained. In the case of proposed funding sources, strategies for ensuring their availability shall be identified in the financial plan consistent with paragraph (l) of this section. For purposes of transportation operations and maintenance, the STIP shall include financial information containing system-level estimates of costs and revenue sources that are reasonably expected to be available to adequately operate and maintain Federal-aid highways (as defined by 23 U.S.C. 101(a)(5)) and public transportation (as defined by title 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53).
(n)
Projects in any of the first four years of the STIP may be advanced in place of another project in the first four years of the STIP, subject to the project selection requirements of § 450.220. In addition, the STIP may be revised at any time under procedures agreed to by the State, MPO(s), and public transportation operator(s) consistent with the STIP development procedures established in this section, as well as the procedures for participation by interested parties (see § 450.210(a) ), subject to FHWA/FTA approval (see § 450.218 ). Changes that affect fiscal constraint must take place by amendment of the STIP.
(o)
In cases that the FHWA and the FTA find a STIP to be fiscally constrained and a revenue source is subsequently removed or substantially reduced (i.e., by legislative or administrative actions), the FHWA and the FTA will not withdraw the original determination of fiscal constraint. However, in such cases, the FHWA and the FTA will not act on an updated or amended STIP that does not reflect the changed revenue situation.