Agenda - 06-07-2016 - 8-b - SPOT P4.0 Transportation Funding Presentation

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3 One project will be added the STIP as a result of prioritization at the Statewide level — the interchange improvements at 1-85 and Churton Street/Old NC 86 (SR 1009). While this project will be added to the 10-year STIP, it may not be guaranteed funding, because only projects added to the first five years of the STIP receive programmed funds. As stated previously, projects in the "developmental program" of the STIP, or years 6 through 10 of the first 10 years, are subject to reprioritization in the next iteration of the SPOT prioritization process. With that in mind, twenty-three (23) projects in Orange County are eligible for funding at the Regional Impact and Division Needs levels. Attachment 1 indicates the preliminary arrangement of points by the MPOs/RPOs and the tier under which specific projects receive funding. Attachment 2 is the presentation for this item to be given at the June 7th meeting. Key Takeaways • This process is ultimately designed to reduce lists of many projects to only a few projects in a defensible and data-driven way. The likelihood of receiving funding is probably the most important criteria, as local points are often allocated by raw NCDOT score, so as to maximize the likelihood of receiving funding. • Additionally, coordination with the NCDOT Division, which occurs at the MPO/RPO level, is crucial to advancing projects through the process. In cases where either the MPO/RPO or the Division does not apply points to a project, the project is very unlikely to be funded. • The process used by the MPOs/RPOs is different between each organization. In Orange County, a specific number of points is allowed for each mode (Durham Chapel Hill Carrboro MPO - DCHC MPO), each jurisdiction receives at least two projects (Triangle Area RPO - TARPO), or the projects are ranked by NCDOT raw score (Burlington-Graham MPO - B-G MPO). Depending on the jurisdiction, the project may compete differently based on local prioritization criteria and/or other projects in the region. • Unfortunately, bicycle and pedestrian projects are not a major focus in the SPOT process and often do not score well in the NCDOT metric. This leaves the onus on local communities to find other funding to construct these projects. Schedule Local input and NCDOT Division points are due to the SPOT office in June. The SPOT office will then finalize the Regional Impact scores and release the list of funded projects in August to allow for local prioritization of Division Needs projects. The final draft STIP will be released in December 2016. Attachment 3 presents the 2018-2027 STIP development schedule and other information in a graphic format. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with receiving this update. It is important to note that that projects specifically categorized as bicycle and pedestrian projects will require a 20 percent local match from the County and will require the County to expend any costs related to right-of-way acquisition and project management and administration. All bike and pedestrian projects require a resolution or letter of commitment from Orange County indicating the County will provide the local match if the projects are selected for funding.