Orange County NC Website
3 <br />NCDOT allows deviation from adopted and approved methodology provided it is <br />documented. The MPO allows deviation only if any of the following occur: <br />• A project costs more than the funding available in that category <br />• A project will not be competitive within its Region or Division even with the application of <br />Local Input Points <br />• Coordination with the Division Engineer or a neighboring MPO or RPO deems a project <br />should not receive points, or will receive points from another MPO, RPO, or Division <br />• The DCHC MPO Board, based on a recommendation from the Technical Committee <br />(TC), determines that a lower ranking project is of greater priority and therefore should <br />be assigned points (or more points than assigned through application of the <br />Methodology) <br />• The DCHC MPO Board determines that a higher ranking project is of lesser priority and <br />therefore should be assigned fewer, or no, points than assigned through application of <br />the Methodology <br />• The DCHC MPO Board determines that projects in another mode are of higher priority <br />• The DCHC MPO Board determines that points should be awarded to a particular project <br />to support geographic equity <br />• Based on public input, the DCHC MPO Board decides to deviate from the project <br />rankings <br />Using the above process, the MPO Board will release the draft priority ranking and local <br />input point allocation for public comment and hold a public hearing at an MPO Board <br />meeting in accordance with the MPO Public Involvement Policy. The MPO Board will <br />approve the final allocation based on the following: <br />• The final score and list of initial projects using the process described above; <br />• The likelihood of receiving funding through STI considering the amount of funding <br />available within each Division or Region, historical funding levels for the mode, and the <br />normalization limitations that NCDOT has adopted; <br />• The number of eligible projects within the MPO within each funding mode, project type, <br />category; <br />• The priorities of the current MTP including the adopted distribution of funding between <br />modes and the air quality horizon year of projects; <br />• The effect that receiving funding for a project may have on the likelihood of other <br />projects being funded in the Division or Region considering the limitations set by the STI <br />legislation; <br />• If the project is located within an area of overlapping Environmental Justice <br />Communities of concern identified in the MPO's 2014 Environmental Justice Report; <br />• Geographic and jurisdictional balance <br />• Coordination with the Division Engineers and neighboring MPOs and RPOs on the <br />assignment of points; <br />• Public input and support as evidenced through public comments submitted to the MPO, <br />the MPO's public hearing, public involvement efforts of local governments, and local <br />referenda; <br />• The MPO Board members' knowledge of the urban area and the policies of their <br />communities; and <br />• Other factors as identified. If the MPO Board varies from the recommended allocation of <br />points, MPO staff will document the rationale and will post the documentation on the <br />MPO's website. <br />