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DURHAM-CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO <br />METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION <br />METHODOLOGY FOR IDENTIFYING AND RANKING NEW <br />TRANSPORATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM <br />PROJECT REQUESTS <br />Adopted by the DCHC MPO Policy Board on 2/27/2024 <br />INTRODUCTION <br />The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) <br />Methodology for Identifying and Ranking Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Project <br />Requests describes the processes that the DCHC MPO will follow to identify projects that will be <br />submitted for evaluation to the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) during <br />the Strategic Prioritization Office of Transportation’s (SPOT) Prioritization process. When the <br />results of the SPOT Prioritization process are made available, the DCHC MPO will follow this <br />Methodology to rank projects and assign Local Input Points to high priority projects. This <br />Methodology is designed to address the federal requirement that the Transportation <br />Improvement Program (TIP) be consistent with the projects and investment priorities of the <br />MPO’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) while being compatible with the state’s STI <br />process. <br />According to U.S. Code 23 Section 134, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are <br />required to develop a TIP in cooperation with the state and public transportation providers <br />through a performance-driven, outcome-based approach to planning. The TIP should contain <br />projects consistent with the MTP and should reflect the investment priorities established in the <br />current MTP. There should be an opportunity for public participation in developing the TIP <br />including consultation, as appropriate, with state and local agencies responsible for land use <br />management, natural resources, environmental protection, conservation, and historic <br />preservation. <br />Furthermore, as a Transportation Management Area (TMA), according to U.S. Code 23 Section <br />134, all federally funded projects within the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO (excluding <br />projects carried out on the National Highway System) shall be selected for implementation from <br />the approved TIP by the MPO in consultation with the state and any public transportation <br />provider or operator. Projects on the National Highway System shall be selected for <br />implementation from the TIP by the state in cooperation with the MPO. <br />North Carolina’s Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) legislation, passed in 2013, <br />establishes a formula and process by which transportation funding is distributed across the state <br />and across transportation modes. The outcome of the STI process is the draft State <br />Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The STI legislation applies uniformly across the <br />state regardless of the boundaries of MPOs. The STI legislation requires the identification and <br />submittal of potential transportation projects by the NCDOT and the MPO, the evaluation of <br />projects according to a NCDOT-developed quantitative scoring methodology, and the allocation <br />of ranking points among certain projects by NCDOT and the MPO. <br />The DCHC MPO retains the authority to develop the TIP for the MPO area as required by <br />federal regulations. Participation in the STI process through submitting projects for evaluation <br />and/or allocating Local Input Points to projects does not require the MPO to include these <br />projects in the TIP.