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<br />ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT <br />TRANSPORTATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />600 Hwy 86 N · Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278 <br />Phone (919) 245-2008 · Fax (919) 732-2137 <br />orangecountync.gov/transportation <br />Item 5.b. <br />Subject: State’s Strategic Prioritization of Transportation (SPOT) 7 <br />Attachment: <br /> <br />PURPOSE: To provide comments on the SPOT 7 process. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: Biennially, the North Carolina Board of Transportation (BOT) adopts a ten-year <br />Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) that funds and schedules transportation <br />projects throughout the state for all modes. The STIP implements Metropolitan and Rural <br />Planning Organizations (MPO/RPO) adopted Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) and <br />Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). The CTP and MTP are used by the MPO/RPO to <br />determine which projects are submitted for consideration in the STIP using the Strat egic <br />Prioritization of Transportation (SPOT) process. <br /> <br />SPOT P7.0 Schedule and Process <br /> <br />Last spring/fall 2023, MPO/RPOs across the state submitted their limited number of projects – <br />based on their population and total centerline miles – to North Carolina Department of <br />Transportation (NCDOT) for inclusion in SPOT 7.0. These projects must be approved by their <br />respective Boards prior to submission to the MPO/RPO for their consideration. Orange County’s <br />requested the approval of the OUTboard review and approval the list of County transportation <br />priorities prior to submission to respective MPO/RPO last year. The goal is to provide the <br />OUTboard a presentation on the history, current situation, overview of the STI process, the three <br />tires, where we are in the current schedule, Orange County Involvement level and opportunities <br />for input to P7.0. <br /> <br />Each MPO/RPO has its own unique process for determining which limited number of projects to <br />submit to NCDOT. <br />• DCHC MPO will only submit projects listed in the adopted MTP <br />• Triangle RPO uses a subcommittee for SPOT 7 project selection <br />• BG MPO uses a multi-criteria process to determine which projects to submit <br /> <br />Before the MPO/RPO Boards approve projects for submission, they will conduct a 30-day public <br />comment period and public hearing. <br /> <br />SPOT P7.0 Current Situation <br /> <br />Currently, we are operating under 2024-2033 STIP. Prioritization 6.0 was cancelled in 2021 due <br />to COVID-19, and projects submitted for SPOT 6.0 were made available for resubmittal in SPOT <br />7. Prioritization 7.0 started 2022, and with draft STIP anticipatio n of February 2025 and <br />adaptation in August 2025. Orange County has influence in new submissions, local input in