Transportation Improvement Program

The transportation improvement program (TIP) is a short-range (7 year) capital improvement program (budget) of transportation projects consistent with federal regulations, the regional long-range transportation plan, and area policies and strategies. The TIP lists all projects for which federal funds are anticipated, along with non-federally funded projects that are regionally significant. The TIP represents the transportation improvement priorities of the region and is required by federal law.

COMPASS produces a regional TIP for Ada and Canyon Counties and updates the document annually. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires that all projects in the TIP be derived from an approved long range transportation plan, meet air quality requirements in northern Ada County, and be financially constrained to the amount of funds that are expected to be available. The TIP shows the estimated costs and projected construction schedule of transportation projects.

The Idaho Transportation Department’s Idaho Transportation Investment Program (ITIP) and Ada County Highway District’s Integrated Five-Year Work Plan provide information on additional transportation projects not included in COMPASS’ TIP.

The TIP shows how projects correlate with Communities in Motion (CIM) performance measures. This reporting not only allows a reader to easily see how individual projects help achieve CIM goals, but it also provides additional accountability for the project sponsor and decision-makers, as they must be able to clearly demonstrate the relationship between projects and CIM goals.