Transportation Improvement Program
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a federal and state mandated six-year programming document that contains financial and other information about local highway, state highway, and transit projects and services. This listing includes all capacity and non-capacity enhancing transportation projects programmed with federal, state or local funds.
The TIP also includes all capital and non-capital/operational elements for both highway and transit projects. Lastly, any regionally significant project, as defined by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), must be included in the TIP even if it is not federally funded. The TIP is also necessary because it is a planning process mandated by federal and state requirements. In addition, a transportation project is not eligible for federal/state funding, federal/state permits and environmental review (EIR, EIS), unless it is listed in the TIP.
Before federal funds can be approved to listed project sponsors the TIP must meet air quality conformity and be financially constraint. The Los Angeles County TIP becomes part of the Southern California Association of Governments’ (SCAG) Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP).
Once approved, it becomes part of the Federal Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (FSTIP) approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). Finally, it becomes part of the Federal Transportation Improvement Program (FTIP) approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).