The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has released the Draft 2013 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Draft Transportation-Air Quality Conformity Analysis for public review and comment. The comment period started Friday, June 22, 2012 and ends on Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.
Copies of the Draft 2013 TIP and Draft Transportation-Air Quality Conformity Analysis are available for public review at the MTC-ABAG Library, 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, and at major public libraries in each of the nine Bay Area counties, and on the MTC website at: <http://www.mtc.ca.gov/funding/tip/2013>.
Public Hearing: MTC will hold a public hearing to receive public comments on the Draft 2013 TIP and Draft Transportation-Air Quality Conformity Analysis during MTC’s Programming and Allocations Committee meeting on Wednesday, July 11, 2012, at 11:00 a.m., or immediately following MTC’s Administration Committee meeting, whichever occurs later, at 390 Main Street, San Francisco, CA.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LOCATION OF THE PUBLIC HEARING IS IN SAN FRANCISCO.
Written Comments: Written comments may be submitted to MTC’s Public Information Office at 101 Eighth Street, Oakland, CA, 94607 or faxed to MTC at 510-817 5848 or sent via e-mail to info@mtc.ca.gov.
Written comments are due by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 2, 2012. For more information, call MTC’s Public Information Office at 510-817-5787.
A brief informational Guide to the TIP can be found on MTC’s web site here:
http://www.mtc.ca.gov/funding/tip/2013/Guide_to_the_Draft_2013_TIP.pdf
The federally required Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) lists all public mass transit, highway, local road, bicycle and pedestrian capital projects for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area that receive federal funds, are subject to a federally required action, or are regionally significant. MTC, as the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the San Francisco Bay Area region, prepares and adopts the TIP at least once every four years.
The TIP covers a four-year period and must be financially constrained by year, meaning that the amount of dollars committed to the projects (also referred as programmed) must not exceed the amount of dollars estimated to be available. The Draft 2013 TIP includes projects programmed over four fiscal years from FY 2012-13 through FY 2015-16. The TIP must include a financial plan that demonstrates the programmed projects can be implemented, and must be accompanied by a transportation-air quality conformity analysis.
To further assist in the public assessment of the 2013 TIP, and specifically to address the equity implications of the proposed TIP investments, MTC has conducted an investment analysis with a focus on low-income and minority residents.
MTC has also prepared a Draft Conformity Analysis for the 2013 TIP. As required by federal conformity regulations, MTC must demonstrate that the TIP is consistent with (“conforms to”) the federal air quality plan known as the State Implementation Plan (SIP). Conformity to the SIP means that the transportation activities will not cause new air quality violations, worsen existing violations, or delay timely attainment of the relevant national ambient air quality standards. For the Bay Area, the conformity analysis addresses the national 8-hour ozone standard, national carbon monoxide standard, and the national 24-hour fine particulate matter standard.
MTC has developed the Draft 2013 TIP and Draft Conformity Analysis in cooperation with the county Congestion Management Agencies, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), individual cities, counties, transit operators, and other project sponsors, and in consultation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). All projects included in the TIP are consistent with the long-range Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), the Transportation 2035 Plan for the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Final 2013 TIP and Final Transportation-Air Quality Conformity Analysis are scheduled for adoption by MTC on September 26, 2012. Once approved by the Commission, the 2013 TIP will be forwarded to Caltrans, FHWA and the FTA for approval and inclusion into the Federal State Transportation Improvement Program (FSTIP). Federal approval of the FSTIP is scheduled for December 2012. The Final Transportation-Air Quality Conformity Analysis and the Commission’s conformity determination will be forwarded to FHWA and FTA for their joint review and concurrence.
This notice also serves to satisfy the public involvement requirements of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) annual Program of Projects.
Accessible Meetings: Sign language interpreters or readers will be provided for the hearing if requested at least three business days in advance; every effort will be made to provide interpreters for non-English speakers if requested at least three business days in advance. To make your request, please call 510-817-5757 or for TDD/TTY 510.817-5769.
