A transportation improvement program (TIP) is a United States federally mandated requirement ((j)) for all metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). The TIP, also known as a short-range plan, lists all transportation projects in an MPO's metropolitan planning area that seek federal transportation funding within at least a four-year horizon.[1]
The TIP is complementary to the long-range transportation plan (LRTP), or regional transportation plan (RTP), that plans on a twenty or thirty year horizon.
MPOs must consider the following when developing a TIP:
The TIPs of various MPOs within a state feed directly into the state transportation improvement program (STIP). Also a federal requirement ((g)), each STIP is approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in conjunction with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).