NYSDOT Issues Draft Addendum to Statewide Transportation Improvement Program

ALBANY, NY (08/05/2011)(readMedia)-- New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Joan McDonald today announced that the draft Addendum to the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for 2011 through 2014 is available for review. As required by the federal government, the STIP document includes a list of all federally funded highway and transit projects, totaling more than $15.5 billion in federal funds for the period.

"The Statewide Transportation Improvement Program is an important planning tool for federally funded transportation infrastructure projects," Commissioner McDonald said. "For that reason, feedback from key stakeholders and the public is critically important. This document enables us to present a more complete picture of significant capital construction projects across the state."

The STIP contains all regional transportation improvement programs and is compiled generally every two years by NYSDOT and the State's 13 metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to enable federal funding. The Addendum completes the existing partial STIP, reflecting an enhanced list of federally funded projects for fiscal years 2011-2014 recently adopted by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council. NYMTC serves New York City, Long Island and the southern Hudson Valley.

The existing partial STIP was approved on October, 1, 2010, and contained project information from other MPOs and rural upstate areas, as well as federally funded NYMTC projects for 2011.

New York is presenting the STIP Addendum for federal approval by October 1, 2011. Once added to the existing list of projects, the STIP will include an estimated total of $15.5 billion in planned federally funded projects, with approximately $6.3 billion in federal highway funds, and approximately $6.3 billion in federal transit funds over the next four years. Another estimated $2.8 billion in anticipated federal grant funding also will be included. NYMTC's new TIP, as a comprehensive program, prioritizes $35 billion dollars in transportation improvements over the course of five federal fiscal years, 2011 to 2015, and also includes planned non-federally funded projects. The four-year STIP prioritizes approximately $23 billion in transportation improvements.

The draft STIP will be available for public review and comment for 15 days, from August 5 through August 19, 2011. Copies are available for review during normal business hours at any of NYSDOT's 11 regional offices or at any of the 13 MPO offices (list follows) or at NYSDOT's website at: https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/stip/draftstip.

Those interested should submit comments or questions regarding the draft STIP on-line or in writing to: New York State Department of Transportation, Policy and Planning Division, Office of Policy, Planning and Performance, 50 Wolf Road, 6th Floor, Albany, NY 12232.