Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP)
Palouse RTPO is required by state regulations to develop a Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP). The Palouse RTIP identifies federally funded and regionally significant transportation projects proposed for implementation during a six-year period, within the Palouse region; Asotin, Columbia, Garfield and Whitman counties. Projects receiving federal funds must appear in the RTIP and are approved by the Palouse RTPO Transportation Policy Board, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The projects are then included in the Statewide TIP (STIP). While the Palouse RTPO RTIP is a six-year document, the projects in the first four years are fiscally constrained and included in the STIP. All projects in the RTIP must be consistent with the Palouse RTPO’s Regional Transportation Plan.
Transportation priorities and funding strategies change over time. With the RTIP being updated every two years, it is likely that the project list identified in the RTIP will need to be amended prior to the development of the next RTIP. Federal requirements stipulate that a jurisdiction cannot utilize federal funds on a project until it is programmed in the STIP, even though the jurisdiction has been awarded money for that project. Therefore, Palouse RTPO has developed an RTIP amendment process to ensure that new projects and changes to existing projects can be included in the RTIP efficiently.
The Palouse RTIP is generally adopted in September of each year; however, counties can submit their projects until December when they adopt their six-year plan. Projects can also be added, removed, or modified between January and October of the following calendar year through amending the RTIP. The Palouse RTPO uses the same process to update the RTIP that WSDOT uses to update the STIP, following the published annual schedule for project amendment deadlines. New projects, or those requiring amendment beyond the WSDOT administrative thresholds are brought before the Palouse RTPO Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for discussion and recommendation to the Policy Board for approval. Palouse RTPO TAC and Policy Board meetings are open meetings where the public is welcome and encouraged to attend and participate. The Palouse RTPO will update the RTIP once amendments are approved by the Policy Board.