The Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is required by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible Transportation Equity Act- a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), to develop and regularly update the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP documents the expenditure of federal funds on roadway and public transportation improvements within the urban area. The projects included in this plan are within the Memphis MPO planning boundary which is composed of all of Shelby County, Tennessee, the western four miles of Fayette County, Tennessee and the northern ten miles of DeSoto County in Mississippi. All the non-exempt projects in this TIP come from the 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) and Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) chooses and submits highway or state route improvements projects that are funded using various funding sources including National Highway System, High Priority Projects, Interstate Maintenance, etc. The MPO, in coordination with TDOT, has the authority to choose projects for inclusion in this plan using a determined amount of MPO Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds. Additionally, in April 2004 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the county of Shelby as non-attainment for the 8-hour standard for ground level ozone. As a result of this designation the Memphis MPO has the authority to program Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program (CMAQ) funds in the county. These funds are used to fund transportation projects which reduce congestion and promote air quality improvements.

The TIP is a three year financially constrained priority list of projects within the MPO planning area funded with federal and state dollars. The fiscal year 2008 to 2011 TIP was developed in the spring of 2006 and adopted by the MPO Transportation Policy Board (TPB) on August 30, 2007. The plan was developed cooperatively with the Engineering Technical Committee (ETC) and the TPB as well as in consultation with the Tennessee and Mississippi Departments of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and EPA. Additionally, public meetings were held in order to receive public comments and concerns regarding the plan.

SAFETEA-LU requires an annual listing of projects be published or otherwise made available by the cooperative effort of the State, transit operator and MPO for public review. The report must include a listing of projects for which federal funds have been obligated in the preceding year, including investments in pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities.

Summary of Terms

Programmed funds: Funds that have been identified in the TIP for a particular project and phase.

Obligated funds: Funds that have been committed to the project phase by the Federal government.

Programming funds for a project is similar to writing a check from a banking account for the amount of the project phase listed in the TIP. The funds for a project phase are considered obligated when the check is cashed. The obligation of funds for a project requires several steps at the state and federal government levels, but the funds are officially obligated by the federal government. Therefore, due to delays in project development, project phases can have a check written for them but funds may never be “cashed” for the project. This project would remain programmed in the TIP but would not be obligated. The projects in this report refer to projects that have specific funds obligated for a parti