Each year, Region 1 Planning Council (R1), serving as the Rockford Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), develops a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The purpose of the TIP is to document infrastructure and non-infrastructure transportation projects programmed within the Rockford Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA) for the next four fiscal years. This includes all surface transportation projects receiving Federal and State funding, projects of regional significance, and public transportation operations and/or capital.

Public involvement is an important component in the development and maintenance of the TIP and is welcome at all stages of the process. Comments can be directed to Melisa Ribikawskis, whose contact information can be found below.

The annual development process typically occurs in several phases over a three- to four-month period. MPO staff typically begins work on the TIP in January, approximately six months prior to the start of the fiscal year. The schedule is deliberately extended over several months to provide ample opportunities for public involvement. For more information on the development process of the TIP can be found under Annual TIP Development Process.

Maintenance of the annual TIP is required throughout the fiscal year. To effectively manage necessary revisions, the Rockford MPO has a process to formally amend or modify the TIP. This process includes a standardized procedure for both major and minor revisions to the multi-year program, known as amendments and administrative modifications.

Both types of revisions to the multi-year program, begin with partner agencies submitting their requested revision to MPO staff. These requests must contain the project name and its associated TIP identification number, as well as information regarding the revision, including changes in project phase, extent, cost breakouts, funding sources, or fiscal year. If the requested revision includes the addition of a project not listed in the currently adopted TIP, an identification number will be assigned. Once all necessary information has been received, MPO staff will review the revision request and determine whether the revision should be an administrative modification or an amendment.

Click the boxes below to learn more about each revision type.

The projects listed in the TIP are organized by their phase in the life cycle of projects. There are four categories within a TIP projects life cycle:

• Annual Element: The projects programmed to be implemented are awaited letting within the current year of the TIP (e.g. FY 2025)
• Out Years: The three remaining years of the TIP (e.g. FY 2026-2028)
  
• Awarded, Initiated, or Completed/Programmed:
  
  • For highway projects, this phase indicates that construction has been awarded letting* or that construction has begun or been completed.
  • For transit projects, this phase in the life cycle indicates projects that:
    • Have verified funding sources and have been placed in a grant;
    • Procurement is completed, received, and/or paid for.
• Previously Approved: This category contains projects that have been adopted by the MPO Policy Committee in a previous TIP, which have been accepted and approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Authority (FTA), but have not yet been to letting or awarded.
  

In addition to the projects in one of the four life cycle categories listed above, the TIP includes a list of Illustrative Projects. Illustrative projects, as defined by the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), are future projects that would be included in the TIP if reasonable additional resources beyond those identified in the financial plan were to become available.

*Letting can be defined as the opening of the period of time during which bids to construct the project can be submitted by private contractors.

Projects have been assigned unique identification numbers by the MPO. This numbering system follows the following convention: agency responsible for the project (AA), the year the project was first programmed in the TIP (YY), and a sequential project number (##).

AA-YY-##

• Capacity: Capacity expansion (road widening) or new construction.
• 3R: Extend the service life of the existing facility (3R - rehabilitation, restoration, and/or resurfacing).
• Bike/Ped: Construction of bicycle facilities, sidewalks, or ADA improvements.
• Signal/ITS: Installation of traffic control signals or implementation of Intelligent Transportation.
• Reconstruction: Reconstruction of the roadways existing horizontal and/ or vertical alignment, but the road or street will remain essentially within the existing corridor.
• Bridge: Any work associated with a bridge and/or structure.
• Plans/Studies: Work associated with the completion of a planning document or corridor study.
• Transit: Public transportation-related projects.
• Safety: Improvements aimed at enhancing the safety of roadway users.
• Other: Other types of projects related to the transportation system, such as utility work and Streetscaping.

• PE: Preliminary Engineering.
• DES: Design.
• ENVIR: Environmental/National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
  
• ROW: Right-of-Way, development of ROW plans, real property acquisition, temporary and permanent easements, and utility relocation.
• CON: Construction, work completed by the agency or contractor(s) to construct the project, possibly including utility relocation.
• CON EN: Construction Engineering.
• OPS: Operating the transportation system such as incurring costs related to the day-to-day operations or maintenance of the Transit vehicle systems, traffic signal systems, or Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).

• PURCHASE: Procuring equipment, software, or vehicles (FTA).
• REBUILD: Rebuilding vehicles (FTA).
• ADMIN: Project administrative costs (FTA).
• CAPITAL: Eligible capital projects (FTA).
• STUDY: Development of transportation-related plan or study.