2020-2029 STIP Development

The N.C. Department of Transportation's transportation plan – called the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) – identifies the construction funding and schedule for state transportation projects over a 10-year period. NCDOT updates the STIP approximately every two years to reflect the state's current financial situation.

The Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) law also mandates ongoing evaluation and improvement to ensure that the process responds to North Carolina's diverse needs. This is accomplished by a prioritization work group consisting primarily of professional engineers and transportation planners.

The data-driven process to update the STIP is called Strategic Prioritization. The current cycle to update the STIP for the years 2020-2029 is called Prioritization 5.0 or P5.0. It started in summer 2017 when NCDOT divisions and local planning organizations gathered public feedback on projects, which then were submitted for evaluation and scoring.

Completed Steps

Data Scores & Statewide Mobility Projects

On April 3, 2018, NCDOT released the data scores for 2,146 highway, aviation, bicycle-pedestrian, transit, rail and ferry projects evaluated for the 2020-2029 STIP. The scoring is based on criteria established in accordance with the STI law.

The release of these scores also includes the projects that are expected to be funded in the Statewide Mobility category – one of three categories in which NCDOT distributes funding. Statewide Mobility projects are ranked according to their data scores. They receive 40 percent of the funds available for all project construction. The remaining 60 percent of available project funds is divided equally between the two remaining categories, Regional Impact and Division Needs.

Projects that were evaluated and received data scores include:

• Projects scheduled for right-of-way acquisition or construction in the last five years of the 2018-2027 STIP (the current STIP). These projects are in the developmental stage. (Projects scheduled in the first five years of the STIP are committed for funding and are not subject to being rescored.)
• Resubmitted projects that were scored in previous Prioritization cycles but not funded.
• New projects.

Releasing all project scores together helps NCDOT divisions and local planning organizations decide how to rank projects in the Regional and Division categories. Projects that did not score high enough to be funded in the Statewide category can be considered and potentially funded in either the Regional or Division category.

Projects in the Regional and Division categories receive their scores and are funded based on a combination of data and local input.

Regional Impact Projects

From June 4 through July 9, NCDOT’s 14 divisions received public comment on how they plan to rank Regional and Division projects. This ranking involves assigning what are called "local input points" in accordance with each division’s established methodology, as required by law.

Each division’s preliminary and final Regional local input point assignments can be viewed here.

Metropolitan and rural planning organizations also have established methodologies to assign local input points.

After receiving feedback from the public, NCDOT divisions and planning organizations separately assigned local input points to projects in the Regional category. NCDOT then combined the local input points with the data scores to generate total scores for each Regional Impact project.

Latest Information

On April 3, 2018, NCDOT released the total scores (reflecting data scores and all local input) of projects in the Regional Impact category, including those that did not score high enough to be funded in the Statewide Mobility category.

The release of these scores also identified the projects that are expected to be funded in the Regional Impact category.

A map showing projects evaluated for the 2020-2029 STIP, including the draft Statewide and Regional funded projects, can be seen below or found here.

Next Steps

Division Needs Projects

A similar process will now take place for Division category projects.  NCDOT’s 14 divisions will receive further public comment on how they plan to rank Division projects, based on the Regional results.  See “Get Involved” below for more information.

Total scores and funded projects in the Division category are scheduled to be released with the Draft STIP in January 2019.

Creating the STIP

Throughout the process, top-scoring projects in each category (Statewide, Regional and Division) are funded and scheduled based on available funding and other factors, including the completion of environmental studies and engineering plans, corridor spending caps and federal and state funding restrictions.

The lists of funded and scheduled projects in the three categories are combined to create the STIP for the years 2020-2029. NCDOT will circulate a draft of the 2020-2029 STIP for public comment beginning in January 2019. The final STIP is expected to be adopted by the N.C. Board of Transportation in summer 2019.

Get Involved

NCDOT wants to hear from community members about transportation projects that they think should be top priorities in the 2020-2029 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).  In the coming weeks, each of NCDOT's 14 divisions will receive public comment on Division Needs project rankings and priorities. (View preliminary Division Needs local input assignments here.)

Each division is asking the public for input on Division Needs project priorities during public comment periods and drop-in office hours.  The public can provide feedback in the following ways:

• Submit comments via email, mail, or phone using the associated contact information listed below.
• Visit the division office during the hours listed below (if offered).

Project priorities can be as large-scale as an interstate improvement or as small as a new turn lane or intersection improvement. Priorities can be for any mode of transportation, including public transit, bicycle/pedestrian, ferry, aviation, and rail.

Please note that the comment period is not for maintenance-related projects such as patching potholes, resurfacing, or ditches. NCDOT uses a different method to prioritize maintenance projects.

Local planning organizations across the state also receive local input on project priorities. For more information, contact your local metropolitan planning organization or rural planning organization. A directory of MPOs is available here, and an RPO directory is available here.

NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who want to provide input. Anyone requiring special services should contact the division contact below as early as possible so that arrangements can be made.

The following divisions are offering drop-in dates for citizens who would like to visit a division office to submit comments.

Divisions 1, 5, 9, 10, 12 and 14 held drop-in dates at an earlier time. The public can still submit comments in these division via telephone and email.

Development Timeline

* Future dates are preliminary and subject to change

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