The Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission (SNHPC) will again amend the FY15-18 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the FY15-40 Regional Transportation Plan for the SNHPC (Plan).
Activities related to changes to the TIP and Plan, to be known as Amendment #2, are necessary because they were not known at the time of the preparation of the TIP and Plan, according to a press release from the SNHPC.
Adopted with the Plan on Dec. 16, 2014, the TIP represents a link between plan development and the implementation of related highway and transit projects, according to the SNHPC. The federal government mandates the document in order to receive federal funds for highway and transit projects in the region.
The TIP development process starts with input from local communities on their local transportation system and needs. The Commission reviews and ranks projects, then recommends a list of projects forwarded to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (DOT). After receiving project lists from all Planning Commissions in the State, the DOT submits it to the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Intermodal Transportation, which holds a series of public hearings in the State. At the conclusion of the public hearings, the Governor forwards the Ten-Year Plan to the legislature; and once the legislature approves the Plan, its first three years may be adopted as the Four-Year TIP. The document is then forwarded to the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration for approval.
The SNHPC commission updates the TIP every two years in conjunction with the Ten-Year Highway Plan.
If approved, Amendment #2 would not affect the financial viability of the State Transportation Improvement Program.
According to their press release, the SNHPC, in consultation with federal and state agencies, has confirmed that the proposed changes detailed in Amendment #2 trigger a new conformity determination for the City of Manchester Carbon Monoxide Maintenance Area. The SNHPC has determined that Amendment #2 conforms.
Members of the public are invited to participate in the public review and comment process for Amendment #2 at the SNHPC office, 438 Dubuque St., Manchester, until closing on Jan. 25.
A public hearing to consider the changes and any comments residents submit to the SNHPC is to be held on Jan. 26 at 11:30 a.m. at the SNHPC offices.
More information relative to Amendment #2 will be available on the SNHPC’s website at HYPERLINK “http://www.snhpc.org” www.snhpc.org.