Resolution #03-2 - Resolution of the Capital District Transportation Committee Endorsing the Transportation Improvement Program

WHEREAS, Title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 450; and title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 613, require the development of a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP); and,

WHEREAS, the Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC) has been designated by the Governor as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Capital District metropolitan area, which includes the Census-defined Albany and Saratoga Springs urbanized areas; and,

WHEREAS, the Capital District Transportation Committee, underwent formal federal certification review and the CDTC planning process was documented as being in compliance with all existing federal rules and regulations; and,

WHEREAS, the Capital District Transportation Committee, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Transportation, has reviewed and documented compliance of the CDTC planning process with all existing federal rules and regulations; and,

WHEREAS, the Capital District Transportation Committee, in accordance with Federal requirements for a Transportation Improvement Program, has developed a staged five-year integrated program of federally funded highway, transit and other transportation projects for the Capital District metropolitan area; and,

WHEREAS, the Transportation Improvement Program shows reasonable estimates of project cost and staging, and the procedure for project selection at the State level for projects for the first three years is incorporated into this TIP; and

WHEREAS, the procedure to update the project cost, scope and schedules within the first three years of the TIP is contained in the TIP; and,

WHEREAS, the Transportation Improvement Program includes projects consistent with the New Visions long-range Regional Transportation Plan for the Capital District metropolitan area; and,

WHEREAS, the Transportation Improvement Program resulted from the first broad identification and evaluation of candidate projects in six years; and,

WHEREAS, it is recognized that with the expiration of TEA-21 on September 30, 2003 all resource estimates for the Transportation Improvement Program are approximate and subject to revision; and,

WHEREAS, it is recognized that needs and priorities may change prior to the next scheduled update of the five-year TIP sufficiently to warrant a review of project commitments in the TIP; and,

WHEREAS, it is recognized the Transportation Improvement Program document includes for informational purposes significant Thruway, state, local, and privately funded projects in addition to those metropolitan projects within the legal programming and responsibility of the Capital District Transportation Committee; and,

WHEREAS, the Planning Committee, at its (May 7, 2003) meeting, recommended approval by the Capital District Transportation Committee of the 2003-08 Transportation Improvement Program for the Capital District metropolitan area.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Capital District Transportation Committee endorses the five-year Transportation Improvement Program for the fiscal period 2003-08; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Capital District Transportation Committee endorses the 2003-08 TIP as consistent with all current plans and programs, including conformity with the State Implementation Plan for Air Quality in accordance with requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, and recommends the initiation of those projects and plans so specified; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Capital District Transportation Committee endorses the conformity analysis performed in the context of the 2003-08 TIP as an update to the conformity determination of the long-range Regional Transportation Plan (New Visions); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that projects listed in the committed column of the TIP are automatically incorporated into the 2003-04 element if they are not obligated by September 30, 2003, as long as fiscal constraint is demonstrated; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the 2003-06 Transportation Improvement Program includes approximately $50 M in matched federal funds to help maintain fiscal constraint in lieu of offsets that may be required by the New York State Department of Transportation resulting from rollovers from the committed column, address future cost increases of projects in the TIP and ensure CDTC's ability to undertake a full solicitation, project evaluation and programming of the next generation of TIP projects in the 2003-08 Transportation Improvement Program;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Committee directs the Secretary to submit this resolution and appropriate documentation of the program through the New York State Commissioner of Transportation to the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration as (1) amendments to the existing State Transportation Improvement Program as necessary and appropriate, and (2) a component of the new State Transportation Improvement Program to cover Federal Fiscal Years 2003-04 through 2005-06.

JOHN T. McDONALD, MAYOR OF COHOES

Chairman, Capital District Transportation Committee

May 15, 2003