Transportation Improvement Program

The PACTS Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is the four-year regional spending plan for transportation projects, programs, and investments. The TIP includes all federally funded transportation projects in the PACTS region, some of which are prioritized and selected by PACTS and others that are prioritized by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT). The current PACTS Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for 2023 to 2026 (PDF) was approved by the PACTS Policy Board on March 23, 2023.

All federally funded projects must be in the TIP and State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) in order to receive federal funding.  These projects are located in the PACTS area and are funded with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds. Changes to the TIP are logged in the PACTS Errata Sheet.

The projects listed in the PACTS TIP may also be found in the Maine Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Visit https://www.maine.gov/mdot/ for more information on the STIP.

Policies & Procedures

The primary purpose of our Transportation Improvement Program Policies and Procedures for 2017 and 2018 (PDF) is to describe the process for selection of the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System (PACTS) "Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Allocation" and PACTS Federal Transit Administration (FTA)-funded projects.

The 47-page document provides details on our programming policies, our project management policies, Federal Transit Administration funding, coordination with the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) and the Maine Turnpike Authority, and a glossary of transportation terms.

In October 2021, the PACTS Policy Board appointed an ad hoc Complex Projects Task Force to recommend revisions to the policies related to the selection and funding of MPO Allocation-funded projects. The Policy Board approved the task force’s recommendations (PDF) in September 2022. The TIP Policies and Procedures will be updated to incorporate the recommendations.

Transportation Funding Framework

The current PACTS Transportation Funding Framework (PDF) was approved by the PACTS Policy Board on October 27, 2022. The framework was first developed in 2020-2021 to ensure PACTS allocates funding to projects in a way that is consistent, data-driven, more transparent to the public, and aligned with regional goals. The framework is used to review and select projects for certain allocations of FHWA and FTA funding. The TIP Policies and Procedures will be updated to incorporate the framework.

Funding & Budget 

We work within PACTS’ regional budgets for:

• Bicycle/pedestrian facilities
• Collector road preservation paving
• Intersection improvements
• Road reconstruction
• Transit capital