Background
Federal-aid funding is a critical resource for infrastructure funding in Southeast Michigan, namely for highway and transit. Each year, hundreds of lane-miles of road are rehabilitated, dozens of bridges are repaired, and dozens of buses are acquired throughout the region using these funds.
To receive federal-aid highway and transit funding, SEMCOG must prepare and maintain two documents: the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which contains the region’s policies and vision for the transportation network over a 25-year period, and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which contains a 4-year list of projects to implement the policies and vision in the RTP.
The latest RTP, Vision 2050, was approved by the SEMCOG General Assembly last summer. SEMCOG is now in the process of transitioning from the fiscal year (FY) 2023 – 2026 TIP to the FY 2026 – 2029 TIP. The last fiscal year of each TIP overlaps with the first fiscal year of the next TIP in order to provide an uninterrupted flow of funding. As a result, each project from FY 2026 of the FY 2023-2026 TIP is automatically brought forward into FY 2026 of the new FY 2026 – 2029 TIP, unless the agency in charge of the project has decided to delete it.
Implementation of transportation projects follows a data-driven and inclusive process. Guided by the RTP and local road and transit priorities, the following elements support investment decisions:
- Data: Population, employment, freight movement, traffic safety, road and bridge conditions, land use, and traffic flow trends are researched and analyzed.
- Input: Public participation opportunities are part of the entire planning process (public meetings, surveys, and comment periods). Public input is used to assist in identifying the goals, visions, opportunities, and needs of the region.
- Funding: Adequate available funding is necessary to maintain and improve the transportation system.
These components develop a vision outlined in the RTP, which ultimately leads to a list of projects to be implemented by the road and transit partners in the region.
The seven core policies of the Vision 2050 RTP were developed to guide implementation of a safe and effective transportation system. They are:
- Preserve – Use asset management practices, technology, and cost-effective transportation solutions to preserve infrastructure.
- Safety – Increase safety for all travelers, especially for the most vulnerable road users.
- Equitable Access – Ensure equitable access regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, physical or cognitive ability, or income.
- Shared Prosperity – Promote a thriving regional economy by facilitating seamless movement of goods, efficient trade connections, enhancing labor mobility, and fostering tourism and local placemaking.
- Resilience – Integrate infrastructure coordination, equitable stormwater management, and comprehensive resiliency planning into the transportation system to achieve greater public health and environmental benefits.
- Education – Educate and foster collaboration among local governments, transportation agencies, utility providers, and residents to enhance knowledge about and efficiency of the transportation system.
- Funding – Increase funding and broaden local options to ensure adequate resources and coordination for meeting regional transportation needs to achieve fiscal sustainability.
FY 2026-2029 TIP Development
As a state- and federally-designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO), SEMCOG understands that local residents and local governments know their unique transportation networks best.
To support local decision-making, SEMCOG created eight federal-aid committees as an integral part of the MPO planning process. SEMCOG works closely with its FACs throughout the project development and selection process for federal-aid projects.
Each FAC develops a recommended list of federal-aid projects for approval by the SEMCOG Executive Committee before the projects are incorporated into the TIP. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and public transit agencies also submit lists of recommended federal-aid projects for Executive Committee approval prior to their projects being added to the TIP.
There is an FAC for each of SEMCOG’s seven counties as well as the City of Detroit (see map). Committee members for each FAC include city, county, township, and village officials; transit agencies; county and city planners and engineers; and MDOT.
FACs meet at least two times each year to discuss and approve project recommendations and create a prioritized list of recommended projects that are fiscally constrained to federal-aid funding targets provided by SEMCOG.
See the SEMCOG FAC webpage for meeting information, resources and contacts.
SEMCOG has hosted a series of meetings over the past 18 months to coordinate with local road and transit partners about the schedule, project selection priorities, and important information to ensure that project are entered into the FY 2026-2029 TIP in a seamless manner.
The FY 2026 – 2029 TIP was approved by SEMCOG’s Transportation Coordinating Council (TCC) on April 17, 2025, and SEMCOG’s Executive Committee on April 25, 2025. The public comment period for the approval of the FY 2026-2029 TIP began on March 25, 2025 and ended with the Executive Committee action on April 25, 2025.
FY 2026-2029 TIP Projects
The FY 2026-2029 TIP contains 600 projects in total as detailed in this blog and on page 15 of the TIP Narrative. Please note that in some cases, there are multiple lines for a single project number. These duplicate lines provide details of different phases, fund sources, advance constructs, and transit scope codes. Projects in this list were either rolled over from FY 2026, submitted during the 2024 call for projects, or included in the MDOT 5-Year Plan.
TIP projects must satisfy at least one aforementioned RTP policy, as shown in the table below:
Estimated expenditures for projects in this TIP, as shown on the following page, total $3.1 billion, representing $2.49 billion in federal, $509.6 million in state, and $160.2 million in local/other funds. The graph below shows these figures broken down by project owner and fiscal year:
The FY 2026-2029 TIP includes a variety of projects, as shown in the pie chart below, designed to address regional transportation policies and priorities – pavement (including capacity improvements), safety, bridge, operations, transit (capital and operations), and pedestrian and bike mobility projects. These projects are proposed with consideration to meeting regional and statewide transportation performance targets.
For more information on the FY 2026-2029 TIP projects, view the Transportation Improvement Program Projects Map.
Next Steps
SEMCOG’s FY 2026 – 2029 TIP, containing 600 local, transit, and MDOT projects within the seven county Southeast Michigan region, has been forwarded to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for its review and approval. MDOT will compile the SEMCOG TIP to the TIPs of the other 14 MPOs in the State as well as projects that are located outside of the boundaries of the MPOs to create a State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). This FY 2026 – 2029 STIP will then be reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for final federal approval.
SEMCOG’s FY 2026 – 2029 TIP is expected to be fully approved on or before October 1, 2025 (the first day of FY 2026).
TIP Projects can be amended to add, change, or delete projects to meet changing priorities or respond to funding increases or decreases over the life of the program via future administrative modifications or amendments. Amendments to the TIP must undergo analysis and a fifteen day public review.
Though an official public comment period is not active currently, feedback is always welcome and can be provided directly to SEMCOG in the TIP Public Comment Form or via the MDOT Webmap by selecting a project on the map and using the link in the pop-up.
The Road Map below shows the remaining milestones for the FY 2026-2029 Development:
Leave a Reply