Capital Improvement Program or Plan

A fiscal planning tool developed through a process called capital improvement programming, which is the scheduling of public physical improvements (including transportation improvements) over a period of several years (generally 5 or 6 years).

Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction

The extra-territorial jurisdiction of a municipality is the unincorporated area that is contiguous to the corporate boundaries of the municipality.

Federal Highway Administration

An agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that supports State and local governments in the design, construction, and maintenance of the Nation’s highway system (Federal-Aid Highway Program) and various Federal- and tribal-owned lands (Federal Lands Highway Program).

Metropolitan Planning Organization

The policy board of an organization created and designated to carry out the metropolitan transportation planning process. MPOs are responsible for ensuring that Federal-aid transportation projects in the metropolitan area result from a continuing, comprehensive, and cooperative transportation planning process. MPOs are required to represent localities in all urbanized areas (areas with populations exceeding 50,000, as determined by the U.S. Census).

State Infrastructure Bank

A revolving fund established and operated by States. SIBs provide funds to local governments via direct loans and credits to pay for transportation projects.

Tax Increment Financing

Value capture revenue tool that uses taxes on future gains in real estate values to pay for new infrastructure improvements.

Transportation Improvement Program

A four-year, fiscally constrained, short-range program that provides a prioritized list of multimodal transportation projects within a metropolitan planning area.

Transportation Reinvestment Zone

An area where a portion of the annual increment in future local property and/or sales tax revenues resulting from the growth in the zone’s tax base is to be captured and used to support funding and financing of the project.

U.S. Department
of Transportation

The Federal agency responsible for formulating national transportation policy and promoting intermodal transportation. USDOT also sets safety regulations for all major modes of transportation.