The public is invited to weigh in on a regional transportation plan outlining upcoming construction projects throughout Central Texas in 2017-20. Every two years the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization adopts a Transportation Improvement Program detailing short-range transportation projects that will begin construction or implementation in the next four years. Projects that might receive federal funding or are considered regionally significant must be included in the TIP before being able to move forward with construction, Executive Director Ashby Johnson said. The document differs from CAMPO’s long-range plans, which are adopted every five years and serve as long-range regional transportation planning documents, he said. The latest 2040 long-range plan was adopted in May. TIPs require more detailed information on the projects and a more refined cost estimate, Johnson said. “The TIP signals to the public that construction is imminent within four years,” he said. “It’s hard to get people engaged in the long-range plan. The TIP is easier because construction is sooner.” This year’s TIP process will vary because CAMPO will be delaying its regular call for projects from jurisdictions and transportation agencies in its six-county region representing Bastrop, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties. This is because CAMPO is waiting for the federal government to decide on performance metrics for projects, Johnson said. However, the public can comment on projects that will carry over from the previous TIP for 2015-18 and projects added as placeholders for fiscal years 2018-19 and 2019-20, Johnson said. Once CAMPO receives those metrics, likely in the fall, it will ask jurisdictions to submit upcoming construction projects. He said the agency's staffers will evaluate projects using criteria and make recommendations to CAMPO's policy board to update the TIP.

2017-20 TIP open house events

• March 2, 4-7 p.m.: Pleasant Hill Library, 211 E. William Cannon Drive, Austin • March 10, 4-7 p.m.: Kyle Library, 550 Opal Lane, Kyle • March 14, 4-7 p.m.: Cedar Park Library, 550 Discovery Blvd., Cedar Park • March 15, 4-7 p.m.: University Hills Library, 4721 Loyola Lane, Austin • March 17, 4-7 p.m.: Georgetown Parks and Recreation Administration Building, 1101 N. College St. For more information and to comment online through April 15 visit www.campotexas.org/get-involved.