Annual Listing of Obligated Projects

Fiscal Year 2012 Table >>

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible Transportation Equity Act- a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) Federal transportation act requires an annual listing of projects be published or otherwise made available by the cooperative effort of the State, transit operator and metropolitan planning organizations for public review. The report shall include a listing of projects of which Federal funds have been obligated in the preceding year, including investments in pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities.

The 2012 fiscal year annual listing of obligated projects is derived from projects in the 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). This program was developed and adopted by the Executive Board in September of 2010. The program was developed in consultation with Tennessee Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.

Summary of Terms
Programmed funds: Funds that have been identified in the TIP for a particular project and phase.

Obligated funds: Funds that have been committed to the project phase by the Federal government.

Programming funds for a project is similar to writing a check from a banking account for the amount of the project phase listed in the TIP. The funds for a project phase are considered obligated when the check is cashed. Obligated funds for a project requires several steps at the state and federal government but the funds are officially declared obligated by the federal government. Therefore, due to delays in project development, project phases can have a check written for them but funds may never be “cashed” to the project. This project would remain programmed in the TIP but would not be obligated. The projects in this report refer to projects that have specific funds obligated for a particular phase of the project.