121.6 STIP Amendments

The draft STIP is presented to the Commission each May, followed by a public comment period. The final STIP is presented to the Commission for approval each July. An amendment is required when adding a project to the STIP outside of the annual STIP update. There are two types of amendments: right of way/construction and scoping/design.

Right of Way/Construction Amendments

A right of way or construction amendment is required if a project is being added for right of way acquisition with the A-date to be issued in the current fiscal year, or if a new construction project is to be awarded in the current fiscal year. Amendments are also required when requesting Commission approval of cost share/economic development agreements, regardless of when construction occurs.

New projects split from projects already in the STIP do not need Commission approval so long as the scope of the new project is within the scope of the original project. The existing project must be listed in the current STIP or its approved amendments. A split from a project already awarded or not listed in the current STIP is considered a new project and must follow the amendment process.

In the rare case that a project programmed in the current fiscal year undergoes a major change, please contact Transportation Planning for guidance.

Amendments for right of way acquisition or construction require Commission approval and are done on an as-needed basis. Amendments in the months of April, May, June and July are strongly discouraged because of the proximity to the draft and final STIP presentations. Requests for amendments should be submitted to Transportation Planning approximately five weeks ahead of the Commission meeting to allow for the required processing, review and public comment period. Following Commission approval, Transportation Planning requests OneDOT (FHWA and FTA) approval of the amendments.

If the project to be amended is located in an Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) area, the district should also initiate a TIP amendment. Ideally, the TIP amendment precedes the STIP amendment. Amendments in both MPO and Regional Planning Commissions (RPC) areas should have planning partner support.

Scoping/Design Amendments

A scoping or design amendment is required when a project is being added to the current fiscal year for scoping or design. The scoping/design amendment, besides establishing a STIP job number, also triggers the establishment of an FMS number, which is the number used to code time to scoping/designing of the project.

These amendments require Deputy Director/Chief Engineer approval and are taken on a monthly basis. Amendments in the months of April, May, June and July are strongly discouraged because of the proximity to the draft and final STIP presentations. Requests for amendments should be submitted to Transportation Planning no later than one week before the end of the month to allow time for processing, review and approval. Review consists of determining if the information is correct and if the project is feasible and consistent with MoDOT’s direction.