Plans and Programs

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

The TIP is a four-year, fiscally constrained program of capital investments planned for each MPO area, based on the priorities in the MPO Long-Range Plan.  MPO TIPs list all projects intended to be undertaken with available Federal funds in an MPO area, including those programmed by MaineDOT.  Maine MPOs update their TIPs every two years, during odd-numbered calendar years.

The TIP is the principal funding program for certain federal transportation funds within the PACTS Funding Area.  PACTS shares the responsibility with the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) for the programming of all projects funded with Federal Highway and Federal Transit Administration funds in the PACTS Funding Area.  The PACTS area covers parts or all of the following fifteen municipalities:  Biddeford, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland, Gorham, Falmouth, Freeport, North Yarmouth, Old Orchard Beach, Portland, Saco, South Portland, Scarborough, Westbrook, Windham and Yarmouth.

The primary purpose of the TIP document is to describe the process for the development of the PACTS "MPO Allocation" priority list of projects.  These projects are funded with federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) and National Highway System (NHS) funds made available to PACTS for the 2008/2009 biennium by MaineDOT.  You may download the PACTS TIP Policies and Procedures document by clicking on the link below.

PACTS TIP Policies and Procedures 2008 / 2009

To download committee meeting materials, click here.

Ongoing Studies:

PACTS Cape Elizabeth Shore Road Path Study --

The Shore Road Path Committee has been charged by the Town Council with studying the potential for creating an off road path adjacent to Shore Road that should be designed with sensitivity to the character of Shore Road and in collaboration with property owners abutting Shore Road.  At the conclusion of its collaborative process, the committee shall present to the Town Council a path plan that includes a recommended path layout, recommendations for path surface(s), recommendations for any mitigation needed and a cost estimate.  The committee is focusing on a path along Shore Road extending from Pearl Street to the main entrance to Fort Williams (estimated length 12,300'). 

PACTS Yarmouth Route 1 Phase 2 Study --

In 2005 the Town of Yarmouth Gateway Committee completed a Route 1 Corridor Study of the segment from East Main Street Ramp to the Freeport Town Line (Phase 1) that addressed traffic, access and safety deficiencies of this segment and made recommendations for improvement.  The study was subsequently endorsed by the Town Planning Board and approved by the Town Council.  Study Scope -- This study of the next segmetn to the south (Phase II) addresses the same general traffic, access, and safety issues reviewed in Phase I, and will also be expected to address other topics, such as business access vs. corridor mobility; corridor development, business access, and through traffic counts have increased over the years.  Portions fo the segment are divivded with a median and portions are not.  The divided highway and multiple access points are incompatible, leading to mroe accidents as volume increases.

PACTS Scarborough Running Hill Road Corridor Transportation Study --

A technical assistance study in conducting a transportation study of Running Hill Road, a major travel route connecting North Scarborough, Gorham, Buxton and other points west to the Maine Mall and points east as well as providing an indirect connection to the Maine Turnpike and I-295.  Additionally, a portion of Running Hill Road is identified in the Town's Updated Comprehensive Plan as a new growth area slated for high-quality, compact mixed use development, warranting a strong land use-transportation connection.

PACTS Freeport School Street Extension Study --

In 2005, theTown of Freeport completed a Comprehensive Transportation Study which included a build-out scenario.  Development in the northeast quadrant of Freeport uses Bow St. to get to the village and to I-295.  Extending School Street to connect wtih Bow St. would significantly change the flow of traffic to the village and to the interstate.