Staff Writer
Board members of the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization began discussion Thursday on the allocation of federal funds that recently became available for programming in the coming years.
The funds, called SU funds and allocated for urbanized areas with a population of more than 200,000, will be programmed for projects consistent with the North Florida TPO priorities.
The money comes from new guidelines from the Department of Transportation that determined 100 percent of the funds must be allocated for available projects instead of potentially going into contingency funds.
In the past, up to 15 percent of the year’s budgeted project funds were available for contingency funds.
The additional funds for the upcoming years include: $8,000 for 2011-12; $4 million for 2012-13; $10.3 million for 2013-14; $11.9 million for 2014-15; and $11.3 million for 2015-16.
Over the next week, the organi-zation’s Technical Coordinating Committee, a standing panel of planners, engineers and other county, city and agency staff members, will discuss where to allocate the funds.
The board is expected to vote on the allocation in October.
The conversation started Thursday to give officials more time to review the process. Several members recalled last year’s hectic process of determining priority projects for stimulus funds.
Following the funds discussion, Jeff Sheffield, North Florida TPO executive director, and Terrei Shaw, HNTB Corporation associate vice president, gave brief presentations about the North Florida Intelligent Transportation Systems regional master plan.
The various technology systems that comprise ITS are intended to enhance existing infrastructure and transportation.
Since put into place in 2003, accomplishments include 54 miles of freeway management systems, the contraflow signal system for the sports complex along Bay Street, transit signal priority on Atlantic Boulevard from San Pablo Road to Regency Square, and the 68 on-board cameras for Jacksonville Transportation Authority buses.
The plan’s implementation will continue over the next 15 years on both freeway and arterial management with capital costs of a little less than $70 million.
Annual operating and maintenance costs for the scheduled projects would be around $4.2 million upon completion.
The October meeting will include more discussion on the systems.
For more information on the North Florida TPO, visit www.northfloridatpo.com.
356-2466