The Triangle West Transportation Planning Organization (TW TPO) is the federally designated transportation planning agency for the Durham urban area which includes Durham County and parts of Orange County and Chatham County. TW TPO is responsible for the allocation of federal transportation funds and ensuring funds are spent in accordance with federal policy. The following information summarizes the two principal programs which fund transportation projects in the Triangle West planning area.
All funds that flow through Triangle West are subject to the Regional Flexible Funding Program which allocates funds based on data-driven scoring. These funds include federal direct attributable programs such as the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG), the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement program, and state bonus allocation funds. Below is a summary of the funding sources which finance the program and the expenditure priorities.
| Funding Source | Use for Funding | Allocation | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Transportation Block Grant – Direct Attributable (STBG-DA) | Meant to preserve and improve conditions and performance of the transportation network. | $7,126,000 | Annual Allocation |
| Transportation Alternatives Program – Direct Attributable (TAP-DA) | Provides funding for small-scale projects like bike paths, sidewalks, and safe routes to school. | $829,000 | Annual Allocation |
| Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Direct Attributable (CMAQ-DA) | Funding to reduce traffic and improve air quality in polluted areas. | $2,320,000 | Annual Allocation |
| Carbon Reduction Program Direct Attributable (CRP-DA) | Funds are placed onto projects that reduce transportation-related carbon emissions. | $860,000 | Annual Allocation*
*Fiscal Year 2026 is the final year that we will receive these funds |
| Bonus Allocation (BA) | Bonus Allocation funding is an incentive provided under North Carolina's Strategic Transportation Investments law, allowing MPOs to allocate funds generated from tolling or local contributions for eligible roadway projects | Varies | Varies |
To be eligible to apply for the Regional Flexible Funding program, projects must meet the following five requirements.
- Projects must be eligible for federal aid.
- The project applicant must be committed to managing the project locally.
- The project must be identified in the currently adopted MTP or another locally adopted plan that has been adopted by a governing body or board.
- Funding for the project must be applied to one of the following eligible project phases.
- NEPA/Design - for this phase, the project must include 100% design and full NEPA documentation
- Land or Right-of-Way Acquisition
- Construction (including environmental mitigation and utility relocation)
- Transit Capital
- Travel Demand Management (TDM) Projects, coordinated through the Triangle Transportation Choices TDM Program administered by Central Pines Regional Council.
- Utilities
- Construction Engineering & Inspection (CEI)
- Applicants must provide and identify a 20% local match in their project budget as required by federal funding.
In this competitive process, projects are scored using the rubric in the Federal Funding Policy that takes into consideration the environmental impacts of the project, the connectivity that the project promotes, and the safety need for the project to name a few.
The Strategic Transportation Investment (STI) law established Prioritization as NCDOT’s decision making process and tool for developing the STIP, which is a listing of projects to be delivered within an upcoming ten-year work program. Triangle West coordinates project submissions with local municipalities and the NCDOT Divisions to submit projects for scoring by NCDOT, and the application of local input points based upon its locally adopted methodology.
The following graphic illustrates how NCDOT uses its three major sources of funds for transportation improvements.
73% of the Highway Trust Funds are allocated to projects identified through Prioritization. Funds for maintenance or specific types of projects are taken off the top of following buckets.
Listed below are the steps of a typical Prioritization cycle which lasts 2 years.
- Project Submittal Data
- Review & Scoring Quantitative
- Scores & Statewide Funded Projects Released
- Regional Impact Local Input Point Assignment
- Regional Impact Total Scores & Funded Projects Released
- Division Needs Local Input Point Assignment
- Division Needs Total Scores & Funded Projects Released
- Draft STIP Released
The Triangle West Transportation Planning Organization (TW TPO) is responsible for developing and adopting long- and mid-range transportation plans, and working with the local and state government organizations, such as the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), that are responsible for the environmental study, funding, design and construction of roadways. See the links below for various information on currently programmed projects.
- For major roads in the MPO planning area, see the projects in the MPO long-range transportation plan.
- For state and federally funded transportation projects in the planning and construction phase, see projects in the State Transportation Improvement Plan.
- For an interactive map of the NCDOT FY2024-2033 STIP, click here.
- For state and federally funded transportation projects that are under construction, see projects in the Construction Progress Report.
- The status of Locally Administered projects can be found within the second tab of the Federal Funding Policy and Locally Administered Projects page.