Unified Transportation Program (UTP)

General
The
Unified Transportation Program
(UTP) is the 10-year planning document that guides and controls project development for TxDOT in a feasible and economical manner. The UTP is a tool used by TxDOT to implement these statutes. The UTP is part of a comprehensive planning and programming process flowing from TxDOT’s agency mission to project-level implementation. That is, the UTP is an intermediate programming document linking the planning activities of the
Texas Transportation Plan
(TPP) and the Metropolitan Transportation Plans (along with plans submitted directly to TxDOT’s Transportation Planning and Programming Division as part of the TTP that were previously included in Rural Transportation Plans) with the detailed programming activities under the
Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
(STIP) and TxDOT’s 24-month (2-year) letting schedule.
Specifically, the UTP is a listing of projects and programs that are planned to be constructed and/or developed within the first 10 years of the current
TTP plan document
. Project development includes activities such as preliminary engineering work, environmental analysis, right-of-way acquisition and design. Despite its importance to TxDOT as a planning and programming tool, the UTP is neither a budget nor a guarantee that projects will or can be built. However, it is a critical tool in guiding transportation project development within the long-term planning context.
Federal Requirements
  1. 23 CFR Part 450
    – Requires states to have a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive planning process as a prerequisite to receiving federal funds. The process is developed by the state transportation agency and is subject to federal review and approval as conforming to federal regulations. However, there are no specific federal regulations requiring development of a UTP.
State Requirements
  1. Texas Transportation Code §91.004
    – Grants TxDOT broad authority for the location, construction, maintenance and operation of a rail facility or system in Texas.
  2. Texas Transportation Code §201.103
    – Requires TxDOT to plan and make policies for the location, construction and maintenance of a comprehensive system of state highways and public roads.
  3. Texas Transportation Code §203.002
    – Allows the Texas Transportation Commission to promote public safety, facilitate the movement of traffic, preserve the public’s financial investment in highways, promote the national defense and accomplish the purposes of Chapter 203 of the Texas Transportation Code. The commission may:
    1. Lay out, construct, maintain and operate a modern state highway system, with emphasis on the construction of controlled access highways; and
    2. Plan for future highways.
Required Practices
In general, all projects with state or federal funds must be in the current version of the UTP for TxDOT to authorize the LG to proceed. The
LGPM Guide
provides more information regarding the LG and TxDOT district responsibilities related to the UTP.