Regional Transportation Improvement Program
As the Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA) for Nevada County, the Nevada County Transportation Commission (NCTC) is required to prepare a RTIP every two years. The purpose of the RTIP is to identify the priority regional project funding recommendations for NCTC’s formula share of Regional Improvement Program funding. The RTIP is required to be submitted to the California Transportation Commission (CTC) by December 15, 2025, for inclusion in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
The STIP is comprised of two funding programs, the Regional Improvement Program (RIP) includes funding for projects nominated by regional agencies such as NCTC, and the Interregional Improvement Program (IIP) includes funding for projects nominated by Caltrans for improvement projects on the interregional system outside of urban areas. The RIP is funded from 75% of “new” STIP funding and the IIP is funded from 25% of “new” STIP funding. The 75% regional program is further subdivided by formula into County Shares. County Shares are available solely for projects nominated by regions in their RTIPs.
The RTIP outlines the plan for programming RIP and IIP dollars for local transportation projects over the next five fiscal years beginning with Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 through FY 2031/32. Funding recommendations for the STIP will ultimately be considered for adoption by the CTC. When the CTC adopts projects from the regional programs into the STIP, a schedule and commitment to the proposed funding is established and these projects are considered “programmed.” A project must be programmed into the STIP to receive funding from the CTC.
NCTC’s Regional Improvement Program Formula Funding Share:
As shown in Table 2 – Summary of Targets and Shares, NCTC has a total of $4,473,000 available through FY 2031/32 to program in the 2026 STIP.
However, as reported at NCTC’s July 9, 2025 NCTC meeting the amount available to NCTC is reduced by $400,000 to address the construction cost increase associated with State Route (SR) 49 Corridor Improvement Project located on SR 49 between the McKnight Way Interchange and La Barr Meadows Road in accordance with the funding cooperative agreement with Caltrans. After this adjustment, NCTC has $4,073,000 available for programming in NCTC’s RTIP.
STIP PPM:
During each STIP cycle, each RTPA may utilize up to 5% of its RIP funds for Planning, Programming, and Monitoring (PPM) activities. Utilizing PPM funds reduces the need for NCTC to use Local Transportation Funds (LTF) for planning activities approved in the annual Overall Work Program (OWP), and the net result is there is more LTF available for local jurisdictions.
As shown in Table 5 – Planning, Programming, and Monitoring (PPM) Limitations, NCTC has a total of $182,000 of PPM available in the 2026 STIP for planning, programming, and monitoring activities. Table 5 shows $182,000 available for Fiscal Years 2028-29 through 2030-31.
RTIP Recommendation Summary:
In consideration of ongoing NCTC planning activities, as well as the programming and monitoring activities associated with the ongoing coordination of the construction of improvements on State Route 49 between Grass Valley and La Barr Meadows Road and SR 49 between Alta Sierra Drive and Combie Road/Wolf Road, staff recommend programming PPM funds as shown below in the FY 2025/26 RTIP, totaling $182,000:
| FY 2028/29 | FY 2029/30 | FY 2030/31 |
| $60,000 | $61,000 | $61,000 |
After programming $182,000 for Planning, Programming, and Monitoring, NCTC’s remaining available balance of RIP formula funding totals $3,891,000. Staff recommend that NCTC carry the balance of $3,891,000 of RIP formula funding forward into future STIP cycles.