Projects

The Tri-Lakes Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has a few lists where projects can be found. Every MPO is required to complete a long-term transportation plan, known as the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). This plan is updated every five years and looks at transportation statistics, land use and demographics. The pinnacle of the MTP planning process is a “Cost Feasible Plan.” The Cost Feasible Plan is essentially a project list which has been analyzed against the revenue that is anticipated to be available. So, what comes out is a budgeted list of projects. For more information on the MTP and that list, check out our MTP project page. 

The MTP project list is then turned into what is known as the List of Priority Projects (LOPP). The LOPP is a short term ranking process that is completed prior to any Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) update. Basically, Department of Transportation’s (DOT) for each state will solicit projects for their next short-range implementation project list from MPOs and local municipalities. Therefore, MPO staff, along with their committees will rank projects from the MTP list, in order to form a short-term ranked list to be submitted by the MPO, to the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) for funding consideration. 

If projects from the LOPP are granted funding, then those projects end up on the MPOs Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the DOTs STIP. For more information on the TIP, check out our TIP project page. To find more information on on-going projects that are under development, please visit ARDOT’s District 6 website which can be found here https://www.ardot.gov/districts/district-6/. For ease of convenience, please find their latest letting for Garland County and the City of Hot Springs found here: