(a) (1) A five-year regional transportation improvement program shall be prepared, adopted, and submitted to the California Transportation Commission on or before December 15 of each odd-numbered year thereafter, updated every two years, pursuant to Sections 65080 and 65080.5 and the guidelines adopted pursuant to Section 14530.1, to include regional transportation improvement projects and programs proposed to be funded, in whole or in part, in the state transportation improvement program.
(2) Major projects shall include current costs updated as of November 1 of the year of submittal and escalated to the appropriate year, and be listed by relative priority, taking into account need, delivery milestone dates, and the availability of funding.
(b) Except for those counties that do not prepare a congestion management program pursuant to Section 65088.3, congestion management programs adopted pursuant to Section 65089 shall be incorporated into the regional transportation improvement program submitted to the commission by December 15 of each odd-numbered year.
(c) Local projects not included in a congestion management program shall not be included in the regional transportation improvement program. Projects and programs adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be consistent with the capital improvement program adopted pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (b) of Section 65089, and the guidelines adopted pursuant to Section 14530.1.
(d) Other projects may be included in the regional transportation improvement program if listed separately.
(e) Unless a county not containing urbanized areas of over 50,000 population notifies the Department of Transportation by July 1 that it intends to prepare a regional transportation improvement program for that county, the department shall, in consultation with the affected local agencies, prepare the program for all counties for which it prepares a regional transportation plan.
(f) The requirements for incorporating a congestion management program into a regional transportation improvement program specified in this section do not apply in those counties that do not prepare a congestion management program in accordance with Section 65088.3.
(g) The regional transportation improvement program may include a reserve of county shares for providing funds in order to match federal funds.
(Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 525, Sec. 7. Effective January 1, 2004.)