The online eTIP database is the official record of federal transportation funding and regionally significant state or locally funded projects. The database is a tool for programmers to submit new projects and project changes for consideration by the CMAP Transportation Committee and MPO Policy Committee. The Federal Highway Administration uses the eTIP database to ensure that projects submitted for federal participation are deemed a priority for the region. The database can also be used by the public to view upcoming transportation projects in their community and the region.

The eTIP public site (etip.cmap.illinois.gov) displays the most recently approved program of projects.  Visitors to the site can search, filter, and sort the Approved TIP projects, view project details, including a history of project amendments, select and view projects by county, and locate projects on an interactive map.

The below sections of this page describe indivdual pages within the eTIP website.  A 26-minute training presention is also available to view or download (.mp4, 55.4 MB).

eTIP has six distinct parts: the Approved TIP, Amendments, Advanced Search, Projects By County, an Interactive Map, and detailed project information.  The eTIP home page is the Approved TIP tab. 

• The Approved TIP tab is a list of projects, sorted by TIP ID,  that make up the currently approved TIP, including administrative changes that have been accepted by CMAP staff. 
• The Amendments tab displays an overview of actions taken or in progress to modify the scope, schedule, financial, or other project information.
• The Advanced Search tab provides visitors a means to locate project information by title, description, location, lead agency, project type, or specific federal fund source. 
• The Projects By County tab provides a summary of the number, type, cost, and available funding for projects within selected counties. 
• The Interactive Map allows visitors to search by a specific address or zoom in to an area to view programmed projects.
• Detailed project information can be obtained by selecting a specific project on any of these tabs.  

​Project lists on every tab can be sorted by clicking on the column title, and project lists can be exported to Microsoft Excel.

The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a five-year program of surface transportation projects throughout northeastern Illinois. Based on federal fiscal years which start on October first, the TIP includes projects expected to receive federal funding. The TIP also includes regionally significant projects funded by state and local sources. The Approved TIP tab is a list of projects, sorted by TIP ID, that make up the currently approved TIP, including administrative changes that have been accepted by CMAP staff.

The approved TIP may also include projects that are illustrative, which are included in the multi-year B-list (MYB).  These projects are planned to be completed when funding becomes available.  Most major capital projects fall into this category.  These projects are labeled as "FUTURE PROJECT" in the Approve TIP.  Projects with funds both in prior and future years, but no funds in the current TIP years are also included as future projects. 

Projects with funding in past years may also be included in the Approved TIP listing if they are in progress and could still have cost changes.  Projects that are not expected to experience any cost changes are designated as "COMPLETED".

The Approved TIP listing contains the following fields:

ID
The TIP ID is the unique identification number for the project within the TIP database. The ID is based on the Lead Agency and location of the project, plus the year in which the project was first included in the TIP database. 

County
"County" is the county in which the project is wholly or partially located.   Projects that benefit the entire region, or are not location-based are considered to be "Regionwide" projects.  A quick search of projects by county can be completed at any time using the County drop down list at the top of the page.

Lead Agency 
The lead agency is the organization responsible for programming and managing project funding in the CMAP TIP. The lead agency may differ from the agency responsible for implementing the project. For example, projects using state and federal funds that are implemented by municipalities are typically programmed and managed in the CMAP TIP by one of the eleven subregional Councils of Mayors. A quick search of projects by lead agency can be completed at any time using the Lead Agency drop down list.

Title
Project titles typically include the location of projects and may also describe the type of work being done.  If a project does not yet have any funding programmed in the TIP, the title indicates that it is a "Future Project".  The title also indicates when projects are "Completed".

Project Type 
A project's type helps to classify the major purpose of the project, and is helpful when analyzing performance goals included in ON TO 2050. A quick search of projects by type can be completed at any time using the Project Type drop down list.

Funding
A quick search of projects by funding can be completed at any time using the Funding drop down list.

Total Cost and Percentages 
Total Cost includes the cost for all phases of a project, regardless of the source, timing, or availability of funds. The percentages following the Total Cost reflect the portion of the project's total cost programmed in years prior to the current TIP years (prior), the percentage of that cost currently programmed (current), and the percentage of that cost which is not yet available for programming in the TIP (future).

TIP amendments are significant changes to the scope, schedule or limits of a project or significant financial changes. There are three types of amendments:  Administrative (Admin) amendments are minor changes that are accepted by CMAP staff.  Formal Amendments are more significant scope, schedule, or financial changes which require seven days public comment and approval by the Transportation Committee.  Formal Conformity Amendments are significant changes to scope or schedule for capacity related projects that may affect the region's ability to meet air quality standards.  Conformity amendments require 30 days public comment and approval by the CMAP Board and MPO Policy Committee.  Amendments to CMAP's TIP must be approved by the state of Illinois for incorporation into the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The TIP and STIP changes must be approved by FHWA and FTA, certifying that all federal transportation planning requirements were met.  The formal amendment which occurs at the start of each federal fiscal year (FFY) is referred to as an Adoption.  The annual adoption removes the just-completed FFY from the TIP, brings the illustrative year into the TIP, and adds a new illustrative year.

The Amendments tab contains the following information:

[View Project List] link
Click on this link to view the projects included in the listed Amendment.

[View Change Details] link
Click on this link to view a report containing the details of changes included in the listed Amendment.

[Draft Projet List] link
Click on this link to view projects pending committee, state, and federal approval in the listed Amendment.

[Draft Change Details] link
Click on this link to view a report containing the details of changes pending committee, state, and federal approval in the listed Amendment.

Amendment
The sequential title and type of the TIP amendment.

Notes
The date of the CMAP committee meeting, either the Transportation Committee (TC) or MPO Policy Committee, at which the amendment was, or will be, considered. 

CMAP Approved
The date on which the amendment was or will be approved by either the Transportation (TC) or MPO Policy Committee.

State Approved
The date on which the amendment was approved by the Illinois Department of Transportation for incorporation into the STIP.

Federal Approved
The date on which the amendment was approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

The Advanced Search page allows users to locate project details using filters when the TIP ID is not known or multiple results are needed. Users can search using one or more fields on the search form. The more fields that are used, the narrower the results will be. Due to the unpredictable nature of the data entered, it is best to start with a broad search, using one or two fields, then add other fields to narrow down the results.

Search criteria are grouped into six themes:  Project ID, Title or Description, Location/County, Lead Agency, Project Type, and Federal Funding.  Each theme contains different search criteria described below.  Groups can be revealed/hidden by clicking on the arrow next to the theme name.  Criteria can be selected from multiple groups.  Hiding a group does not clear the selections within that group.  After selecting and entering the desired search criteria, click the Submit button at the bottom of the form. To modify search results, change the desired criteria and click the Submit button again. To clear all search criteria, click the Reset button.

Project ID
An advanced search by TIP ID can be completed using the Project ID search.

Title or Description
Users may search for projects based on project title or description by entering any keyword that may be contained in any of the project title, description, project location or limits fields.

Location/ County
Users may search for projects based on location in three different ways:  By System, Street/Road Name, and/or by County.  

Systems are defined as follows:

Street/Road Name:  Can be searched by entering any keyword that may be contained in any of the project location or limits fields, including the County, Municipality and Other Project Location Information fields. Keywords entered are searched as phrases. For example, entering First Street will not return results for projects on First Av, 1st St , First St., First North Street, etc. Only projects that contain the exact phrase "First Street" will be returned. Municipalities, counties and numbered routes (I-90, US 14, CH 7, IL 62, etc.) can also be entered in this field.

County:  Users can check the appropriate box(es) to search for projects wholly or partially within one, multiple, or all counties. 

Municipality
Users may select one of more municipalities, townships, or other agencies from the list by checking the appropriate box(es).  Note that selecting "Countywide" or "Regionwide" will not return all projects in the county/region, only those for which the lead agency selected these values for the project.

Lead Agency
Users may select one or more lead programming agency from the list by checking the appropriate box(es). The lead agency can be related to the combination of the project's geography, fund sources and work types. Typical programming responsibilities are:

Project Type
Users may select one or more project types from the list by checking the appropriate box(es).

Federal Funding
Users may select one or more federal fund sources from the list by checking the appropriate box(es). Any project that contains any financial line (including future lines) with the selected fund source will be returned.  A description of current fund sources, including how they are distributed, who is responsible for programming and whether they are federal, state or local, is available on the TIP Programmer Resources page of the CMAP website.

When using Advanced Search it is important to consider that search results depend entirely on the data entered in the TIP database by programmers. For example, if the programmer did not include the marked state route number in the project description, searching by state route will not return any results. Roadway name abbreviations, such as Ave or Av, Blv or Blvd, etc. are inconsistently entered in the TIP database; omitting them from searches will produce better results. Finally, if a programmer misspelled anything when entering the project in the TIP database, the project will not be found unless the misspelling is duplicated in the search criteria.

The Projects by County tab allows users to view a regional map, select a county, and view a summary of the type, cost, and funding for transportation projects in the selected county.  The selected county is highlighted on the map and a complete list of projects within the county is displayed below the map. The results are purely geographical and do not take lead agency into account. Regionwide projects are those that are not location specific and/or provide benefits to the entire region.  Multiple counties may be selected at the same time. Grand totals for the entire region can be viewed by selecting every category.

The summary table displays the project categories that are included in the selected location(s).  The "#" column is the number of projects in each category.  "Total Cost" is the total estimated cost to complete the projects, from preliminary engineering through construction.  "Total Funding" is the portion of that cost that has been expended or is currently programmed in the TIP.  By clicking a number in the "#" column, the list of projects below the map will be filtered by the selected project category.  Users may export the data they've selected on the map at any time by clicking "Export to Excel" below the map. 

The Interactive Map tab is a Google map; all standard Google Maps search and navigation methods apply. Users may also select a satellite view or street view.  To return to the Approved TIP tab from the interactive mp, click on the "Back to Approved TIP" link in the legend.

Projects contained in the TIP database that can be represented on a map can be found on the Interactive TIP Map by entering the address or intersection at which the project is located, then zooming in or out and clicking on the project line or point. Users may turn project type layers on and off by checking or unchecking the appropriate boxes in the top left corner of the map. All projects that are visible on the map's current extent are listed below the map. Users may export the data they've selected on the map at any time by clicking "Export to Excel" below the map.

The project information that is displayed contains a link (on the TIP ID) to the project overview page within the TIP database in addition to the project title, type, total cost, and construction years. Projects such as "Various resurfacing in Cook County" or "Purchase Buses" cannot be represented on the map and should be located using the Advanced Search page.

By clicking on the ID, users can access details of a project. The detail page displays the details of each individual project, as currently adopted, including a Project Overview, Funding History, and Amendment History. To return to the Approved TIP tab from any project details page, click on the "Back to Approved TIP" link.

Project Overview
In addition to the basic information displayed in list view, the Project Overview page provides more detailed project information including a description of work, contact information, funding details, and a project location map.

Funding History
The Funding History page allows users to view the federal fiscal year, fund source, project phase, and total funding programmed for the project in each project version.  The most recent programming is shown at the top of the list.  

Amendment History
The Amendment History provides a list of each Adoption or Amendment that included the project.