Technical Planning

• INDOT 2045 Long-Range Transportation Plan identifies future transportation needs and describes overarching strategies and opportunities to accomplish future results.


• Indiana’s State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) is a federally required four-five planning and construction document that lists all projects and project phases expected to be funded within 5-years with federal funds as well as state-funded projects that has been deemed Regionally Significant.
• Planning Roles Responsibilities and Procedures Documents – These documents were created for the purpose of clarifying roles and responsibilities for required transportation planning activities to enhance continuing and comprehensive cooperation between INDOT central office, districts, MPOs and RPOs of Indiana.
  • INDOT, MPO, and RPO Planning Roles, Responsibilities (PRR) - Provides an overview of the transportation planning functions and relationships within INDOT, MPOs, RPOs, and Federal Partners.
  • Planning Procedures Manual (PPM) - serves as the procedure manual for functions specific to the development and coordination of various required planning documents (long range plans, multimodal plans, state and regional transportation improvement plans, work plans, and others).
  • Adoption Letter - Both the PRR and the PPM documents were developed in coordination with Indiana MPO Council; RPO Directors; INDOT Planning; INDOT Local Programs Administration (LPA); INDOT Multimodal Divisions; and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
• Non-Metropolitan Local Officials Consultation Guidebook – The Non-Metropolitan Local Official Consultation Guidebook and Consultation Letter addresses federal requirement per 23 CFR 450.210(b) that the consultation process that INDOT undertakes with rural local officials occurs every 5-years. This guidebook was created as a resource that represent rural areas that are not part of a large metropolitan planning area.  It provides an overview of key planning products, procedures, and how local officials can get involved in the development of projects and planning programs.
• Access Management Guide - Access management is the process that manages access to land development while simultaneously preserving the flow of traffic on the surrounding public road system in terms of safety, capacity and speed. Access management provides a systematic means of balancing access needs and movement/mobility requirements of streets and roads.
• Indiana State Route Bicycle Suitability Analysis Map - The purpose of the bicycle suitability analysis map is to provide a snapshot of the quality of state roadways for use by experienced bicyclists. The Bicycle Suitability Rating Criteria document provides a description of the data and methods used to develop the suitabilit map. Both the map and the rating criteria document are in draft form for the public commen until May 31, 2013. Please provide comments either by completing and submitting the Public Comment Form by email or by writing to the INDOT Technical Planning Section Attention: Jay Mitchell.
• Annual Program Development Process for State (APDP-S) Projects - The APDP-S is a comprehensive set of procedures for project development on the INDOT state highway jurisdictional system, which includes: interstates, US Highways, and state roads. The APDP-S provides the mechanism for identifying transportation needs and programming of major capacity projects considered for inclusion in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Please provide comments regarding INDOT's APDP-S either by completing and submitting the Public Comment Form, by email or by writing to the INDOT Technical Planning Section Attention: Jay Mitchell.​.
• Statewide Mobility Corridor Hierarchy Map - INDOT’s planning process is based upon a mobility corridor hierarchy system for statewide prioritization. The highest hierarchy includes interstate, freeways, and other roadways included on the National Highway System.

• Freight Studies - For statewide freight and commodity flow information.
• Planning and Environmental Linkage (PEL)

Please provide comments either by completing and submitting the Public Comment Form, by email, or by writing to the INDOT Technical Planning Section.

INDOT cultivates relationships with its transportation planning partners by working cooperatively to identify solutions to transportation challenges statewide.

The activities performed by planning partners such as Regional or Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs) enable INDOT to acquire the data and information necessary to make well-informed transportation infrastructure investment decisions.

RPOs serve the transportation planning needs for small urban and rural areas and perform eligible planning activities that support local communities. In addition, RPOs provide support to INDOT planning teams in several key areas, including public outreach, technical assistance to local officials, and transportation-related data collection.

The Small Urban and Rural Transportation Planning Assistance Program seeks to enhance the capabilities of RPOs by providing expanded resources to RPOs as they perform transportation planning activities in non-metropolitan areas.

• SURTP Assistance Program presentation
• Rural and Small Community Planning - FHWA

Transportation Conformity

Transportation conformity is required by the Clean Air Act section 176(c) (42 U.S.C. 7506(c)) to ensure that federal funding and approval are given to highway and transit projects that are consistent with ("conform to") the air quality goals established by a state air quality implementation plan (SIP). Conformity, to the purpose of the SIP, means that transportation activities will not cause new air quality violations, worsen existing violations, or delay timely attainment of the national ambient air quality standards.

Air quality conformity is a requirement for those geographic areas within a State that that are subject to current or past air quality violations. To assist INDOT’s Program Managers regarding the air quality conformity requirements associated with INDOT STIP amendments, the Technical Planning Section has prepared this Indiana Field Guide to Air Quality Conformity Compliance for the STIP Amendment Process. This document outlines the air quality conformity documentation requirements for those geographic areas in Indiana where transportation projects are being amended into the INDOT STIP.

For more information about the Federal and Indiana requirements associated with air quality conformity, please access these links:

The Federal Highway Administration Air Quality Conformity: https://fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/planworks/Applications/Show/transportation-conformity.

The EPA’s General Information for Transportation and Conformity: https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/general-information-transportation-and-conformity.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management Transportation Conformity: https://www.in.gov/idem/sips/transportation-conformity.