Bristol

Bristol MPO Sets Sept. 10 Vote to Pull $400K STBG Design Funds

Resolution 26-23 on the Sept. 10 Bristol MPO agenda would strip $400,000 in STBG-L preliminary design funds from the West State Street / Gate City / Euclid intersection TIP project after VDOT Project Pipeline selection.

Tracy King

09 Sep 2026 • 5 min read

Tri-Cities highway corridor context for Bristol MPO’s West State Street TIP amendment — illustrative only.

The Bristol Metropolitan Planning Organization Executive Board meets Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in the conference room of the Ewell L. Easley Annex Building, 104 8th Street, Bristol, Tennessee, with Item 8 asking for adoption of Resolution 26-23 — FY 2026–2029 TIP Amendment 5. The amendment would remove $400,000 in Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG-L) funds and the matching local share from the preliminary design phase of project T-BTN-2026-001-I, West State Street / Gate City Highway / Euclid Avenue Intersection Improvements.

Staff’s background block says the Board programmed the $400,000 STBG-L design allocation on Aug. 7, 2025. On Aug. 20, 2026, VDOT staff confirmed the intersection project was selected for Round 4 of Project Pipeline, which VDOT funds. With that technical and financial assistance, MPO STBG-L dollars are no longer needed for preliminary design. Revision R13 would strip the design funding while keeping the project in the TIP as a continuing priority. A packet footnote notes Commonwealth Transportation Board approval is pending in October.

TIP Amendment 5 (Sept. 10 Bristol MPO)	Figure	Source
Meeting	Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, 9:00 a.m., Easley Annex	MPO agenda
Action item	Resolution 26-23 / TIP Amendment 5	Agenda Item 8
Project ID	T-BTN-2026-001-I	Staff report
Project name	West State St / Gate City Hwy / Euclid Ave intersection	Staff report
STBG-L removed	$400,000 (FFY 2026 preliminary design)	Resolution draft
Local match noted	$100,000 at TIP adoption	Resolution draft
Reason cited	VDOT Project Pipeline Round 4 selection (Aug. 20, 2026)	Staff report
Related grouping named	Resurfacing Grouping T-MPO-2026-002-I	Staff report
Public notice	Bristol Herald Courier, Aug. 27, 2026; comment window to Sept. 7	Staff report
30-year fixed (context)	6.71% as of Sept. 3, 2026	Freddie Mac PMMS

What is Bristol MPO TIP Amendment 5 on the Sept. 10 agenda?

Item 8 asks the Executive Board to adopt Resolution 26-23 approving Amendment 5 to the FY 2026–2029 Transportation Improvement Program. The amendment removes $400,000 in Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG-L) funds and the related local match from the preliminary design phase of project T-BTN-2026-001-I, West State Street / Gate City Highway / Euclid Avenue Intersection Improvements.

A TIP amendment is federal programming, not a ribbon-cutting. Removing MPO design dollars because VDOT’s Project Pipeline is carrying the work can speed preferred-alternative development for SMART SCALE, but it does not guarantee a construction year on West State Street. Keep the paper trail — Resolution 26-23, project ID T-BTN-2026-001-I, the $400,000 figure, and the Aug. 20 VDOT confirmation date — if a buyer asks why intersection talk is back in the news.

Staff also flags a City of Bristol Tennessee request to shift capacity toward the Resurfacing Grouping. That is a separate programming conversation from whether Euclid Avenue gets a new signal timing or lane geometry next year. Read Attachment A in the Sept. 10 packet before treating any resurfacing dollar move as locked.

Why is the $400,000 STBG design funding being removed?

Staff report language says VDOT confirmed on Aug. 20, 2026 that the intersection project was selected for Round 4 of Project Pipeline, which is funded by VDOT. With VDOT technical and financial assistance, MPO STBG-L money is no longer needed for preliminary design. The project stays in the TIP as a priority while design advances through Project Pipeline, pending Commonwealth Transportation Board approval in October as noted in the packet footnote.

For a Bristol, Kingsport, or Johnson City owner deciding whether to list this fall, transportation tape matters as commute and access context, not as a list-price formula. An intersection that keeps moving through VDOT’s pipeline is different from a dead project. It is still not an MLS closed sale. Disclose known construction timing only when a public agency publishes a schedule you can open and cite.

Where would the freed STBG capacity go under the staff write-up?

Staff prepared Revision R13 to facilitate a City of Bristol Tennessee request to provide more funding for the Resurfacing Grouping (T-MPO-2026-002-I). Read the Sept. 10 packet attachment for the exact programming table before treating any dollar shift as final.

Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey, as of Sept. 3, 2026, put the 30-year fixed at 6.71%. A few basis points will not reprice a Sullivan County house the way a full point would. Waiting for that full point while other Tri-Cities sellers list into the same rate band is a different decision than watching whether Resolution 26-23 clears on Sept. 10.

Does a TIP amendment reprice my Bristol or Sullivan County house?

No. A TIP amendment is federal transportation programming. It is not an East Tennessee REALTORS MLS closed sale, a rezoning, or a building permit. Intersection design funding changes can affect future construction timing on West State Street / Gate City / Euclid, but they do not set your list price.

What's happening in the Tri-Cities this week

Thursday, Sept. 10, 9:00 a.m. — Bristol MPO Executive Board, Easley Annex (TIP Amendment 5 / Resolution 26-23; TIP Amendment 6; 2050 LRTP adoption item; bylaws first reading).
Public comment window — TIP Amendment 5 notice ran in the Bristol Herald Courier on Aug. 27, 2026, with comments closing Sept. 7 per the staff report.
October (CTB) — Packet footnote: Commonwealth Transportation Board approval for Project Pipeline selection pending.

You can write the offer on the next Tri-Cities house. A contingent contract on a Bristol clock is still a maybe when the next seller already has a buyer who is not waiting on a TIP revision. Our proven system puts a written sale date under this house so the next offer is a real buyer. If you need a date certain, ask about a cash offer. The two-house trap did not change because West State Street’s design funding is being reprogrammed.

What should Tri-Cities owners do this week?

Read the Sept. 10 MPO packet before the 9:00 a.m. Executive Board meeting at the Ewell L. Easley Annex, 104 8th Street, Bristol, Tennessee. Track Resolution 26-23 and related TIP items separately from the 2050 LRTP adoption item on the same agenda. Price to closed comps. Start with a free home evaluation at kingsofrealestate.com/l/home-evaluation/ or ask about a cash offer. Call 865-365-2280.

Start with a free home valuation or ask about a cash offer. Kings of Real Estate covers Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol. Call 865-365-2280.

Keep the seller file simple: Sept. 10 meeting date, Resolution 26-23, project T-BTN-2026-001-I, $400,000 STBG-L removed from preliminary design, VDOT Project Pipeline Round 4 cited Aug. 20, 2026. That summary beats a rumor that “the Euclid project is dead” or “construction starts next month.” If the Board adopts the amendment, update any buyer FAQ the same day. If it defers, calendar the next MPO date from the Secretary’s report rather than inventing one.

Owners near West State Street, Gate City Highway, and Euclid Avenue should also separate this TIP item from the 2050 LRTP adoption debate on the same agenda. Long-range plan language and a single intersection’s design funding are related regional stories, but they are not the same vote. Cite the packet section you actually opened.

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