The CGA is almost entirely irrelevant in this context, except in determining the sizes of the pools of $ (though Munis and COGs have access to federal pots as well and can bypass the state, and of course munis can raise their own funds) and the very very rare instances where they get directly involved in a particular project.

Projects that aren’t in the plans don’t get funded, it’s one of the first things that gets discussed in funding applications. State/federal DOT priorities are much much bigger drivers than anything the CGA says. For example we just submitted a grant application under the federal “safe streets for all” program that will fund 18 projects in our region. Asked for as part of the grant, we can point to all 18 projects being included in our existing plans.

Not everything in the existing plans are good projects, but they could just as easily get funded under an administration with different priorities (widening i95 for example). Getting that taken out of rivercog and southeastcog’s plans matters! It’s why 11 extending to new London is dead and buried for the foreseeable future, hopefully forever.