Danville Area Transportation Study
Mar 26, 2015
Danville Area Transportation Study
Fundamentalsof
Metropolitan Planning Organizations
Adam AullDanville Area Transportation Study
MPO
ASCE Presentation
September 25, 2006 Credit to: Latoya Jones, FHWA Georgia Division
What is Transportation Planning?
• Transportation planning provides the information, tools and public involvement needed for improving transportation system performance
• Transportation planning is a continuous process that requires monitoring of the system’s performance and condition
Transportation Planning Involves More than Roadways
• Transit
• Pedestrians
• Non-motorized vehicles
• Freight
• Motorized vehicles
What is an MPO?
• Federally designated urbanized areas with populations in excess of 50,000 people to carry out the metropolitan transportation planning process
• Areas with populations in excess of 200,000 are referred to as Transportation Management Areas (TMA)
• Metropolitan planning process involves many contributors (Federal Government, State Agencies, Regional Agencies, Local Government, Public, etc)
Urbanized Areas of Illinois• There are 14 urbanized areas
with an associated MPO in each area
• As of the 2000 Census two MPOs were added– De Kalb-Sycamore Area
Transportation Study– Danville Area Transportation
Study
MPO Structure
Basic design of an MPO is 3 components
• Required to have a decision making “policy body” or Policy Committee
• Technical Committee
• Director and Staff
Policy Committee
• Membership usually consists of State DOT and local elected officials
• Sets regional long-term transportation policy and approves plans
• Prioritizes and programs specific transportation projects for funding
• Takes approval actions
Technical Committee
• Membership usually consists of transportation professionals such as highway engineers, transit coordinators and transportation planners
• Provides information and technical advice to the Policy Committee
• Provides recommendations to the Policy Committee on specific strategies or projects
Staff
• Usually hosted in local government agency or RPC
• Provides information and technical support to committees
• Prepares documents
• Facilitates public input and feedback
• Manages the planning process
MPO Process and Products
• Planning– Developing a Vision– Creating policies
and strategies to support the Vision
– Long-term horizon
Transportation Planning and Programming
• Programming– Prioritizing
proposed projects– Matching projects
with available funds– Short-term horizon
3-C Planning
• Comprehensive– HERE
• Cooperative– HERE
• Continuing– HERE
MPO Products
• Unified Planning Work Program– UPWP
• Long Range Transportation Plan– LRTP
• Transportation Improvement Program– TIP
• Public Involvement Plan– PIP
UPWP
• Planning tasks and studies to be conducted
• Any transportation-related air quality planning tasks
• All Federally funded studies• State/local planning activities conducted
without Federal funds• Agency responsible for each task or study• Updated Annually
LRTP
• Describes vision for the region, along with policies, operational strategies and projects to achieve it
• Planning horizon at least 20 years
• Contains a financial plan and is fiscally constrained
• Updated ever 4-5 years
TIP
• Staged multi-year program of prioritized projects consistent with the LRTP
• Covers at least a 4-year period
• Contains a financial plan and is fiscally constrained
• Projects not included in the TIP cannot receive FHWA or FTA funds
• Update every 4 years
Transportation Planning Process
Public Involvement
• Public involvement ensures that transportation investment decisions reflect the community’s priorities and needs
• The involvement process should be– Proactive– Early and continuous– Open and collaborative
Public Involvement Plan (PIP)
• PIP– Required of all TMAs– Documents the MPOs program for engaging
the public in the transportation planning process
• Participation Plan– More involvement of interested parties in the
transportation planning process– Inclusion of other methods to reach the public
(Internet & visualization techniques)
Who provides funding for MPO projects?
• Federal Government (FHWA, FTA)
• State Government
• Local Governments
• Transportation Agencies
• Public-Private Partnerships
SAFETEA-LU
• Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)– August 10, 2005
• Authorizes Federal surface transportation programs for highways, highway safety & transit for 5 years
• $286.4 Billion from Highway Trust Fund
Federal Funds• Many types including:
– Major FHWA Programs (e.g. Surface Transportation Funds (STP), Interstate Maintenance (IM) etc)
• Most pass to the MPO through the State DOT
• Transit agencies generally receive their funds directly from the Feds
• Nearly all Federal funding programs require matching funds from State or local sources
Additional Information
• FHWA– http://www.planning.dot.gov/
Questions