Briefing for MPO Officials Planning 101 HRTPO June 16, 2010 FHWA - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Briefing for MPO Officials Planning 101

HRTPO June 16, 2010

FHWA

Objectives of this Workshop

• Describe the functions of an empowered

Metropolitan Planning Organization

• Understand the roles of an effective policy board

member

• Identify the major planning partners
• Review the transportation planning process
• Discuss development and approval of the major

planning products

MPO Basics

What is a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)?

“The policy board of an organization created and designated to carry out the metropolitan transportation planning process.”

Source: 23 CFR Part 450.104

Legislation that has influenced MPOs

What do MPOs Do?

• Carry out the metropolitan transportation

planning process in cooperation with the State DOT(s) and transit operators

• Determine responsibilities in concert with the

State DOT(s) and transit operators

• Cooperatively develop, update, and approve:

– Unified Planning Work Program – Transportation Plan – Transportation Improvement Program

• Have a proactive Public Participation Process

MPO Composition

• Policy Board

– Local Elected and Appointed Officials – Major Modes of Transportation – State Officials – Citizens – Tribal Governments

• MPO Staff
• Technical Committee (Sub-committees as needed)
• Citizens Committee

Example MPO Structure

Who sits on the MPO?

• The MPO Policy Body is identified in the

documents that designate the MPO

• Membership is determined by agreement

among the Governor(s) and units of general purpose local government that represent 75% of the metropolitan area population

• Membership is inclusive. (Outside entities

can be members of the MPO Policy Board)

Role of the Board

• Develop a regional vision
• Establish regional policy
• Adopt UPWP, Transportation Plan, and TIP
• Adopt Conformity Determinations for Plan

and TIP (in AQ non-attainment and maintenance areas)

• Ensure that the decisions reflect the concerns
• f residents of the region

Role of the Technical Advisory Committee

• Oversee work efforts outlined in the annual

UPWP

• Review/coordinate UPWP efforts by MPO

staff and partners

• Provide analysis and recommendations to

Board

What Do Board Members Need from Staff?

• Reliable and timely information in an

understandable format

• Information includes options and analysis of

their consequences

– Costs – Policy – Benefits – Environmental consequences

Role of the Staff

• Provide information & technical support to

Board Members

• Prepare documents
• Foster interagency coordination
• Facilitate input and feedback from the

public

• Manage the planning process

Formal Agreements

• MPO, State and public transportation
• perators cooperatively determine their

mutual responsibilities in carrying out the metropolitan planning process

– Information sharing – Financial projections – Annual list of obligated projects – Air Quality Conformity demonstration

» 23 CFR 450.314

The MPO as the Forum

Working Beyond Jurisdictions

• MPO is the forum for discussion

– Place to air issues – Find solutions that benefit all jurisdictions/regions

• MPOs working with adjoining regions

– Consistency of projects – Multi-regional projects

The Public

States Local Government

User/ Special Interest Groups

Regional Agencies Tribal Governments Federal Government Private Sector Legal System

The People in the Process

Key Decisions and Products

What are the Metropolitan Planning Products Required by Law and Regulation?

• Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)
• Metropolitan Transportation Plan
• Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
• Public Participation Plan
• Annual List of Obligated Projects
• Air Quality Conformity Analysis & Finding
• Congestion Management Process(in TMAs)

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)

• Lists the metropolitan area’s 1-2 year

program of planning studies

• Identifies sources of funding, schedules

and responsible agencies

• Coordinates the planning undertaken by

all participants in the regional process

• Describes all Federally-funded studies
• Lays out MPOs Strategic Plan

The Transportation Plan

To be eligible for Federal funds, a project must be consistent with the approved transportation plan

The Transportation Plan…

• Documents conclusions and decisions of the

planning process

• Includes long term and short term policies,

strategies, and actions

• Covers capital improvements and operations
• Addresses movement of people and goods
• Contains an environmental discussion
• Is financially constrained by reasonably available

resources

Requirements for the Transportation Plan…

• At least a 20-year horizon at time of adoption
• An update every 5 years – 4 years for non-

attainment and maintenance areas

• Multi-modal coverage
• Fiscal constraint – Year of Expenditure (YOE) $$
• Early and continuous public involvement
• Consideration of the 8 Planning Factors
• Conformity with air quality requirements

What is Programming and Why Do We Do It?

• Programming is identifying top priority

projects for funding

• The total cost of worthy projects always

exceeds available funding – hence the need to set priorities

• The TIP and STIP are products of the

programming process

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

• Is a means of allocating limited transportation funds to

projects and programs

• Is a list of transportation projects to be implemented within

the short-term (no less than 4 years)

• Includes nearly all surface transportation projects proposed

for federal funding

• Includes all regionally significant projects – regardless of

funding source in non-attainment and maintenance areas

• Identifies funding for each project by programmatic source

Requirements for the TIP…

• Covers at least 4 years
• Is updated at least every 4 years
• Is consistent with approved Transportation Plan
• Can be amended during its life span (subject to

approval by Governor and inclusion in STIP)

• Conforms to air quality requirements
• Is financially constrained by year (YOE)
• Is approved by MPO and Governor
• Becomes part of the State Transportation

Improvement Program (STIP)

Characteristics of a

Successful Programming Process

• Early consensus on planning goals
• Effective communication among technical

and policy leaders

• Continuous public involvement
• Qualitative as well as quantitative criteria

Federal Requirements for Public Participation

• MPOs must prepare a public participation plan
• Plan must be developed in consultation with

interested parties

Adequate notice Early and continuing

involvement

Opportunity to comment Explicit consideration

and response to input

Objectives of Public Involvement

• Provide timely information about

transportation issues and processes

• Seek public review and comment
• Respond to public comments
• Provide access to key decisions
• Continuing involvement of the public in

developing plans and TIPs

Annual List of Obligated Projects

• Submit by 90 calendar days after end of the

program year

• Developed cooperatively by the MPO, State

and transit operators

• Published and available for review in

accordance with PPP for the TIP

Document Summary: Metro and Statewide

Federal Aid Fundamentals

Federal Transportation Funding

• Federal Aid is provided to the state in

several ways and categories:

– Core Programs – Other allocated funding, i.e.. LTAP – “Earmarked funding” such as High Priority Projects – Emergency Relief

Amount of funding is based on formulas

• Each state is different (some differences

include:)

– Vehicle miles traveled on the Interstate – Lane miles of federal-aid highways – Contributions to the Highway Trust Fund

• Final dollar amounts are subject to

Congressional obligation limitation

• Revenue Adjusted Budget Authority

Future Funding is subject to change

• SAFETEA-LU has expired
• Administration & Congressional priorities

may change

• Future motor fuel revenues may vary

Major Policy and Planning Issues

Why do Financial Planning?

• Ensure realistic plans and programs
• Identify funding shortfalls and establish

strategies to overcome shortfalls

• Meet Federal requirements

Fiscal Constraints and the Transportation Plan

• Include a financial plan demonstrating consistency

with available and projected revenues

• Identify proposed new revenue sources and

strategies to ensure their availability

• Revenue sources and expenditures need to balance
• ut

Fiscal Constraint and the TIP

• Be financially constrained by year
• Demonstrate which projects can be

implemented with current revenue sources

• Identify strategies for ensuring the

availability of new funding sources

• In non-attainment/maintenance areas, only

projects with available or committed funding can appear in first 2 years of TIP

System Management

• Effective transportation system management

maximizes transportation system performance through a coordinated and integrated decision making approach to:

– Construction – Preservation – Maintenance; and – Operations

• f transportation facilities, with the goal of safe, reliable,

predictable, and user-friendly transportation

Management & Operations in Planning

• Operational strategies are considered for

funding

• Operators are engaged in the planning

process of the MPO

• Performance measures and life-cycle

analysis would be aligned with investments

• Congestion Management Process

Freight Movement

• Good freight movement is vital to a region’s

economy

• MPO should examine how freight moves in

and out of its region

• Engage the freight community to find “win-

win” solutions to problems

Safety

• 37,261 people killed on nations roadways

in 2008

• Thousands more injured
• MPO can examine system for trends
• Look for improvements to reduce danger of

the transportation network

What is Air Quality Conformity?

• Link between air quality planning and

transportation planning

• Analytical process to ensure that

transportation plans, programs, and projects meet the SIP’s emissions budgets for mobile sources

• Pass/fail test on meeting the SIP’s

emissions budgets

Who has to worry about this?

• Areas not meeting the National Ambient

Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

– Nonattainment Areas

• Maintenance Areas

Conformity Tidbits

• The MPO and USDOT both make Conformity

Determinations

• The MPO must formally make a conformity

determination on the plan and TIP

• Conformity determinations must be made at

least every three years

Conformity Issues

• Non-attainment status
• New EPA standards

– Ozone standards becoming more stringent – New designations in 2011

• Other issues

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

• Prohibits discrimination on the basis of

race, color, creed, or national origin

• Proactive Public Involvement key to

compliance

EJ Executive Order 12898

• Consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights

Act of 1964.

• Adds low-income populations.
• Identify and address disproportionately high

and adverse impacts.

• Applies to all programs, policies, and

activities.

Future Planning Themes

• Livability Initiative – U.S. DOT, EPA &

HUD

• Performance-based Planning
• Sustainability
• Climate Change

Questions?

Thank You

• Brian Betlyon

Metropolitan Planning Specialist FHWA Resource Center 10 S. Howard Street, Suite 4000 Baltimore, MD 21201 410-962-0086 brian.betlyon@dot.gov