www.drpt.virginia.gov may 21, 2008 bringing transit planning to the mpo planning table bringing...

www.drpt.virginia.gov

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Bringing Transit Planning to the MPO Planning Table

Bringing Transit Planning To The MPO Planning

Table

Daniel Rudge – Chief of Planning

Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

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What Will We Cover?

Constrained Long Range Plan (CLRP) Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Congestion Management Process (CMP) The unique Virginia structure Important Virginia documents DRPT’s response

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The Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan

Your MPO’s Guidebook

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Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan (CLRP)

Federal Requirements– Must be prepared and updated every four years if in non-

attainment or maintenance area for air quality, otherwise every five years

– Update process can begin as early as one month after CLRP is formally adopted and take the full four-five years to complete! (Most try to do it in two years or less)

– Forecast period is 20 years (including transportation network projects, cost estimates and estimation of readily available funds)

– Some FTA representatives want a continuous 20-year plan horizon, others just a 20-year forecast period

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Federal Requirements (Continued)– Must consider all modes of transportation– Must follow 3C process (Continuing, Cooperating and

Comprehensive) – Must address eight planning factors

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Eight Planning Factors

Support economic vitality Increase safety Increase security Increase accessibility for people and goods Protect and enhance environment Enhance connectivity across modes Promote efficient operation of existing

transportation network Emphasize existing system preservation

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Federal Requirements (Continued)– Must consult with following agencies:

• State and local growth management

• Economic Development

• Natural resources

• Air quality boards

• Environmental protection

• Conservation

• Historic Preservation

• All transportation mode providers

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Federal Requirements (Continued)– Must identify all transportation facilities

• Major roadways

• Transit

• Intermodal

• Multimodal

• Alternative/CHOICE/SMART transportation

– Emphasis on facilities that serve important national and regional transportation functions


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Federal Requirements (Continued)– A discussion of potential environmental mitigation activities

and impacted areas and activities that can best restore and maintain these areas

– A financial plan (Developed with State)• Demonstrates how adopted plan can be implemented (estimate

readily available funds)

• All public and private funding sources identified

• Recommend additional funding strategies

• May be required to fall into specific time bands


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Federal Requirements (Continued)– Operational and management strategies that improve the

performance of existing facilities while relieving congestion and improving safety for people and freight

– Capital investment strategies to• Preserve existing infrastructure

• Provide for multimodal capacity increases based on regional priorities and needs

– Transportation and transit enhancements


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Federal Requirements (Continued)– Comparison of transportation plan with State conservation

plans/maps– Comparison of plans to inventories of natural and historic

resources– In non-attainment areas, must coordinate with Clean Air Act

agencies to develop transportation control measures for inclusion in the Statewide Improvement Program


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Key Things To Remember– All MPO plans, programs and activities must be consistent with

the Long-Range Plan– Most MPOs have weak transit sections– DRPT is reviewing transit agency and MPO plan consistency– In non-attainment areas transit agencies play a vital role in

ensuring the plan meets Clean Air Act requirements


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The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

Where your tax dollars go to make transportation improvements

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Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

Programs federal, state and local dollars for specific transportation projects in region

Similar to City or County Capital Improvement Program

Broken down by mode– Airport– Highways– Transit– Freight– Enhancements

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Federal Requirements– Develop the project list in cooperation with VDRPT, VDOT

and affected transit operators – Develop funding estimates in consultation with VDRPT,

VDOT and transit agencies• Funding estimates must be based on reasonably expected

funds (usually historic availability of such funds must be documented)

– Must be updated every four years

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Federal Requirements (Continued)– The TIP will include:

• A priority list of proposed federally supported projects/programs and strategies to be carried out within each four year period

• A financial plan that demonstrates implementation, funding resources to support projects and innovative financing techniques

• Descriptions to identify projects and phases

• Regionally significant projects identified individually

• Other projects may be grouped and shown as one line item

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Federal Requirements (Continued)– The TIP:

• Must be consistent with the Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan (CLRP)

• Some TIP projects/programs are not on a constrained project list contained in the CLRP, but may just be included by reference in a long-range plan.

• May contain an illustrative list of additional projects that could be implemented if additional funds become available

• Must follow same public involvement process as the CLRP

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Federal Requirements (Continued)– The TIP:

• Must be consistent with Six-Year Improvement Program if state funds are being used

• Is submitted to State and FHWA and FTA for approval

• FHWA and FTA ensure that all projects and programs included in the TIP are consistent with the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)

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Key Things To Remember – The TIP is done every four years, so if you want a project

funded by an MPO you must have it ready up to four years in advance!

– Several MPOs update TIPs annually – TIP cycle usually begins in April and TIP is approved in

August– It takes effect October 1 of each calendar year – How to coordinate state fiscal year operating – July 1?– Typically, CMAQ and enhancement projects are selected

every year or every other year– For MPOs under 200,000 population, project selection is

done by State not MPO (except in Virginia where MPOs over 200,000 are treated like small MPOs in other states)

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Distinguishing Between Large and Small MPOs

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Two “Kinds” of MPOs

Those that serve areas with a population between 50,000 and 199,999

Those serving populations 200,000 or greater are referred to as Transportation Management Areas or TMAs

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Additional Requirements for TMAs

Must prepare a Congestion Management Process (CMP) document– Provides framework for effective management

and operation of the transportation network by addressing specific recurring and non-recurring (accidents and special events) congestion

– Transit and TDM strategies are typically part of a CMP process, but because there are few transit advocates at the table, the selected strategies focus on things like HOV/HOT lanes or road construction operational improvements (left turn lanes, signal timing improvements, etc.)

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Congestion Management Process (CMP)

Be very careful because the Federal definition of a CMP is what we have just discussed

In Northern Virginia, a CMP is a locally developed plan to address traffic congestion as part of a major construction/reconstruction project– Because of the confusion, Virginia now calls them

Transportation Management Plans

Because traffic models have difficulties predicting transit behavior, you need to work with your MPO to update your models

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Congestion Management Process (CMP)

Projects identified in the CMP must then be placed in the TIP

Data analysis and monitoring activities may require that the long-range plan be modified

In non-attainment areas, federal funds may not be used for highway projects that will result in an increase of carrying capacity for the single occupant vehicle unless the project is addressed in the CMP process!!!

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The State v. MPO Power Struggle

Many States did not quickly conform to the original ISTEA– Early 90’s many Highway Departments became

Transportation Departments– The focus of the new Transportation Department still was on

highways– Transit and TDM were seen as projects that could take

money away from road construction

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The State v. MPO Power Struggle

With passage of TEA-21, Congress began to shift much of DOT power to large MPOs but did not provide much relief for small MPOs– SAFETEA-LU maintains this dichotomy as the state selects

all projects for inclusion in the TIP in consultation with small MPOs

– SAFETEA-LU allows large MPOs to select projects for inclusion in the TIP (except Interstate and NHS) after consulting with State (does not include Virginia!)

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Virginia’s Structure

Federal legislation creates six major highway funding categories (Interstate, NHS, Surface Transportation Program (STP), CMAQ, Safety, Highway Bridge and Rehabilitation Program)

Virginia DOT co-mingles all of those funds, adds state funds and creates Interstate, Primary, Secondary, Urban, Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP) and CMAQ categories

Transit funds stay the same as FTA categories (all the 53XX categories)

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NHS and STP funds can be used for a wide variety of transportation projects, including transit and TDM

Transit programs and activities can use primary, secondary, and urban funds, in addition to RSTP and CMAQ

While RSTP funds remain a good option in theory, many MPOs are using all of their RSTP funds to cover cost overruns in road projects or are using them to address declining revenue

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In general, CMAQ and RSTP funds are allocated by the MPOs and approved by the CTB

All others category allocations are determined by Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) in the SYIP

Some projects approved by CTB and included in the SYIP initially are not in the local TIP or the CLRP or the STIP

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Virginia Planning Documents

We have three similar documents– Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)– Six-Year Improvement Plan (SYIP)– State Implementation Plan (SIP)

STIP and SIP are subject to FHWA, FTA and EPA approval

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SYIP Six-Year Improvement Plan (SYIP)

– The SYIP is an “allocation-based” document– It specifies which projects the CTB would intends to fund

over the next six years with federal and state funds – The SYIP is a state requirement and the official allocation

document for the Commonwealth of Virginia– The CTB holds public hearings in the fall and spring to get

input from citizens, local elected officials and MPOs on what projects they would like to see added to the SYIP

– Adopted in June to coincide with state fiscal year

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STIP Statewide Transportation Improvement Program

(STIP)– Documents how Virginia will obligate its share of federal

funds – The STIP is comprised of all the MPO TIPs as well as

projects with federal funds for the rest of the state– The STIP covers four years – The STIP must conform to the SIP by demonstrating that all

nonattainment and maintenance area TIPs conform– MPO TIP amendments must be reflected in the STIP and

STIP amendments must be reflected in MPO TIPs – the two must match

– All federal funds are shown in the STIP – Regionally significant projects (for air quality purposes) must

be included in TIPs in nonattainment and maintenance areas and the STIP

– The STIP follows the federal fiscal year (October 1) because it is a federal funding document

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SIP State Improvement Plan (SIP)

– The SIP is an air quality document – Includes an emissions “budget” for various pollutants and

sources, including mobile sources, point sources, etc.– Nonattainment and maintenance area emissions budgets

are part of the SIP and conformity must be demonstrated to these budgets for CLRPs and TIPs

– MPO’s demonstrate conformity of their CLRPs and TIPs (with assistance from VDOT and VDEQ)

– Conforming TIPs are included in the STIP so that a conforming STIP can be submitted to FHWA

– FHWA cannot approve a STIP that includes a non-conforming TIP

– The SIP does not include transportation funding or projects – Updated when new standards are imposed by EPA

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DRPT Response

DRPT staff attendance at all MPO TAC meetings

MPO and Transit Plan Consistency Task Order

Grantee Handbook Service Design Guidelines Asset Management System Performance Review Program Better Technical Assistance and

ADVOCACY

www.drpt.virginia.gov

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www.drpt.virginia.gov may 21, 2008 bringing transit planning to the mpo planning table bringing...

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