Rural Approaches to Long Range Transportation Planning: A Washington State Experience

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Rural Approaches to Long Range Transportation
Planning A Washington State Experience

• J. Page Scott
• Executive Director
• Yakima Valley Conference of Governments

February 10, 2009 NARC Rural Transportation
subcommitee webinar
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RTPOs in Washington State

• 1990 Growth Management Act RCW 36.70A
• Required transportation elements of local
  comprehensive 20-year plans
• Authorized Regional Transportation Planning
  Organizations (RTPOs) - RCW 47.80
• Voluntary associations of local governments
• County-based (1 county with minumum population or
  contiguous counties)

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Why were RTPOs created?

• To ensure local and regional coordination of
  transportation plans
• RCW 47.80.010 Findings Declaration.
• The legislature finds that while the
  transportation system in Washington is owned and
  operated by numerous public jurisdictions, it
  should function as one interconnected and
  coordinated system. Transportation planning, at
  all jurisdictional levels, should be coordinated
  with local comprehensive plans. Further, local
  jurisdictions and the state should cooperate to
  achieve both statewide and local transportation
  goals. To facilitate this coordination and
  cooperation among state and local jurisdictions,
  the legislature declares it to be in the state's
  interest to establish a coordinated planning
  program for regional transportation systems and
  facilities throughout the state.

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Who are RTPOs?

• 14 RTPOs covering 38 or the 39 counties in
  Washington
• Voluntary
• Where an MPO exists, RTPO has the same lead agency

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How are RTPOs different than MPOs?

• RTPO
• Created by state legislation (GMA)
• Supported by state funds
• Covers both urban and rural areas

• MPO
• Created by federal legislation
• Supported by federal funds
• Covers urbanized areas only

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What do RTPOs do?

• In general . . .
• Provide a forum for discussing and coordinating
  transportation issues within a region.

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What do RTPOs do?

• Prepare a long range Regional Transportation Plan
  (RTP)
• Certify that countywide planning policies and
  transportation elements of local comprehensive
  plans are consistent with RTP
• Develop a six-year Regional Transportation
  Improvement Program (RTIP)
• Additional responsibilities creep in
• Coordinated Human Services/Public Transportation
  plan
• Identifying regional priority projects
• Growth management and climate change legislation

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Who participates in RTPOs?

• Local governments (transportation staff, elected
  officials)
• WSDOT
• Transit agencies
• Ports
• Private transportation companies (e.g. Greyhound,
  airport shuttles)
• Tribes
• Private businesses / organizations
• Legislators ex officio members of policy boards

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Yakima Valley RTPO

• 1-county RTPO Yakima County
• MPO for greater Yakima Metropolitan Area
• YVCOG is lead planning agency

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Yakima Valley MPO/RTPO

• Located in south-central Washington State
• 14 cities
• 1 county
• City-owned transit systems (Yakima and Union Gap)
• Non-profit community transit service
• Yakama Nation tribal government

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YVCOG Programs
Transportation
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YVCOG Transportation Planning Funds
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Project Selection Authority?

• Transportation project funding
• STP Regional prioritization process and project
  selection MPO/RTPOs only
• CMAQ prioritization process and project selection
  MPO only
• Transportation enhancement prioritization state
  project selection
• WSDOT Public Transportation Consolidated Grant
  regional priorities submitted to WSDOT state
  project selection

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Questions?

• J. Page Scott, Executive Director
• Yakima Valley Conference of Governments
• [phone]
• scottp_at_yvcog.org