Bringing Transit Planning To The MPO Planning Table

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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
• DRPTs response

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The Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan

• Your MPOs Guidebook

• CLRP

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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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Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan (CLRP)

• 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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Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan (CLRP)

• 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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Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan (CLRP)

• 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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Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan (CLRP)

• 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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Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan (CLRP)

• 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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Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan (CLRP)

• 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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Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan (CLRP)

• 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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Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

• 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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Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

• 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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Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

• 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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Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

• 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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Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

• 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 90s 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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Virginias 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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Virginias Structure

• 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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Virginias Structure

• 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 
• MPOs 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

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Are There Any Questions?