**How to Succeed in Statewide and MPO Transportation Planning**

**\
Overview of Transportation Planning Process**\
More than listing of highway and transit capital investments

-   Developing strategies for operating, managing, maintaining,
    financing area's short and long term transportation goals

-   Involves 3-C process: continuing, cooperative, comprehensive
    multimodal transportation planning

**Overview of Transportation Planning Process**

-   Planning Factors:

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-   Support economic vitality

-   Increase safety

-   Increase security

-   Increase accessibility and mobility options

-   Protect the environment/ improve quality of life

-   Enhance system integration and connectivity

-   Promote efficient system management and operation

-   Emphasize system preservation

**Overview of Transportation Planning Process**

-   SAFETEA-LU encourages planning processes to promote transportation
    systems that maximize mobility and accessibility, foster economic
    growth/development and minimize transportation-related fuel
    consumption and air pollution

**Overview of Transportation Planning Process**

-   Planning process produces three key documents:

-   Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Long-range Statewide Transportation
    Plan

-   Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program/ Statewide
    Transportation Improvement Program (TIP/STIP)

-   Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)

**Overview of Transportation Planning Process**

-   Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Long-range Statewide Transportation
    Plan

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-   20 year planning horizon

-   Shall include long-range and short-range strategies/actions

**Overview of Transportation Planning Process**

-   Metropolitan TIP

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-   Covers minimum 4 year period

-   Conforms with SIP for air quality (non-attainment or maintenance
    area)

-   Approved by MPO and Governor

-   Incorporated into STIP

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-   Statewide TIP

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-   Covers minimum 4 year period

-   Projects should be consistent with Statewide Plan

-   Joint approval by FTA/FHWA

**Overview of Transportation Planning Process**

-   UPWP

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-   Lists transportation planning studies and tasks over one -to-two
    year period

-   Reflects local priorities

**Final Rule\
Key Requirements**

**Statewide Transportation Planning; Metropolitan Transportation
Planning**

**Coordination of Planning Process Activities**

-   **States shall coordinate data collection\
    and analyses with MPOs and public transportation operators**\
    *\[see 23 CFR 450.208(a)(7)\]*

-   **States / MPOs may apply asset management principles and techniques
    to establish planning goals, define STIP/TIP priorities, and assess
    transportation investments\
    ***\[see 23 CFR 450.208(e) and 450.306(e)\]*

-   **Statewide / metropolitan transportation planning processes shall
    (to the maximum extent practicable) be consistent with the
    development of regional ITS architectures**\
    *\[see 23 CFR 450.208(f) and 450.306(f)\]*

**Consultation**

-   **Definitions for "Consultation," "Coordination," "Consideration,"
    and "Cooperation"** *\[23 CFR 450.104\]*

-   **Repeats SAFETEA-LU language for consultation with State, Tribal
    and local agencies\
    ***\[23 CFR 450.214(i), 450.316(b) and 450.322(g)\]*

-   **No change to requirements for consultation with non-metropolitan
    local officials** *\[23 CFR 450.210(b)\]*

**Consultation**

-   **Long-range statewide transportation plan shall be developed, as
    appropriate, in consultation with State, tribal, and local agencies
    responsible for:**

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-   **Land Use Management;**

-   **Natural Resources;**

-   **Environmental Protection;**

-   **Conservation; and**

-   **Historic Preservation.**

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-   **Shall involve [comparison]{.underline} of transportation plans to
    State / Tribal conservation plans or maps, and to inventories of
    natural or historic resources, if available** *\[see 23 CFR
    450.214(i)\]*

-   **Similar provisions for the development of metropolitan
    transportation plans** *\[see 23 CFR 450.322(g)\]*

**Interested Parties, Public Involvement, and Consultation**

-   **List of "interested parties" now includes: representatives of
    users\
    of pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities,
    representatives of the disabled,\
    freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services\
    ***\[see 23 CFR 450.210(a)(1)(i) and 450.316(a)\]*

-   **[Documented]{.underline} State and MPO processes on consulting
    with Indian Tribal governments and Federal land management agencies\
    (to the extent practicable)** *\[see 23 CFR 450.210(c) and
    450.316(e)*

-   **[Documented]{.underline} MPO processes also should reference
    consultation with other planning agencies and officials affected by
    transportation (to the extent practicable)** *\[see 23 CFR
    450.316(e)\]*

**Participation Plan**

-   **MPO shall develop a participation plan in consultation with
    interested parties\
    ***\[see 23 CFR 450.316(a)\]*

-   **Minimum 45-day comment period**

-   **Adequate, timely public notice and reasonable access**

-   **Employ visualization techniques**

-   **Make information available in electronic formats;**

-   **Hold meetings at convenient and accessible locations and times**

-   **Statewide public involvement process similar**\
    *\[see 23 CFR 450.210\]*

**Metropolitan Planning Agreements**

-   **Locally determined "rules of engagement"**\
    *\[see 23 CFR 450. 314\]*

-   **Shall provide for cooperative development and sharing of financial
    data used in metropolitan transportation plans, TIPs, STIPs, and
    Annual Listing of Obligated Projects**

-   **Ideally, a single Agreement among MPO, State, and transit
    operators**

-   **Describes coordination arrangements in areas with overlapping
    planning areas**

**Fiscal Constraint**

-   **Fiscal constraint required for STIPs, TIPs, and metropolitan
    transportation plans**

-   **Retains provision that projects included in the first two years of
    the TIP / STIP\
    in air quality nonattainment and maintenance areas shall be limited
    to those for which funds are "available or committed"***\[see 23 CFR
    450.324(i) and 450.216(m)\]*

-   **"Agreed to" list of projects required at TIP / STIP updates only**

**Fiscal Constraint**

-   **"Year of expenditure dollars" - effective December 11, 2007.
    *\[See 23 CFR 450.216(l), 450.322(f)(10)(iv) and 450.324 (h)\]***

-   **Financial plan shall contain systems-level estimates of costs and
    revenue sources to adequately operate and maintain federally funded
    highway and transit facilities. *\[See 23 CFR 450.216(m) and
    450.322(f)(10)(i)***

-   **Optional use of "cost ranges/cost bands" beyond first 10 years of
    the metropolitan transportation plan. *\[See 23 CFR
    450.322(f)(10)(v)\]***

**Planning Cycles**

-   **Metropolitan transportation plans must be updated at least every
    four years in air quality nonattainment and maintenance areas\
    ***\[see 23 CFR 450.322(c)\]*

-   **Metropolitan transportation plans in attainment areas must be
    updated at least every five years**\
    *\[see 23 CFR 450.322 (i)\]*

-   **STIPs and metropolitan TIPs must be updated at least every four
    years\
    ***\[see 23 CFR 450.216(a) and 450.324(a)\]*

-   **STIPs and TIPs shall cover a period of no less than four years\
    ***\[see 23 CFR 450.216(a) and 450.324(a)\]*

**July 1, 2007 Compliance Date**

-   **All State, MPO and FHWA / FTA actions on transportation plans\
    and programs taken on or after July 1, 2007 (i.e., updates,
    amendments, STIP approvals, and conformity determinations) are
    subject to SAFETEA-LU provisions\
    ***\[23 CFR 450.224 and 450.338)\]*

**Coordinated Public Transit --\
Human Services Transportation Plan**

-   **Coordinated plan needed for funding under Elderly / Disabled, JARC
    and New Freedom Programs under Title 49 (transit)**

-   **Consistency required between preparation of the Coordinated Plan\
    and applicable metropolitan or Statewide transportation planning
    processes\
    ***\[see 23 CFR 450.306(g)\]*

-   **Local officials to determine appropriate "lead;" does
    [not]{.underline} have to be MPO**

-   **Projects reflected in applicable metropolitan transportation plan,
    TIP,\
    and STIP**

**Summary**

-   **Transit Agency, MPO, and State DOT needs to have a continuing,
    cooperative and comprehensive relationship**

-   **Project must be included in Long Range Transportation Plan,
    TIP/STIP and planning project in UPWP**

-   **Coordinated Public Transit - Human Services Transportation Plan
    must contain required elements**

**Questions**

**Victor Austin, Community Planner, Office of Planning & Environment,**

**<victor.austin@dot.gov> 202.366.2996**

**SAFETEA-LU Planning Illustrative Examples**

**<http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/metro/sftluexamp.htm>**