Companion Guide to Video November 2015

www.fhwa.dot.gov/federal-aidessentials

Transportation planning helps shape our 

community's economic health and quality of life. 

Transportation planning is more than listing 

highway and transit projects; it requires 

developing strategies to meet the area's longterm goals and requires transportation planners 

to involve stakeholders throughout the process. 

Federal regulations require State departments of 

transportation, called DOTs, and metropolitan 

planning organizations known as MPOs, to 

conduct statewide and metropolitan 

transportation planning. 

Agencies coordinate public involvement and 

input by using a cooperative, continuing and 

comprehensive planning model. This joint effort 

known as the "three C" process results in 

defining common ground about what the 

transportation system should be and developing 

solutions to meet that vision. Public agencies at 

different levels of government conduct 

transportation planning to improve transportation 

systems. State DOTs are the largest units of 

government that develop transportation plans 

and projects. They set transportation goals for 

the State and oversee the safe operation of the 

transportation system. State DOTs also plan the 

safe and efficient transportation of people and 

goods among the States, cities, towns, and 

neighboring States. 

State DOTs develop a statewide transportation 

plan by working with other transportation 

organizations, local governments, and interested 

parties to consider stakeholder needs. MPOs 

are created to carry out transportation planning 

in urban areas. An MPO works in cooperation 

with state and local agencies to develop an 

area's transportation system. 

Federal-aid Program Overview

Transportation Planning

Process and Requirements

Stakeholder involvement throughout the transportation planning 

process will help ensure success.
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

MPOs seek public involvement, and the public 

and interested stakeholders influence the MPOs 

direction and approach. MPOs assess regional 

travel for transit and highways. At the local level, 

local governments carry out many transportation 

planning functions such as scheduling 

improvement and maintenance for local streets 

and roads. Local governments and transit 

agencies also generate project proposals and 

take them to the MPO and the State. Public 

transportation, or transit agencies, also play a 

crucial role in the planning activities of the MPO. 

Public transportation agencies may provide 

services using busses, various rail options, or 

ferry boats to support needs and solutions 

identified through the planning process. 

The last key participant is the Federal 

government. The U.S. Department of 

Transportation oversees the planning and

project activities of the MPOs, the State DOTs, 

and transit agencies. The department provides 

advice and training on transportation topics 

ranging from project finance to the efficient 

design and operation of highway systems. 

The department provides funding for 

transportation planning and projects and 

approves the State's list of projects known as 

the State Transportation Improvement Program, 

or STIP. Before transportation planners start 

their work, stakeholders should have a long-term 

transportation vision. A vision sets broad goals 

for what the region or State will look like, and 

reflects what is important for the future. 

Transportation planners help the public and 

elected officials translate the vision into Long 

Range Transportation Plans, or LRTPs. Longrange plans outline transportation solutions that 

cover twenty or more years. In developing these 

plans, planners evaluate transportation 

alternatives. 
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

The public and other agencies also weigh in to 

select alternatives that work best for an area and 

use funds effectively. 

After a region or State develops a Long Range 

Transportation Plan, the MPO and State DOT 

develop their own short-term Transportation 

Improvement Program or TIP. These programs 

identify all highway transit bicycle and 

pedestrian projects proposed within a 

metropolitan area. The MPO and State DOT 

update the programs at least once every four 

years. The STIP and TIP are a four-year list of 

projects proposed for federal funding and must 

include a reasonable cost estimate for each 

project. The comprehensive STIP compiles all 

the MPO TIPs for metropolitan areas and adds 

all projects in non-metropolitan areas. 

Transportation planning plays a fundamental 

role in a community's vision for the future. 

Your involvement throughout the process is a 

key component for what we want our 

communities to be. Go to public meetings, 

express your opinion about a proposed project, 

or volunteer for a transportation Advisory 

Committee. 

To find out how to get involved, contact your 

local transportation planning organization, your 

State DOT, or the FHWA Division office in your 

State.
Federal-aid Essentials for Local Public Agencies

The content of this 

document is not a 

substitute for 

information obtained 

from State departments 

of transportation, 

appropriate FHWA 

Division Offices, and 

applicable laws. 

Scenarios have been 

simplified for emphasis 

and do not necessarily 

reflect the actual range of 

requirements applicable 

to the scenario or this 

topic. This document

was created under 

contract number 

DTFH61-11-D-00023 by 

the Federal Highway 

Administration, U.S. 

Department of 

Transportation, and is 

offered to the public to 

heighten and focus 

awareness of Federal-aid 

requirements within the 

local public agencies 

community and 

reinforces the 

importance of these 

necessary policies, 

procedures, and 

practices.

This Companion Resource 

is the script content for 

the video production of 

the same name. 

Additional Resources

• A listing of training opportunities from NHI and other sources

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/tmip/resources/training.cfm

• Information on the Travel Model Improvement Program (TMIP) and the 

Travel Analysis Toolbox

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/tmip/

• FHWA's certification checklist for travel forecasting methods for new and 

experienced travel model practitioners

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/certcheck.cfm

• The TMIP maintains this email list to promote the open discussion of issues 

related to transportation modeling, simulation and analysis

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/tmip/community/list_serv.cfm

• Interim guidance on the application of travel and land use forecasting in 

NEPA, FHWA memo dated April 2010

http://environment.fhwa.dot.gov/projdev/travel_landUse.asp

• Regulations that implement provisions of various laws requiring each State 

to have a statewide multimodal transportation planning process, 23CFR450 

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/textidx?SID=0d252cffeee9df89c0c91d3a755688f8&mc=true&node=pt23.1.450

&rgn=div5

• The Transportation Conformity Rule, 40CFR93 regulation to implement 

section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) within the Federal-aid program

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/textidx?SID=0d252cffeee9df89c0c91d3a755688f8&mc=true&node=pt40.20.93

&rgn=div5