The Financially Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan (CLRP) must meet federal requirements as established in the final U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) transportation planning regulations related to SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: Legacy for Users), the federal transportation authorization bill passed in 2005. The regulations established new requirements and reaffirmed existing requirements for metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in developing long-range transportation plans. Major new requirements are noted in the text boxes below and include the development of a participation plan, a congestion Management Process, environmental consultation and a transportation safety element. Follow the links below to learn how the TPB met the wide range of federal regulations in its transportation planning efforts.
The TPB must make sure that the projects in the CLRP and TIP, taken collectively, support the attainment of the federal health standards. This is a requirement of the federal Clean Air Act. The plan's air quality conformity assessment included (1) comparing forecasted mobile source emissions to emissions ceilings (called “mobile emissions budgets”) for volatile organic compounds (VOC), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) established in the air quality plans for the region; and (2) comparing forecasted mobile source emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and precursor NOx (vehicle emissions which lead to additional PM2.5 formulation) with base year 2002 levels to ensure such emissions do not increase through time . The draft conformity analysis found that forecasts of mobile emissions for VOC, NOx, and CO are within required budgets for the forecast years of 2008, 2009, 2010, 2020, and 2030. The analysis also found that forecasts of PM2.5 emissions are signficantly lower than base year 2002 levels.
The TPB established a new Congestion Management Process (CMP) which provides information on transportation system performance, and to consider alternative strategies to alleviate congestion and enhance the mobility of persons and goods. The CMP has four main components: 1) Congestion monitoring of major highways; 2) Identification and analysis of strategies to alleviate congestion; 3) Implementation of reasonable strategies and an assessment of their effectiveness and 4) Integration of strategies into major roadway construction projects. With the CMP, the TPB aims to use existing and future transportation facilities efficiently and effectively, reducing the need for highway capacity increases for single-occupant vehicles (SOVs).
The entire Congestion Management Process is a new requirement.
Consideration of the Planning Factors
The eight federal planning factors are encompassed by the TPB Vision and are considered when developing the CLRP. Each planning factor is included in one or more of the TPB Vision goals, objectives and strategies, except for security, which is implicitly addressed in the TPB Vision. In the Call for Projects for the CLRP, the implementing agencies were asked to consider the TPB Vision in developing their project submissions and to identify which planning factors are addressed by the project. The new planning regulations added safety and security as two separate planning factors, which are addressed by the TPB in on-going planning activities.
Safety and Security were added as two separate plannning factors.
Consultation and Mitigation Discussion
For the first time, the TPB consulted with natural resource, conservation, environmental protection and historic preservation agencies regarding the development of the CLRP. These agencies provided comments on the plan, contacts for future engagement and environmental GIS data. This regional data was used to create maps of environmentally and/or culturally sensitive areas for comparison with the CLRP. The 2007 CLRP also includes its first environmental mitigation discussion which identifies potential activities to moderate the environmental impacts of the long range transportation plan.
Both environment consultation on the Plan and the mitigation discussion are new.
Environmental Justice, Title VI and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
To ensure on-going participation from low-income and minority communities and persons with disabilities, the TPB created the Access for All (AFA) Advisory Committee in 2001 to advise the Board on transportation issues, programs, policies, and services that are important to these communities and individuals. The AFA comments on the Draft CLRP each year. In addition, the long-range plan is analyzed for negative impacts on low-income, minority and disabled populations. In regards to ADA requirements, many of the specific ADA guidelines are addressed at the project planning level. However, the TPB Access for All Advisory (AFA) Committee has developed several recommendations to improve transportation services for people with disabilities and older adults.
The TPB became more involved with human service transportation coordination efforts to improve transportation for low-income populations, persons with disabilities and older adults. The TPB established a Task Force to work on this topic, approved a Coordinated Human Service Transportation Plan in April 2007 and conducted its first solicitation for Job Access Reverse Commute and New Freedom Funds as the designated recipient for these Federal Transit Administration programs in the Washington DC-VA-MD Urbanized Area. The preparation of the Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan was coordinated and is consistent with the CLRP.
The TPB has a more involved role in this area and serves as a designated recipient for two funding programs.
Financial Constraint
The financial plan for the 2007 CLRP demonstrates that the forecast revenues reasonably expected to be available are equal to the estimated costs of expanding and adequately maintaining and operating the highway and transit system in the region through 2030. Forecast revenues and expenditures for the CLRP total $159 billion in year of expenditure dollars for the 24-year period of 2007 to 2030.
The comprehensive financial plan for the 2006 CLRP was updated for the 2007 CLRP to show the forecasts of revenues and expenditures in year of expenditure dollars in addition to constant 2006 dollars. The forecasts were prepared by the transportation implementing agencies and jurisdictions, with technical integration and documentation provided by consultants.
Forecast revenues and estimated costs are in year of expenditure dollars.
Freight Planning
The TPB is committed to giving full consideration to freight and goods movement in the overall regional transportation plan, through enhanced consideration of freight movement information, a regional freight planning committee, and additional stakeholder outreach and input activities. In 2007, TPB commissioned a freight planning study for the metropolitan area. The study found that annually approximately $200 billion of goods are transported to, from or within the Washington region, with an additional estimated $1.2 trillion of goods traveling through the region (through-trips). This freight movement, critical to the region's economy, has impacts on and is impacted by the region's congestion.
With the assistance of and in cooperation with the transportation implementing agencies in the region, the TPB has prepared a listing of projects for which federal funds have been obligated each year since 2001.
Metropolitan Planning Agreement
In the Washington Metropolitan region, the roles and responsibilities involving the TPB, the three state DOTs, the local government transportation agencies, WMATA and the state and local government public transportation operators for cooperatively carrying out transportation planning and programming have been established over several years. As required under the final planning regulations, the TPB, the state DOTs and the public transportation operators have documented their transportation planning roles and responsibilities in the Washington Metropolitan Region in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that is anticipated to be executed by all parties in January 2008.
Certification Review
The Federal Highway (FHWA) and Transit (FTA) Administrations in a Certification Review dated March 16, 2006 determined that the transportation planning process of the TPB meet the federal planning requirements and jointly certified the planning process. The review included 9 commendations and 16 recommendations which have been addressed in subsequent TPB work activities.
Cycle and Updates
The TPB updates both the CLRP and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) every year. Typically, projects are submitted for inclusion in the air quality conformity analysis of the CLRP in the winter or spring, are released for public comment, and then are approved by the TPB for air quality conformity testing. A travel demand and emissions analysis is conducted, and then the Draft CLRP, TIP and air quality conformity analysis are released for another public comment period in late summer or fall, after which time the TPB is asked to approve the three documents.
Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)
Each year, the TPB adopts a Unified Planning Work Program that incorporates all federally-assisted state, regional and local transportation planning activities proposed to be undertaken in one document. The FY2008 UPWP describes all work activities utilizing federal funding and details the tasks and budgets that will be accomplished each year to meet the federal planning requirements, such as preparing the TIP and updating the CLRP.
A Participation Plan has been developed that articulates the TPB’s commitment to a transparent interface with the public and with relevant public agencies to support the regional transportation planning process, including the development of the CLRP. The long-range plan had two public comment periods during its development; the first was held in the spring of 2007 on the projects to be included in the air quality conformity analysis, and the second was held on the Draft long-range Plan, draft improvement program (TIP) and draft air quality conformity determination. A public forum was held on the development of the TIP on October 11, 2007. In addition, Google Earth was used to help the public better visualize the transportation projects included in the CLRP, and allows users to zoom in on projects of interest, and click an icon to get more information.
The TPB has two standing citizen committees: The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), the main standing body for providing citizen input into the deliberations of the TPB; and the Access for All (AFA) Advisory Committee which provides input to the TPB on concerns of low-income individuals, minority individuals and persons with disabilities.
Every day, transportation agencies handle incidents such as crashes and breakdowns on their systems. But in incidents that become large-scale, such as those necessitating an official declaration of an emergency from a chief official, transportation becomes one of a number of support functions to a public safety agency-led response.
TPB coordinates with COG's Emergency Transportation Committee that, with police, fire, emergency management, and others, is a part of the COG structure of public safety programs. The Committee, through the Regional Emergency Coordination Plan addresses Transportation's role regarding emergency response, coordination, and recovery during and after a declared or other major emergency.
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a 6-year financial program that describes the schedule for obligating federal funds to state and local projects. The TIP contains funding information for all modes of transportation including highways and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities as well as transit capital and operating costs. The TIP represents an agency's intent to construct or implement a specific project and the anticipated flow of federal funds and matching state or local contributions. State, regional and local transportation agencies update the TIP each year to reflect priority projects in the CLRP. A public forum was held on the development of the TIP on October 11, 2007. The Draft FY 2008-2013 TIP is available online.
The Transportation Safety Element of the CLRP integrates the important topic of safety in the planning process, including tracking safety funding in the TIP, sharing best practices, regional traffic safety data compilation and sharing, participation in the State Highway Safety planning process, and coordination of the metropolitan planning aspects of state, regional, and local safety efforts, especially education and enforcement. A Transportation Safety Subcommittee of the TPB advises staff on the Safety Element and Safety programs.
The TPB conducts a yearly "Street Smart" campaign to raise awareness and promote safer behavior among drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
