Transportation (What You Need to Know)

1. Transportation(What You Need to Know) Matt Day, AICP CTP Principal Planner Triangle J Council of Governments

2. Today’s Agenda • Key Players & Their Roles • How we Plan for Projects • How Projects get Funded • Funding Exercise! • My Project is Funded – What’s Next? • Key Considerations at the Local Level • We will have two 15-minute breaks, around 9:30 and 10:45

3. Key Players in Transportation • NCDOT • Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) • Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs) • Municipalities • Counties • Special Authorities • Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) • Federal Transit Administration (FTA) • Each has a specific role in the transportation decision-making process and service/project delivery

4. NCDOT • NCDOT owns and maintains most roads in the state: • All public roads outside of municipalities • Most major streets within municipalities • 2nd largest system of state roads in US (after Texas) • I-, US-, NC-, and SR- • This arrangement originated in the Great Depression, when many counties were defaulting due to loans they had taken for road improvements in the 1920s. The state agreed to take over the debt as well as the road system. • As a result, there are no county roads in NC.

5. NCDOT • Divided into 14 field divisions with offices around the state. • Each Division is headed by a Division Engineer. • Divisions are responsible for managing project development and delivery for most projects (some large projects are managed centrally in Raleigh). • Divisions are further subdivided into Districts, led by a District Engineer. • The District Engineer is often the first point of contact for local issues. Most districts cover a few counties. • Each county also has a maintenance yard where maintenance staff and equipment are located.

6. NCDOT

7. NCDOT • Major functions in Raleigh include: • Planning • Programming • Modal Divisions (Transit, Rail, Aviation, Bicycle/Pedestrian) – ferry division located at coast • Preconstruction (project development & design) – much of this has been moved out to Divisions to manage • Mobility & Safety • DMV • Finance/Administration • In recent years, NCDOT has increasingly used consultants to perform preconstruction work, with NCDOT staff in an administrative/oversight role. You may be contacted directly by consultants regarding projects in development.

8. NCDOT Key Policies • Complete Streets and Bicycle/Pedestrian Policies • Statewide Plan and related Modal Plans • Roadway Design Standards • Local Project Management Office • NCDOT has accelerated many projects in recent years in order to spend down a cash balance that had built up over the years. This is expected to slow down as the cash balance decreases.

9. MPOs & RPOs • There are 18 Rural Planning Organizations and 19 Metropolitan Planning Organizations in NC. • MPOs and RPOs are the primary conduit for information-sharing and decision-making between NCDOT and local partners. • MPO boundaries must include at least the area designated by the Census Bureau as an urbanized area with a population of 50,000 or more, plus areas expected to become urban in the next 20 years. • RPOs cover areas that are outside of MPO boundaries.

10. MPOs & RPOs

11. Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs) • Created in early 2000s through state statute (GS 136-212) • Created in response to Federal requirement that states have a process for consulting with rural governments on transportation issues Four Core Duties in Law: • Developing plans (in coordination with NCDOT) • Forum for public participation • Prioritizing project suggestions for STIP • Providing transportation-related information to local governments and citizens

12. RPO Organization • By law, RPOs must include at least 3 contiguous counties or have a total population of at least 50,000 • Each RPO has a Lead Planning Agency (LPA) that serves as the administrative and technical staff • The LPA for most RPOs is a Council of Governments, but there are three RPOs with a county as the LPA • 80% of funding comes from NCDOT (pass-through Federal “Statewide Planning & Research” funds) • 20% of funding comes from local governments

13. RPO Committees • The Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) typically includes staff members from local jurisdictions and NCDOT, and sometimes additional agencies such as a COG or transit agency • The TCC is an advisory committee that makes recommendations to the TAC • The Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) typically includes elected officials from local jurisdictions and members of the North Carolina Board of Transportation representing NCDOT • The TAC is the RPO’s decision making body

14. Important RPO Products & Activities • Comprehensive Transportation Plans – long-range multimodal plans developed cooperatively with NCDOT and local governments • Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) Project Prioritization – bi-annual process of submitting and scoring projects for funding

15. Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) • MPOs have a very similar structure to RPOs, but with a few important differences: • MPOs are created by Federal law rather than state law • MPOs have dedicated federal funding to pay for planning activities (PL funds) • MPOs must develop a fiscally-constrained Metropolitan Tranportation Plan (typically a subset of the MPO’s CTP) • MPOs must adopt a local Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) • Most MPOs are administered by cities, but a few are administered by COGs

16. Large MPOs - TMAs • MPOs with an urbanized population over 200,000 are designated as Transportation Management Areas (TMAs) • TMAs get access to a set-aside from two federal funding sources, and get to choose how to spend that funding on projects • Surface Transportation Block Grant Directly Attributable (STBGDA) – can be used on any type of surface transportation project eligible for federal funding • Transportation Alternatives Program Directly Attributable (TAPDA) – can be used on certain types of alternative projects (typically bicycle/ pedestrian projects)

17. Municipalities • Cities and towns maintain their own local streets • Provide and maintain sidewalks, greenways, and other bike/ped infrastructure • Some municipalities operate transit services • Administer and provide matching funds for federally-funded local projects (Transportation Alternatives, STBGDA, Off-system bridge, etc.) • Receive Powell Bill funds from NCDOT based on formula (75% population, 25% lane miles of roads) – to be used on street maintenance primarily, but can also be used as local match for federally-funded projects • Some municipalities operate airports, train stations, or other multimodal facilities

18. Counties • Counties do not maintain roads, but are permitted to contribute funding to roads if they desire to • Typically operate and/or fund a rural/community transit service, either for a single county or as part of a regional system • NCDOT typically consults with counties regarding maintenance, resurfacing, paving, and acceptance of SR roads • Counties are beginning to get involved in activities they typically did not in the past, such as: • Constructing greenways, sidewalks, and bike/ped facilities • Funding urban transit projects (through county sales taxes)

19. Special Authorities/Agencies • Established to operate a specific service or facility • Examples: • Regional Transit Authority • Airport Authority • Independent Transit Agency • Role of local government in the authority, and role of the authority in the MPO/RPO will vary based on the specific situation

20. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)/Federal Transit Administration (FTA) • Primarily a source of funding • Formula funding that goes to NCDOT for administration • Most funds require a 20% match from non-federal sources • STBGDA & TAPDA go to large MPOs by formula • FTA urban formula funds go directly to transit agencies; rural funds are administered by NCDOT as grant program • Policies enacted by attaching them to funding • Example: Raising drinking age to 21 nationwide was linked to federal transportation funding

21. Transportation Planning • Statewide Plans • Comprehensive Transportation Plans (CTPs) • Metropolitan Transportation Plans (MTPs) • Transit Plans • Bicycle/Pedestrian/ Greenway Plans • Collector Street Plans • Capital Improvement Programs • Local Comprehensive Plans • Corridor Studies • Feasibility Studies

22. NCDOT Statewide Plans • Develop a Statewide Plan that outlines high-level policy recommendations and broad funding priorities • Currently working on a “2050 Plan” with multiple opportunities for public input Other Recent Plans: • Statewide Transit Plan • Statewide Bicycle/ Pedestrian Plan • Statewide Freight Plan • Statewide Rail Plan • Strategic Transportation Corridors

23. Comprehensive Transportation Plans (CTPs) • Fundamental record of local transportation needs • In RPO areas, this is cooperatively developed by the RPO and NCDOT, and adopted directly by local governments (typically but not exclusively complete plans at the countywide level) • In MPO areas, the CTP is developed and adopted by the MPO • Long-range plan – typically looking out 25-30 years • Plan recommendations are conceptual – not detailed designs • Multi-modal – include roads, transit, rail, bicycle, and pedestrian • NCDOT is rolling out a new format this year called CTP 2.0

24. Comprehensive Transportation Plans (CTPs) • Required by GS 136-66.2 • Intended to work in tandem with a land use plan to identify likely areas for future needs • Source of projects to be submitted for funding • Can be used by the local government as a tool for corridor protection as development occurs • NOT FISCALLY CONSTRAINED • Intent is to identify needs regardless of cost • However, cost can be considered as an aid in alternative analysis or prioritization/timing of projects

25. Moore County CTP Example

26. Moore County CTP Example

27. Moore County CTP Example

28. Moore County CTP Example

29. Moore County CTP Example

30. Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) • Federally required for all MPOs • Must identify projects that can reasonably be funded with anticipated revenues • Must look out at least 20 years • Must be updated at least every 4-5 years (depending on air quality requirements) • Typically, MTP projects are a subset of CTP projects • Must address items outlined in federal law • No standard format; flexibility • Adopted by MPO

31. CAMPO MTP Example

32. CAMPO MTP Example

33. Transit Plans • Most transit agency plans focus on the short-term (3-5 years) • Works well for operational planning, but timelines can be difficult for capital planning if NCDOT funding is required (often more than 5 years out) – CTPs could help with this • NCDOT works with rural systems on developing plans • Counties/communities with major investments planned typically have plans to support those • Example – Durham-Orange LRT • County Transit Plans that support/relate to sales tax measure • Federal New Starts planning and design process

34. Bicycle & Pedestrian Plans • NCDOT has a Planning Grant program for municipalities and small counties • Requires a local match • Typically either a bicycle plan or pedestrian plan, but combined plans allowed in some cases • Some cities/counties develop plans on their own • Some regions have plans • Statewide and county-level bicycle routes • Coordination with Parks & Rec planning, particularly with regard to greenways

35. Corridor Studies • Corridor studies come in a variety of flavors, ranging from relatively basic analyses of future traffic flow/operations in a corridor to complex analyses of multiple modes of transportation and multiple land use/development scenarios. • These studies are typically done in corridors where a more detailed level of analysis than could be accomplished through a CTP is desired, such as corridors with traffic operational issues (as opposed to straight-forward capacity issues).

36. Example Corridor Study: NC 211 in Moore County • Widening project underway at time • Growth area • Desire to control proliferation of signals and driveways as the area develops in future and ensure continued mobility • Projected future traffic and calculated measures of effectiveness for a no-build scenario and a superstreet scenario • Developed recommendations that NCDOT and locals can use in reviewing future driveway/road connections and as potential street improvements for future funding

37. Feasibility Studies & Express Designs • NCDOT generally conducts feasibility studies when there is not enough information known about a project to be able to program it properly – for example, if no prior planning or environmental work has been done • The primary product is a refined cost estimate and brief report. Sometimes, but not always, the study will look at multiple alternatives. • NCDOT has started doing more express designs on projects submitted for STI funding in order to confirm cost estimates

38. Collector Street Plans • The CTP/MTP generally focus on higher-level roadways that might be funded at the state level • Some areas use collector street plans as a method to fill in the network gaps • Especially useful in areas where growth is anticipates, to guide the spacing and alignment of future subdivision collector streets

39. Capital Improvement Plans • Local jurisdictions create Capital Improvement Plans to establish a funding program for local funds • Example: A town wants to construct a sidewalk with it’s own funds, and plans out revenue sources and costs over a several-year period • Example: A county received funding for a greenway through NCDOT, but must make plans for how it will supply the local match at the time it is necessary

40. Transportation Element of Comprehensive Plans • Local jurisdictions develop their own comprehensive plans (land use plans, development plans, etc.) that often include transportation elements • These should be coordinated with CTPs, bike/ped plans, transit plans, collector street plans, and other studies as appropriate • Recommendations from these plans should be shared with the MPO/RPO to ensure they get reflected in the next transportation plan updates

41. Funding Process (STI) • Strategic Transportation Investments (STI) was a law passed in 2013 that codified the process for selecting transportation projects for funding, and changed the funding allocation formulas. It replaced the 1989 “Equity Formula”. • STI was first applied in Prioritization 3.0 (P1.0 and 2.0 operated under the old rules). • MPOs/RPOs have two important roles in the STI process: • Submitting projects for considerations/scoring and • Assigning local input points to projects after NCDOT completes the quantitative scoring • We are finishing P5.0 this winter, and will begin submitting P6.0 projects in Summer 2019.

42. State Funding Source Motor Fuel Tax 50% Allocation Funds Sources Highway Fund Legislative Appropriations 71% 60% Total State Revenues (Maintenance & Operation) SFY 2017 29% ≈85% DMV Fees 30% ≈15% Highway Trust Fund Statutory Directed (including Federal-aid match) 40% Total State Revenues (Capital) Highway Use Tax 20% 100% 5

43. Sources, Funds & Distribution Highway Fund Highway Trust Fund + Federal Aid $1,112M

44. How does the STI formula work? • The STI applies to capital projects and includes all funding sources that go to capital improvements (Highway Trust Fund, most Federal funding sources) • STI does not apply to operations or maintenance projects (typically paid from Highway Fund) • STI funding is divided into three main categories: • Statewide Mobility (40% of funds) • Regional Impact (30% of funds) • Division Needs (30% of funds)

45. Statewide Mobility Category • Major highways, major airports, and Class 1 railroad projects are eligible for this category. • 40% of funding goes to this category • 100% of scoring for these projects is based on quantitative factors (no local input points) • Projects in this category are competing at the statewide level

46. Regional Impact Category • Eligibility: All statewide-category projects plus all other US & NC routes, smaller commercial-service airports, multi-county transit services, and certain ferry projects • Projects in this category are competing at the regional level • 30% of funding goes to this category. Each Region gets a share based on its population. • 70% of scoring for these projects is based on quantitative factors • 30% of scoring is based on local input points (currently divided with equal weight between MPOs/RPOs and NCDOT Division Engineers)

47. Regional Impact Category

48. Division Needs Category • Eligibility: All statewide- and regional-category projects plus all SR routes, general aviation airports, other transit services, most ferry projects, and all bicycle/pedestrian projects • All projects are eligible in this category • 30% of funding goes to this category. Each Division gets an equal share • 50% of scoring for these projects is based on quantitative factors • 50% of scoring is based on local input points (currently divided with equal weight between MPOs/RPOs and NCDOT Division Engineers) • Projects in this category are competing at the division level

49. Division Needs Category

50. How do Projects get Considered for Funding? • Projects can be entered one of two ways: • By the RPO/MPO • By the local NCDOT Division • Each Division gets a flat number of projects to enter (14 per mode this cycle) • MPOs/RPOs get a number of projects proportionate to population and road mileage (22 per mode this cycle for Triangle Area RPO) • Most MPOs/RPOs have a committee or project request process they use to solicit project requests from member governments and the public • In P6.0, this submittal window will be in Summer 2019. • There are typically some projects that automatically carry forward for rescoring from previous rounds and do not need to be resubmitted