N.C.
CAPITAL AREA
METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION
TRANSPORTATION
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
January 28,
2009
3:00 pm –
5:00 pm
RDU Airport Authority Center
1000 Trade Dr.
RDU Airport
AGENDA
1. Preliminaries
2. Adjustments to the Agenda
3. Public Comments
This is an opportunity for
comments by those in attendance on items not on the agenda. Please limit
comments to three minutes for each speaker.
4. Election of Officers
for 2009
The
Bylaws of the Capital Area MPO TAC (Attachment
4A) specify that the Chair and Vice-Chair shall
be elected annually at the first regularly scheduled meeting of the calendar
year. The newly elected Chair and Vice-Chair shall take office immediately
following the election.
TAC Action: Receive nominations
and elect Chair and Vice-Chair for 2009.
Consent Agenda
All items on the consent
agenda are considered to be routine and may be enacted by one motion. If a
Councilor requests discussion on an item, the item will be removed from the
consent agenda and considered separately.
5. Approval of Minutes of
the November 19, 2008 TAC Meeting.
The
minutes of the November 19, 2008 TAC meeting, are enclosed as Attachment 5A.
TAC
Action: Approval of the minutes of the November 19,
2008 TAC meeting.
6. 2009-2015
Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP) Amendment #1
Town of Cary
– Public Transportation Program
Annually,
Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 revenues are allocated to the
Town of Cary as part of the regional Memorandum of Understanding between the City
of Raleigh, the Triangle Transit Authority and the Town of Cary. The allocation
of 5307 funds increased above original projections and corresponding amendments
to the 2009-2015 MTIP and State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) need
to be made for the Town of Cary to fully utilize its share of these additional
funds (not necessary for the City of Raleigh and TTA). The Town of Cary therefore requests approval
from the TAC of this Amendment (#1) to the Capital Area MPO 2009-2015 MTIP in
order to utilize these additional eligible FTA Section 5307 funds for FY2009-2015. The local share has also been increased to
reflect the additional local funds dedicated to the Cary transit system. Attachment 6A
is a copy of the proposed Amendment #1 to the Capital Area MPO 2009-2015
MTIP and the accompanying resolution, as requested by the Town of Cary which has the concurrence and support of the City of Raleigh CAT and TTA staff.
TAC
Action: Approve Amendment #1 to the 2009-2015 MTIP to
reflect increased Section 5307 funding to the Town of Cary from the FTA.
7.
Safe Routes to School Applications
Safe Routes to School is a
national and international movement to enable and encourage children, including
those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school. SRTS programs are
comprehensive efforts that look at ways to make walking and bicycling to school
a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thus encouraging a
healthy and active lifestyle from an early age.
The NCDOT Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS) is a federally funded program
that was initiated by the passing of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) in 2005. SAFETEA-LU
established a national SRTS program to distribute funding and institutional
support to implement SRTS programs in states and communities across the
country.
SRTS programs facilitate
planning, development, and implementation of projects and activities that will
improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption, and air pollution in the
vicinity of schools. SRTS programs consider infrastructure enhancements to
provide a safe physical environment for bicycling and walking. The program also
emphasizes non-infrastructure approaches to educate and educate communities on
how to demonstrate ways to safely take advantage of walking and bicycling
opportunities in their neighborhoods.
Attachment
7A provides an overview of applications submitted by
member agencies and the accompanying endorsement resolution. These applications will not be reviewed by
NCDOT unless MPO endorsement is received.
TAC Action: Endorse NCDOT Safe Routes to School Program
applications from Capital Area MPO Members.
8. NCDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning
Grant Applications
The NCDOT Divisions
Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation, along with the Transportation Planning
Branch provide funding grants totaling $400,000 to municipalities throughout
the state. The funds for this program are from earmark funds specifically set
aside for bicycle and pedestrian planning.
Applications were to be submitted directly to NCDOT by December 3, 2008.
An endorsement by the TAC is required before NCDOT will consider these
projects.
Attachment
8A is a table describing the applications submitted by
member agencies and the accompanying endorsement resolution.
TAC Action: Endorse NCDOT bicycle and pedestrian planning
grant applications from Capital Area MPO members.
THIS IS THE END OF THE Consent Agenda
9. 2035
Long-Range Transportation Plan Update
Staff, along with the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPO, Triangle
Transit, Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG) and the Triangle Regional
Model Service Bureau, has been working for the last year to develop the MPO’s updated fiscally constrained 2035 Long-Range
Transportation Plan (LRTP).
The Capital Area MPO TCC held a work-session on June 5, 2008 to discuss
the LRTP, funding projections and strategies for project selection; and staffs
of the two MPOs have been working closely to
coordinate development and public input items for the plan update.
During June and July this collaborative “study team” worked to create a
series of highway and transit investment alternatives that were then
modeled. The results from the model runs
were reviewed and analyzed in both the professional and public realms as the
two MPOs developed the “Preferred Alternative” LRTP;
which was scheduled for adoption in December, 2008. Staff of the MPO has been participating in
meetings with the region’s elected and business leadership to keep them
informed of upcoming deadlines, as well as discussing the benefits of creating
a single consolidated LRTP.
On
October 29, the TACs of the two MPOs
held a joint meeting at the Research Triangle Foundation headquarters in RTP to
receive updates on the progress of the LRTP development and reached consensus
on alternative R3 (continuous light rail) for the preferred transit scenario if
determined to be feasible, both financially and technically. The LRTP was released for public review in
early November and the TAC held a public hearing at its meeting on November 19,
2008 (held open to provide the opportunity to receive further comments at this
meeting). Several public workshops on
the LRTP were scheduled and held in the following locations:
December 9
- Fuquay-Varina (Town Hall)
December 10 - Youngsville
(Town Hall)
December 11 - Apex
(Town Hall)
December 15 - Wendell
(Town Hall)
December 17 - Creedmoor
(Town Hall)
January 8 - Raleigh (Municipal
Building Room 305)
January 12 - Wendell Town Council Presentation
January 13 - Morrisville Town Council Presentation (Town Hall)
January 22 - Clayton
(Town Hall)
Attachment 9A
provides a summary of the latest information on the current status of proposed
2035 LRTP projects based on the most recent revenue information. A presentation
will be made at the meeting providing additional data.
In
order to meet the June 15, 2009 deadline for federal approval of the 2035 LRTP
(after the Air Quality conformity determination), it is essential for the
pre-AQ plan to be approved at the February 2009 TCC and TAC meetings.
TAC Action: Receive Draft 2035 LRTP for discussion and
action as appropriate. Continue Public
Hearing held open from November 19, 2008 to receive comments.
10. Action Plan for Public Transportation in Wake County
During 2007, the Special Transit Advisory Committee was
commissioned by the Capital Area and Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro MPOs to provide a plan for Transit investments in the
Triangle Region. In May of 2008, the final “STAC” report was published with a
recommendation of Buses, Circulators, 56 miles of Rail (assuming Diesel
Multiple Units and Light Rail). The report
also assumed no federal funding assistance on the first phase of the project
but did assume a ½ cent sales tax (exempting food and drugs) and a vehicle
registration fee increase to $10, to be approved by voter referendum, as the
recommended funding method.
Subsequent to that report, a group of Wake
County elected officials and business
and community leaders has been exploring, with the technical assistance of
Triangle Transit and others, a proposed action plan for Wake
County to move forward on implementing
improved transit services in Wake
County.
At the November 19, 2008 TAC meeting, several questions
were asked relative to this plan. Attachment
10A provides responses to those questions.
David King, General Manager of Triangle Transit will
present updated information on the current status of the Wake County Transit
Initiative proposal and will be available for questions. Attachment 10B
is a copy of the PowerPoint presentation which has been presented recently on
this initiative.
TAC
Action:
Receive information
concerning Action Plan for Public
Transportation in Wake
County
for review and action as appropriate.
11. American
Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009
Enactment of an economic stimulus recovery plan from Congress
is anticipated in the near future under a bill entitled the “American Recovery
and Reinvestment Bill of 2009.” This bill,
in its current form contains targeted efforts in:
• Clean, Efficient,
American Energy
• Transforming our
Economy with Science and Technology
• Modernizing
Roads, Bridges, Transit and Waterways
• Education for the
21st Century
• Tax Cuts to Make
Work Pay and Create Jobs
• Lowering
Healthcare Costs
• Helping Workers
Hurt by the Economy
• Saving Public
Sector Jobs and Protect Vital Services
In
anticipation of this bill’s enactment, NCDOT is preparing to be in a position
to deliver projects as quickly as possible after enactment. NCDOT’s plan is to
rely on projects that can be let in a very short time frame and have a cash
payout that is equally compact with the primary focus of the plan is preserving
and creating jobs.
It
is anticipated that projects will be selected that will demonstrate geographic
diversity, broad scopes and of benefit to a wide range of industry
partners. In preparation, assumptions
for evaluation of projects have been made, and basic guidelines and a submittal
spreadsheet have been prepared for submittal of highway, bicycle/pedestrian and
transit candidate projects.
The
criteria below are currently being anticipated for use in evaluating projects:
-100% Federal funding
-Under contract within 180 days
-Cash payout within 24 months
-Category neutral
-No earmarking
-Equity formula distribution
Attachment
11A is
a copy of the proposed bill. Attachment 11B
contains project guidelines and a submittal spreadsheet. Attachment 11C is a resolution which would endorse
in concept the utilization of potential economic stimulus funds anticipated by
enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009, calling for
NCDOT to improve maintenance on state-owned secondary roads (both non-highway
urban arterials and county roads); by accelerating repaving as well as
providing wide and better maintained shoulders that would improve motorist,
bicyclist, and pedestrian safety, and
to incorporate those projects that have already been submitted by the local
governments in our region to NCDOT and to Governor Perdue as candidate stimulus
projects (Attachment 11D).
On December 19, 2008, The North Carolina
Metropolitan Mayors Coalition released a list today containing $2.8 billion of
ready to go infrastructure projects that demonstrated local government’s
ability to put the federal stimulus dollars to work quickly on projects that
will create nearly 100,000 jobs. A copy
of the press release and list of projects identified in the Capital Area MPO
planning area is enclosed as Attachment 11E.
The
Federal Transit Administration also requested that MPOs
and other entities identify potential projects immediately. FTA also plans to make grant awards as soon
as possible after legislation is enacted (possibly mid-February). Attachment 11F
contains information from FTA regarding submittal requirements including a
spreadsheet for submittals, information on Air Quality Conformity Exemptions
and Categorical Exclusions.
TAC
Action:
Receive information
concerning NCDOT and FTA’s plans to select projects
authorized by enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009
and the draft Capital Area MPO’s resolution endorsing
concepts for use of these funds, for discussion and action as appropriate.
12. Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality
(CMAQ) Program
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is
soliciting proposals for candidate transportation projects to be considered for
funding under the Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement
Program in an effort to expend the remaining balance of target allocations
established in October 2004. Any Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) or
Rural Planning Organization (RPO) currently retaining a balance has been
invited to develop and submit candidate project proposals to expend this
balance.
NC State University’s NC Solar Center (NCSC) is applying
for $1.2 M in “statewide” CMAQ funding
from the NC Department of Transportation for the Clean Fuel Advanced Technology
(CFAT) II project. NCSC is asking that each MPO representing an eligible CMAQ
county send a letter of support or pass a resolution endorsing the CFAT II
project stating that if approved for funding by DOT, the CFAT II project will
be included in their local transportation plans.
Funding for CFAT II will not come out of MPO/RPO CMAQ
funds, rather the $1.2 M being requested is unallocated funds from the 2004
call for “statewide” projects.
This project will reduce transportation related emissions
through education and outreach, Mobile CARE - an initiative to recognize
exemplary efforts to expand the use of alternative fuels and advanced
transportation technologies, and sub-awards grants in CMAQ eligible counties
for emission reduction projects such as the purchase of alternative fuel and
heavy duty hybrid electric vehicles, development of refueling infrastructure,
diesel retrofit and idle reduction technologies. Attachment 12A is a copy of the project overview for CFAT II and Attachment
12B is a copy of the CMAQ “call for projects” and schedule from
NCDOT. Attachment 12C is
a draft resolution in support of the CFAT II CMAQ project.
TAC Action: Receive information concerning the CMAQ call for
project submittal for discussion and consideration of adoption of a resolution
of support for the NCSC project submittal.
13. Reports from the TCC Chair
Chip Russell, TCC Chair
14. MPO
Staff Reports
Ed Johnson, MPO Director
15. NCDOT
Reports
Scott Walston/Rupal Desai –
Transportation Planning Branch
Richard Greene - Division 4
Wally
Bowman/Joey Hopkins - Division 5
Terry Gibson
- Division 6
16. Other Business and Pending Items
The
Capital Area MPO 2009 annual solicitation for applications for Job Access
Reverse Commute (JARC) and New Freedom Fund projects should follow the schedule
below:
MPO issues solicitation of projects January 19, 2009
Application workshop February 11, 2009
Applications due March 13, 2009
TCC Transit/TDM Subcommittee review and score
period March 23 – April 20, 2009
TCC action on Transit Subcommittee
recommendations May 7, 2009
TAC action on TCC recommendations May 20, 2009
Adjourn
PENDING ITEMS
Item #01 – Comprehensive Transportation Plan (Spring/Summer 2009)
UPCOMING MEETINGS
February 5, 2009 -
Capital Area MPO TCC Meeting -
10:00 am – Noon
Room 809 - One
Exchange Plaza,
Raleigh, NC
February 18, 2009 -
Capital Area MPO TAC Meeting
Wake
County Commons - 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
4012
Carya Drive, Raleigh, NC
