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Transportation Planning Update

Winter Edition 2007 Jody McCullough Transportation Planner, FHWA Office of Planning Co-Editor Ben Williams Metropolitan Planning Specialist, FHWA Resource Center Co-Editor The Transportation Planning Update is a quarterly newsletter providing information to the transportation planning community. Articles are written and submitted by Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration staff to promote the sharing of ideas, highlighting of good practices and informing of current events. In This Issue SAFETEA-LU Planning Impacts New Associate Administrator TCSP Environment Visualization Land Use and Transportation Air Quality Public Involvement / CIA Transportation Data Division Happenings National Preservation Awards Freight Planning Headquarter Staff Move Transit Let’s Talk Planning National Scenic Byways Scheduled Training Opportunities Calendar of Events SAFETEA-LU Planning Impacts Statewide and Metropolitan Planning Rule Published The Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration are pleased to announce that the Final Rule on statewide and metropolitan transportation planning and programming and congestion management processes / systems was published in the February 14, 2007, Federal Register Page 7223-7286. Links to the TEXT and PDF versions of the Final Rule can be found at: Final Rule on statewide and metropolitan transportation planning and programming and congestion management processes / systems HTML version Final Rule on statewide and metropolitan transportation planning and programming and congestion management processes / systems PDF version This joint regulation reflects the recent enactment of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) (Public Law 109-59, August 10, 2005), as well as incorporates changes initiated in its predecessor legislation, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (Public Law 105-178, June 9, 1998). The effective date of this Final Rule is March 16, 2007. The former rules on statewide and metropolitan transportation planning and programming (based initially on ISTEA) were more than 13 years old. Revised rules significantly benefit the States, MPOs, and public transportation operators by establishing a clear, updated set of FHWA/FTA expectations for conducting "3-C’ transportation planning in the 21st Century. While the general “look and feel" of these new rules may resemble the former rules, there are several key new provisions, such as: • An expanded list of terms and definitions related to transportation planning and programming; • The development of four-year TIPs and STIPs at least every four years (pursuant to SAFETEA-LU); • New SAFETEA-LU consultations in statewide and metropolitan transportation planning; • Clarification of FHWA/FTA expectations on fiscal constraint and financial plans; • Updated provisions and supporting information on strengthening the linkages between transportation planning and project development/NEPA; and • Development of the Annual Listing of Obligated Projects. In the next few weeks, FHWA and FTA will be announcing a number of outreach opportunities on the Final Rule, including a national webcast hosted by the Center for Transportation and the Environment at North Carolina State University. New Associate Administrator On February 16, 2007, the FHWA Administrator, Rick Capka, announced that Gloria M. Shepherd will assume the duties of Associate Administrator for Planning, Environment, and Realty. Previously Gloria currently served as Director, Office of Planning, where she was the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) principal advocate for metropolitan and statewide planning and programs. Gloria joined FHWA in 1999 as a career member of the Senior Executive Service. Prior to joining FHWA, she held key positions with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT). She served as Staff Director of MDOT’s Transportation Solutions Group and Deputy Director, Office of Planning and Preliminary Engineering. She also served as Chief of Staff at the New York State Department of Transportation. Gloria has earned several educational degrees, including a Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from Albany Law School of Union University and is a member of the New York State Bar. In addition, she has earned Doctorate, Master’s, and Bachelor’s Degrees of Arts. TCSP Section 1117 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users provides funding for the Transportation, Community, and System Preservation (TCSP) Program. The Federal Highway Administration is currently soliciting grant applications to generate viable candidate projects for FY 2007 funding. The candidate projects must meet the eligibility criteria for the TCSP Program and will be evaluated on the selection criteria established for the TCSP Program. FHWA will be operating under a continuing resolution basically at FY 2006 funding levels through the remainder of the fiscal year. For the TCSP Program, the FY 2006 obligation authority was $51,893,325. Grant applications must be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format. For additional information, see the grant solicitation on the TCSP Program website or Contact: Kenneth Petty at 202-366-6654 or kenneth.petty@dot.gov. Environment Planning & Environment Linkages FHWA’s Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) initiative is engaged in several activities for 2007 to support state and local transportation agencies as they implement PEL concepts. PEL represents an approach to transportation decision-making that considers environmental, community and economic goals early in the planning stage and continues through project development, design and construction. Some PEL activities include: Focus states. FHWA will provide strategically applied assistance to a few selected state and local agencies attempting to make tangible gains in implementing PEL concepts. The type of assistance provided will depend on the agency’s needs. Current states selected include: California, Colorado, Maine, and Texas. Particular attention will be given to helping agencies with SAFETEA-LU Section 6001 implementation. Solicitation to Implement Ecosystem Approaches. This new competitive grant program arises from the Eco-Logical initiative, but has significant overlap with the concepts of PEL and integrated planning. It aims to support ecosystem-based approaches to planning and constructing transportation infrastructure and to conservation activities. The program, expected to be announced soon, will solicit proposals from cooperative efforts to conduct pilot projects addressing both transportation and conservation goals. PEL Checklist. This tool is intended for use by transportation agencies to identify and monitor areas of potential planning and environment linkages and determining progress in these areas. It can also serve as a ‘menu’ from which agencies can select specific linkage activities to advance. Once efforts have been initiated, this list can serve as a set of indicators where progress has been made and areas that need more resources or attention. Details on the checklist are available on the web. Other new products. This year will also focus on identifying supplemental information resources, including those addressing: effective practices, critical information gaps, and SAFETEA-LU 6001 provisions relating to mitigation, comparisons of resource conservation maps and plans and consultations with resource agencies. Also, FHWA is offering workshops on linking transportation and conservation planning (more detail below). Contact: Chester Fung at chester.fung@dot.gov or Michael Culp at michael.culp@dot.gov. Workshops Link Conservation and Transportation Planning Last year, FHWA, in partnership with NatureServe and Defenders of Wildlife, conducted 3 workshops entitled "Linking Conservation and Transportation Planning: Partnership in Action." to assist State DOTs, MPOs and State and Federal resource agencies to better coordinate and integrate transportation and conservation planning data and activities. The workshops were held in Arkansas, Colorado, and Arizona, and appear in FHWA’s "Successes in Stewardship" Newsletter, or the Defenders of Wildlife’s website. We are requesting additional States to volunteer to be a host for the 2007 workshops. FHWA has played a very proactive role in these workshops as they provide a great forum for building relationships, partnerships, and help in identifying ways in which transportation and environmental agencies can work together in meeting SAFETEA-LU Section 6001 environmental consultation requirements, better accomplishing linking planning and NEPA objectives, and working towards a more effective and efficient environmental review process. The Division will need to serve as a co-lead in coordinating with Partners and a Host Committee in order to customize the agenda to State needs, and ensure broad participation and smooth logistics. Contact: Michael Culp, michael.culp@dot.gov or 202-366-9229 Using State Wildlife Action Plans for Environmental Mitigation Strategies The passage of SAFETEA-LU on August 10, 2005 enacted Public Law 109-59 codified under 23 U.S.C 134/135 and 49 U.S.C. 5303(i)(2)(B) and 5304(f)(4) that requires statewide and metropolitan transportation plans to include a "discussion" of environmental mitigation strategies and activities. The "discussion" shall be developed with Federal, State, and Tribal wildlife, land management, and regulatory agencies. Metropolitan and statewide transportation plans must include a general discussion of potential impacts, avoidance and mitigation activities (at the policy/strategy level, not project-specific) and the comparison of transportation plans with available State conservation plans, maps, and inventories. Under the State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program and the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program (WCRP), each State has a Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) in place. Wildlife Action Plans are available. Defenders of Wildlife, have ranked the top twelve lead states by their proactive action plans. A copy of their report “Conservation Across the Landscape: A Review of the State Wildlife Action Plans” may be downloaded in PDF format. The state Wildlife Action Plan strategies have been developed in consultation with local stakeholders and reviewed by a National Advisory Acceptance Team, and helped to set a vision and plan of action for wildlife conservation and funding for each State. Each State's Wildlife Action Plan includes information on priority wildlife species and habitats, the issues that need to be addressed to restore viability of those species and habitats, and recommendations addressing those issues using a wide range of available data and recommendations from other planning efforts. In 2004, the State of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) released its State of Texas Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS). The purpose of the Texas CWCS is two-fold; the most important purpose is to develop a strategy that will assist the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and its conservation partners with the development of non-game initiatives and goals that will address the needs of animal species and habitats; the second is to meet the eight required elements of the State as part of the SWG Program. State of Texas’ Wildlife Action Plan: Contact: Kirk Fauver 512-536-5952 or kirk.fauver@dot.gov Visualization TRB 5th Annual International Visualization in Transportation Symposium and Workshop was held in Denver, Colorado, October 23, 2006. Technologies continue to evolve at a considerable pace and recent technologies like Google Earth®, 3D PDF®, Terrestrial & Airborne LIDAR, Driving Simulators, Construction Machine Control, and Steel Bridge Fabrication are gaining the awareness and interest of transportation organizations. Proceedings (draft) can be viewed on-line in an audio/visual format. Land Use and Transportation TELUS for Transit FTA planning staffs have been working with staff from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) at Rutgers University towards development of a transit application of its Transportation, Economic, and Land Use System (TELUS). In addition to a separate earmark in the Highways Title of SAFETEA-LU, NJIT received an earmark under the Transit Title (Section 3046) for continued development of TELUS. To date, Congress has appropriated $450,000 in FY 2006 funds. NJIT hosts the official TELUS website. In addition, an interesting article on the development of TELUS can be found at the LookSmart Website. Proposal development and initial activities will involve FTA staff, planning practitioners, and other stakeholders. It is anticipated that a Cooperative Agreement between FTA and NJIT will be in place no later than summer 2007. Contact FTA’s Darin Allan at darin.allan@dot.gov. Rhode Island Land Use The Rhode Island State Planning Council (the single statewide MPO) has prepared a glossy Executive Summary of Land Use 2025 aimed at a general audience. Land Use 2025 is the State’s plan for conservation and development in the 21st century. It is the major connective State Guide Plan element with policies, goals, objectives and strategies to coordinate municipal and state agency land use plans, regulations and projects. Maps contained in Land Use 2025 identify areas appropriate for both resource protection and development. Its preparation included the use of scenario planning concepts introduced to the State by an FHWA sponsored peer exchange in 2004. The brochure can be viewed and downloaded. Contact: Ralph Rizzo of the Rhode Island Division 401-528-4548 or Ralphj.rizzo@fhwa.dot.gov Placematters The PLACEMATTERS06 Conference took place in Denver, Colorado from October 19th to the 21st 2006. Information about this conference that is associated with www.placematters.org, an initiative of the Orton Family Foundation which seeks to improve the quality and sustainability of communities. The Placematters website is a useful resource for planners interested in methods and tools to improve planning and decision making. If you have questions or comments on the presentations, please email the Foundation at conference@placematters.org. Look for a hold the date announcement for COMMUNITYMATTERS07 in Burlington, Vermont. EPA Request for Applications: Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Are you trying to encourage specific smart growth techniques like transit-oriented development? Or direct your transportation investments to better support smart growth? Are you looking to use smart growth to reach economic development goals? Do you need help ensuring that school investments help your state or community meet multiple goals? Do you need to retrofit a commercial corridor? Or coordinate your community's smart growth design with an active aging program? The Development, Community, and Environment Division in U.S. EPA's Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation is responding to this need by issuing a request for applications for the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program. Through this program, a team of multidisciplinary experts will provide free technical assistance to communities, regions, or states that want to develop in ways that meet environmental and other local or regional goals. Communities, regions, and states around the country are interested in building stronger neighborhoods, protecting their environmental resources, enhancing public health, and planning for development, but they may lack the tools, resources, or information to achieve these goals. EPA can help applicants overcome these roadblocks by providing evaluation tools and expert analysis. EPA is soliciting applications from states or communities that want help with either policy analysis or public participatory processes. Selected communities will receive assistance in the form of a multi-day visit from a team of experts organized by EPA and other national partners to work with local leaders. Applications will be accepted until March 8, 2007. For more information and application materials, please go to the EPA Website. Contact: Mary Kay Bailey U.S. EPA: Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation 202-566-2859 Email bailey.marykay@epa.gov Transportation, Land Use, Planning, and Air Quality Conference FHWA is sponsoring the Transportation, Land Use, Planning, and Air Quality Conference at the Disney Coronado Springs Hotel in Orlando, Florida from July 9-11, 2007. The other co-sponsors include TRB, ASCE, A&WMA, US EPA, Iowa State University, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina State University. The conference will have three technical tracks - land use, transportation and air quality, and there will be about 70 technical papers presented as well as 6 workshops. For more information, please go to the Transportation, Land Use, Planning, and Air Quality Conference website. STAQS Conference Scheduled The Southern Transportation and Air Quality Summit 2007 is an event sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and EPA Regions 3, 4, and 6. It will be held August 28-30, 2007 in Savannah, Georgia, at the Hilton Savannah DeSoto Hotel. The purpose of the summit is to bring together stakeholders from both the transportation and air quality communities to discuss current and coming regulatory environment, technologies and current practices vital to the field of air quality and transportation. The summit is geared to practitioners involved with public agencies at all levels. A host of speakers from within the southern and eastern regions will present a number of key topics, best practices and latest information vital to transportation, planning, and air quality professionals. Contact: Mike Roberts, 404-562-3928, Michael.Roberts@fhwa.dot.gov. Public Involvement / CIA National CIA Practitioners Network FHWA had developed a new National CIA Practitioners Network to provide a forum to discuss transportation issues affecting the human environment and receive current technical information on Community Impact Assessment (CIA) issues. Brenda C. Kragh initiated this network to provide CIA practitioners an opportunity to network with contemporaries, a venue to ask questions and receive national responses, and an option to share experiences so no one has to reinvent the wheel. Anyone with an interest in the human environment and the potential for impacts of transportation decisions on the human environment are welcome to join the network—members of Federal, State, and local governments; resource agencies; consultants; educators; interest groups; and the public are all welcome. The focus to date has been on information sharing through Brenda’s “FYI” emails; however, starting February 13, FHWA will host monthly conference calls to encourage direct interaction and a free flow of ideas. If you would like to join this free National CIA Practitioners Network, please provide your name, title, organization, sub-organization, complete mailing and street addresses if different, phone number, fax number (optional), and email address to Brenda.Kragh@dot.gov. Public Transportation Participation Pilot Program FTA is seeking proposals for research that will develop innovative approaches to improving public participation in the planning of public transportation. Research will be sponsored through the Public Transportation Participation Pilot Program (PTP Program), created as part of SAFETEA-LU. The PTP Program will sponsor small applied research projects that focus on one or more of the following: • Improving data collection analysis and transportation access for all users of the public transportation systems • Supporting public participation through the project development phases • Using innovative techniques to improve the coordination of transportation alternatives • Enhancing the coordination of public transportation benefits and services • Contracting with stakeholders to focus on the delivery of transportation plans and programs • Measuring and reporting on the annual performance of the transportation systems Selected proposals will work to yield products that can be applied to improve the state of the practice of public participation in transportation planning at the regional or project level. For the initial phase of the PTP Program, FTA has budgeted approximately $890,000 and expects to support 8 to 10 projects, with work on each to be completed within one year. Successful proposals will be those likely to yield outputs that can be applied to improve the state of the practice of public participation in planning processes at regional or project levels. Selected proposals will be announced in February 2007. For more information, please contact Ms. Rachael Barolsky at the US DOT Research and Innovative Technology Administration’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center via telephone at 617.494.6352 or via email at Barolsky@volpe.dot.gov. Transportation Data Census The New York Data Center has developed a spreadsheet tool to calculate the statistical significance of differences and margins of error for calculations using data from the American Community survey. Highway Statistics FHWA has published the 2005 book of highway related data. It contains analyzed statistics for the year 2005 on motor fuel, motor vehicles, driver licensing, highway – user taxation, state highway finance, highway mileage and federal aid for highways. It also contains year 2004 finance data for municipalities, counties townships and other local governments. 2008 NATMEC Program The North American Travel Monitoring Exposition and Conference (NATMEC) will be held in Washington, D.C. in May-June, 2008. FHWA has received positive feedback on the relevance of the 2006 program to existing traffic monitoring programs. The planning committee is starting work on the program and wants to build on that success. They want to craft a program that will bring you to Washington. Let them know about (a) issues that will help you do your job better and (b) what you have done that could help others. The committee has set up a web site to receive your suggestions. New Tool Available to Search DOT Websites Search the websites of the Departments of Transportation from the fifty United States and the District of Columbia, MPOs, LTAPs and universities. There is a new tool that will be of great benefit to all transportation planners and safety professionals. Michel Wendt, the Reference Librarian from the Washington State DOT has developed a search engine that can search all state DOT web sites at once. Using the site is easy, just input the topic and find a direct link to the information that is posted. HPMS The Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) is currently being reassessed to ensure that it meets future FHWA data needs. The Reassessment began in January 2006 and included an extensive outreach of webinars and workshops in the spring and summer of 2006. Recently the Draft HPMS Reassessment Recommendations Report was released for comments on the Reassessment Docket web site. A second round of outreach meetings are scheduled for March 2007. The locations, agenda, and registration information can be found on the HPMS web site. The February 9th, 2007, edition of the Federal Register will include an announcement concerning the Recommendations Report and the upcoming workshops. States and FHWA Division Offices interested in learning more about the Reassessment and the draft recommendations are encouraged to visit the web sites above. For more information, contact David Winter at david.winter@dot.gov or (202) 366-4631. Chicago Travel Survey The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), staff of the MPO for the Chicago urbanized area, in conjunction with the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), the MPO for Northwestern Indiana, have recently begun a groundbreaking travel study of individuals in the combined metropolitan region. The goal of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of the travel characteristics within the region, with the aim of improving transportation planning and project programming for the near and long term. This study will elicit responses from 15,000 individual travelers on travel choices including, mode, time, origin, destination, and route. Participants will complete one- and two- day travel diaries, submitting information for each member of their household. Some selected households will be provided GPS units for advanced travel tracking via the latest technology. The study is funded primarily through FHWA metropolitan planning (PL) funds. Prior to the initiation of the study, careful consideration was given to the survey structure. Acknowledging that modern household usage of the telephone has changed rapidly in recent years, the study leadership group made a concerted effort to adapt this survey to reflect the privacy concerns of a modern household and to leverage the capability of the internet in gathering data. Additionally, the study group conducted advanced outreach to traditionally under-represented census groups (minorities, youth, and low-income populations) to ensure a diverse response to the study effort. For more information on this study contact CMAP at (312) 386-8833 Highway Data Conference (HiDaC) 2007 in Tennessee A Highway Data Conference (HiDaC) hosted by the Tennessee DOT will be held in Nashville on September 18-20, 2007. This conference will focus on field data collection, highway inventory data, functional classification, procedures, quality assurance activities, and new technologies. Information will be announced on a FHWA Planning website soon. Contact persons at TDOT are Glenda Tyus Glenda.Tyus@state.tn.us, and Steve Allen Steve.Allen@state.tn.us and at FHWA, Fred Orloski Fred.Orloski@dot.gov and David Winter David.Winter@dot.gov. Division Happenings 2007 FHWA Division Office Planners Workshop Are you ready for some … AUSTIN??? The 2007 FHWA Division Office Planners Workshop will be held June 19-21 at the Radisson Hotel and Suites on Town-Lake. As the name implies the hotel is located on the shores of beautiful Town Lake with easy access to various downtown attractions and Austin’s famous “6th Street.” A steadfast group of Division Planner volunteers is developing an interesting agenda that includes tracks on SAFETEA-LU, Congestion, Freight, Air Quality, Modeling and other relevant topics. And of course, there will be plenty of evening entertainment to supplement a hard days learning. For questions and agenda suggestions please contact: Jose Campos at (512) 536-5932, Jesse Balleza at (512) 536-5943 or Mitch Batuzich at (512) 536-5905. Division Offices are advised to check the FHWA Resource Center Planning intranet page (http://rc.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/) periodically for the details about the hotel logistics and workshop agenda (forthcoming) which will be posted as they become available. From the quirky cast of characters that populate Congress Avenue to burnt orange-clad University of Texas students, bats to Longhorns, four-star restaurants to down-home barbecue joints, corporate CEOs to struggling musicians, Texas’ capital city stands apart from the rest. It’s hip and trendy, yet in a vintage sort of way. It’s high-tech and laid-back. It’s politically charged and culturally rich. It’s eclectic by nature and creative by design. Most of all, it’s a place where people like to have a good time. FHWA Personnel Only should plan now to join us at the 2007 Division Office Planners Workshop. Y’ALL COME NOW!!! National Preservation Awards 2007 National Preservation Awards Each year the National Trust for Historic Preservation celebrates the best of preservation by presenting National Preservation Awards to individuals and organizations whose contributions demonstrate excellence in historic preservation. You are invited to designate a deserving individual, organization, agency, or project for a National Preservation Award. The deadline for nominations is March 1, 2007. Those nominations not selected to receive a Trustees, ACHP, or HUD Award are automatically considered for an Honor Awards. Freight Planning Corridors for the Future Proposals The DOT's new "Corridors of the Future Program" (CFP) is part of the DOT's six-point Congestion Initiative Plan and is specifically designed to accelerate the development of multi-State, and possibly multi-use, transportation corridors to help reduce congestion. The primary goal of the CFP is to encourage States to leverage public and private resources to develop innovative national and regional approaches to congestion mitigation, increase freight system reliability, and enhance the quality of life for U.S. citizens. On September 5, the DOT published a Federal Register notice seeking applications from States, or private sector entities working with States, interested in forming multi-State coalitions to build corridors to alleviate congestion on highways, rail, or waterways. Through the selection process set forth in the notice, the DOT will select up to five major growth corridors in need of long-term investment to advance under the CFP. FHWA has selected eight corridors, and 14 associated proposals to progress to the second round of the selection process: 1. Interstate 95 (I-95)      A. I-95 – Submitted by the Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia DOTs.      B. I-95 – Submitted by the Interstate 95 Corridor Coalition.      C. The Southeast Interstate 95 Corridor – Submitted by CSX. of these trains, and increase freight train volume on the line. 2. Interstate 80 (I-80)      A. I-80 Nevada – Submitted by the Regional Transportation Commission, Reno, Nevada on behalf of the I-80 Coalition.      B. I-80 California – Submitted by the California Department of Transportation.      3. Interstate 15 (I-15) A. I-15 Corridor California – Submitted by the California DOT (Caltrans). B. I-15 Nevada – Submitted by the Nevada DOT.      4. Northern Tier (Interstates 80, 90, and 94) A. Detroit/Chicago National/International Corridor of Choice (I-94) (National Freight Node and Link) – Submitted by the Michigan Department of Transportation. B. Illiana Expressway and Freight Corridor (National Freight Node) – Submitted by the Indiana and Illinois Departments of Transportation, Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, and Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.      5. Interstate 5 (I-5) A. I- 5 in the Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington metropolitan area – Submitted by the Oregon and Washington State Departments of Transportation. B. I-5 Corridor California – Submitted by the California DOT. 6. Interstate 70 (I-70) Dedicated Truck Lanes Corridor Missouri to Ohio – Submitted by the Indiana DOT in partnership with Missouri, Illinois, and Ohio Departments of Transportation. 7. Interstate 69 (I-69) Corridor Texas to Michigan – Submitted by Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. 8. Interstate 10 (I-10) – Submitted by Wilbur Smith Associates. The submitters of these proposals are being invited to submit an application providing detailed information about how the proposed project would reduce current or projected national and regional areas of congestion through the use of innovative project delivery and financing mechanisms. Headquarter Staff Move After much preparation, the date for the headquarters staff to move to our new building has finally been announced. FHWA and FTA will start moving the last week of April. FHWA HQ Planning staffs are scheduled for May 4th and FTA HQ staffs are scheduled for April 30th. The new address is 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE. in Washington, D.C. The area is located in southeastern D.C. near the Anacostia River, the Navy Yard and the adjacent to the new Washington Nationals baseball stadium. The Navy Yard Metro station (Green line) located at the corner of New Jersey and M street is within 400 feet of the main building entrance. Transit Transit @ the Table II Patterned after Transit at the Table: A Guide to Participation in Metropolitan Decision-making, Transit @ the Table II involves a series of interviews with transit operators, local officials, and state DOTs to review the deficiencies, “effective practices” to overcome these deficiencies, and proactive tools for successful transit operator participation in the multimodal transportation planning process. Emphasis will be placed on strategies for realizing immediate and long-term benefits to those transit programs, improving options and modal balance in their communities. Transit @ the Table II is focused on the development and dissemination of planning guidance – targeted to transit agencies in small and medium-sized metropolitan areas with a population of less than 200,000 – to comply with correcting the cited deficiencies, as well as to assist other small and medium-sized MPOs and transit operators to comply with statutory and regulatory requirements. The major contribution of this report will be real-life examples of effective approaches for successful transit operator participation in multi-modal transportation planning. FTA, through contractors, will be conducting phone interviews with executive directors, or other high-level decision makers, at over 20 MPOs across the country in an effort to obtain “best practice” examples that will serve to both educate and energize transit agencies in small metropolitan areas to take a more active role in resource allocation decisions. Currently, the first sets of interviews are being conducted. Contact: John Sprowls at Phantane.Sprowls@dot.gov. System Planning for Quality Transit Projects FTA planning staff are working with staff from Volpe to develop guidelines and highlight effective approaches to system planning needed as a basis for alternatives analysis, supporting New (and Small) Starts proposals. Recommendations address four aspects of system planning:      1. Establishing a Regional Context for Identifying Investment Priorities;      2. Establishing a Regional Policy Framework for Future Land Development;      3. Data, Technical Tools, and Forecasting Analysis; and      4. Financial Planning One of the early products of this effort is a draft update to Chapter 2 - System Planning of Procedures and Technical Methods of Transit Project Planning, currently undergoing internal review. Future activities include targeted technical assistance to MPOs (and their partners) anticipating an initial corridor alternatives analysis. For more information, contact FTA’s Darin Allan at darin.allan@fta.gov. Let's Talk Planning Let’s Talk Planning are information-sharing sessions for FHWA & FTA planners. FHWA and FTA strives to provide the FHWA Division Offices and FTA Regions with current information, technical assistance and clarification to the topics that field planners suggest. These internal meetings are held the second Thursday every 3 months via videoconference or webinar. Save-the-Dates! • March 8, 1 session only at 2:30 pm/EST • June 14, 2 sessions at noon and 3:00 pm/EST • September 13, 2 sessions noon and 3:00 pm/EST • December 13, 2 sessions noon and 3:00 pm/EST Please send any requests or ideas to Jocelyn Jones at 410-962-2486 or Jocelyn.Jones@dot.gov or Jody McCullough at 202-366-2825 or Jody.McCullough@dot.gov National Scenic Byways National Scenic Byways Program Grants Grant applications for FY 2007 funding under the National Scenic Byways Program are due from the State Departments of Transportation and Indian tribes to the FHWA division offices by March 19, 2007. Applications are due from the division offices to DC headquarters by April 16, 2007. All applications must be completed online and submitted both electronically and in hard copy. The solicitation memorandum, the FY 2007 Grants Guidance and Information for Grant Applications document, and other important materials are available. Scheduled Training Opportunities Next Quarter's Workshops & Training Courses, for information visit the Resource Center Planning Pages March 1-2, 2007, GIS for Environmental Streamlining and Stewardship, Atlanta, GA. Contact Carlos Gonzolez 404-562-3639 March 25, 2007 at the GIS-T Symposium there will be a 4 hour session Geography, the Census Bureau and Transportation--Where it all Begins on Census ACS data and the TIGER update. March 27, 2007- March 28, 2007 the CTPP team is doing a 1.5 day CTPP/Data Mining computer laboratory Orlando, Florida Contact: Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 ed.christopher@fhwa.dot.gov May 1, 2007 -- May 3, 2007 CTPP/Data Mining computer lab in Northern Virginia. Contact: Ed Christopher 708-283-3534 ed.christopher@fhwa.dot.gov May 6, 2007 At the TRB Planning Applications Conference there will be a 4 hour Census Data Workshop May 23, 2007 Engaging the Private Sector In Freight Planning Austin, Texas Contact Jocelyn Jones 410-962-2486 National Transit Institute For registration instructions visit the National Transit Institue website 2/13/2007-2/15/2007 Transportation and Land Use Tucson, AZ 2/27/2007-3/1/2007 Public Involvement in Transportation Decision Making Portland, OR 2/27/2007-2/28/2007 Advanced Seminar on Managing the Environmental Review Process New York, NY 3/27/2007-3/29/2007 Transportation and Land Use Orlando, FL 3/27/2007-3/29/2007 Introduction to Transportation Conformity Raleigh, NC 3/27/2007-3/29/2007 Public Involvement in Transportation Decision Making Salt Lake City, UT 4/10/2007-4/12/2007 Public Involvement in Transportation Decision Making Orlando, FL 5/22/2007-5/24/2007 Transportation and Land Use Pittsburgh, PA 5/30/2007-5/31/2007 Multimodal Traveler Information Systems Los Angeles, CA National Highway Institute Try out the new NHI Web site! Also, you can now check on the schedule of web conferences NEW COURSE FHWA-NHI-131112 Principles and Practices for Enhanced Maintenance Management Systems FHWA-NHI-133099 (2-day)/ FHWA-NHI-133099A (1-day) Managing Travel for Planned Special Events FHWA-NHI-137043 Integrated Transportation Management for Small- and Medium-Sized Communities UPDATED COURSES FHWA-NHI-142036 Public Involvement in the Transportation Decision-Making Process FHWA-NHI-151021 Administration of FHWA Planning and Research Grants WEB COURSES FHWA-NHI-151044 Traffic Monitoring and Pavement Design Programs FHWA-NHI-151045 Highway Performance Monitoring System: An Introduction FHWA-NHI-141045 Real Estate Acquisition Under the Uniform Act: An Overview FHWA-NHI-142052 Introduction to NEPA and Transportation Decisionmaking 2/27-3/1/07 Uses of Multimodal Freight Forecasting in Transportation Planning , New York City, NY 2/20-22/07 Public Involvement in the Transportation Decisionmaking Process Poughkeepsie, NY 2/14-15/07 Pedestrian Facility Design Columbia, MO 2/27-28/07 Bicycle Facility Design Fort Lauderdale, FL 2./13-14/07 Bicycle Facility Design Columbia, MO 2/1-28/07 Web Introduction to NEPA and Transportation Decisionmaking Arlington, VA 3/27-29/07 Basic Relocation under the Uniform Act Denver, CO 3/13-15/07 Basic Relocation under the Uniform Act Schenectady, NY 3/6-7/07 Appraisal for Federal-Aid Highway Programs Anchorage, AK 3/8/07 Appraisal Review for Federal-Aid Highway Programs Anchorage, AK 3/20-21/07 Fundamentals of Title VI/Environment Justice Anchorage, AK 3/14-16/07 Beyond Compliance: Historic Preservation in Transportation Project Development Schenectady, NY 3/13-15/07 Context Sensitive Solutions Baton Rouge, LA 3/6-7/07 Design and Implementation of Erosion and Sediment Control Denver, CO 3/1-2/07 Application of the FHWA Traffic Monitoring Guide Saratoga Springs, NY 4/12-13/07 Integrating Freight in the Transportation Planning Process Nashville, TN 4/24-26/07 Public Involvement in the Transportation Decisionmaking Process Anchorage, AK 4/3-4/07 Design and Implementation of Erosion and Sediment Control Lansing, MI 4/11-12/07 Administration of FHWA Planning and Research Grants Frankfort, KY 5/16-17/07 Basic Relocation under the Uniform Act Concord, NH 5/15-16/07Appraisal for Federal-Aid Highway Programs East Selah, WA 5/17/07 Appraisal Review for Federal-Aid Highway Programs East Selah, WA 5/8-10/07 Implications of Air Quality Planning for Transportation Nashville, TN 5/7-8/07 Water Quality Management of Highway Runoff Ewing, NJ 6/20-21/07 Fundamentals of Title VI/Environment Justice Nashville, TN Calendar of Events Travel Model Improvement Program Workshops details or contact: Penelope Weinberger 202-366-4054 penelope.weinberger@dot.gov 3/6/2007 -- 3/8/2007 2007 Trailbuilders Conference Atlantis Casino Resort, Reno NV 3/12/2007-3/14/2007 NADO 2007 Washington Policy Conference Marriott Crystal Gateway, Crystal City, VA 3/14/2007 -- 3/16/2007 National Bike Summit Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington DC Organized by the League of American Bicyclists 3/22/2007 -- 3/23/2007 National OHV Program Managers Workshop Charleston WV. Co-sponsored by the National Off Highway Vehicle Conservation Council and FHWA's Recreational Trails Program. 3/25/2007- 3/29/2007 AASHTO Geospatial Information Systems for Transportation Symposium, Nashville, TN 4/12/2007-4/13/2007 Integrating Freight in the Transportation Planning Process, Nashville, TN Contact: Theresa Hutchins (615) 781-5770 4/14/2007- 4/18/2007 American Planning Association Annual National Planning Conference, Philadelphia, PA conference@planning.org 312-786-6397 5/6/2007-5/9/2007 TRB National Transportation Planning Applications Conference, Daytonia Beach, FL Contact: Barbara Arens 313-963-4651 or arens@pbworld.com 5/17/2007-5/18/2007 2007 New England Rural Transportation Workshop Woodstock, VT 5/20/2007 -- 5/23/2007 National Scenic Byways Conference, Baltimore MD Contact: Leah Kohlts 218-625-3301, lkohlts@byways.org 6/4/2007-6/6/2007 3rd National 1st Internartional Conference of Perforomance Measurment Irvine, Californiada Contact: Martine Micozzi 202-334-3205 or mmicozzi@nas.edu 6/23/2007 -- 6/26/2007 National Association of Regional Councils 41st Annual Conference and Exhibition, Orlando, FL 6/24/2007-6/27/2007 9th International Conference on Low-Volume Roads, Austin, TX 6/24/2007-6/27/2007 The Transportation Research Board 3rd Urban Street Symposium, Seattle, WA 7/7/2007-7/9/2007 TRB 2007 Joint Summer Meeting Chicago, IL 7/13/2007 -- 7/17/2007 National Association of Counties (NACo) 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Greater Richmond Convention Center Richmond, VA 8/25/2007-8/28/2007 National Asociation of Development Organizations (NADO) 2007 Annual Training Conference, Austin, TX 9/18/2007-9/19/2007 Highway Data Workshop and Conference, Nashville, TN 9/27/2007- 10/1/2007 AASHTO 2007 Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI 10/1/2007 -- 10/5/2007 AMPO 2007 AMPO Annual Conference, Little Rock, AR For more information, review the following calendars for upcoming transportation events: FHWA Planning, Environment and Realty Calendar FHWA Resource Center Calendar TRB Conferences & Workshops

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