Frequently Asked Questions
       Questions will either link to reveal answers on this page or on another website source.

Definitions

• What is an Urban Area (UA)?
• What is an Urbanized Area (UZA)?
• What is an Urban Cluster (UC)?
• What is a Place?
• What is a Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA)?
• What is a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)?
• What is a Transportation Management Area (TMA)?
• What is the Surface Transportation Program (STP)?
• What is meant by attainment, non-attainment, and maintenance?

Introductory Information

• What is transportation planning and why does it exist?
• What is the importance of transportation planning in my metropolitan area or state?
• What topics must a long-range transportation plan include?
• What is public involvement and why is it important to long-range transportation planning?

New MPOs

• What is a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and what is its role in the planning process?
• When must new MPOs be designated?
• What is required in order to designate a new MPO?
• Where can I find examples of by-laws and the composition of policy boards for new MPOs?
• Where do MPOs and states get the money for long-range transportation planning?

Established MPOs

• Does an existing MPO in an area that is designated as a TMA have to modify its policy board?
• Does an MPA boundary adjustment require redesignation of the MPO?
• If an existing MPO expands its MPA to include a new UZA, what changes need to be made to its governing board?
• Will my TP and TIP need to be modified immediately to assure that projects located in the new UZA boundary are eligible for advancement in existing MPO areas?
• When will the distribution of Metropolitan Planning (MP&PL) funds have to change to account for new UZAs?
• How will STP funds be sub-allocated between two or more MPOs that cover the same TMA that includes a UZA over 200,000 in population?

UZAs & MPAs

• Where can I find the Census 2000 information on UZA designations?
• Must a new MPO be designated for each new UZA?
• Can a new UZA, which is currently included in the MPA of an existing MPO, designate its own new MPO?
• If a new UZA adjoins an existing MPA, does a new MPO need to be established?
• If the new UZA boundary lies entirely within an existing MPA boundary, must the existing boundary be adjusted?
• If the new UZA boundary extends into an adjacent MPA. Must both MPA boundaries be adjusted to ensure that the UAZ lies entirely within a single MPA?
• Can a new UZA receive PL or MP funds (FY2003), if an MPO has not yet been designated?
• How will the new UZA populations impact the apportionment of STP funds?
• What happens to apportionments made under the old UZA designations, now that there are changes to the UZA designations?
• Can FY2002 PL funds be set aside for areas expected to be designated as UZAs in May 2002?
• Are FY 02 or prior year Section 5307 unobligated Governor’s apportionment balances available for use in the new UZAs?

TMAs

• When will new TMAs be designated?
• What happens when an area is designated as a TMA?
• When must an area that is designated as a TMA establish a Congestion Management System (CMS)?

Geography: Boundaries & Maps

• Where can I find a map showing UZA boundaries?
• Where can I find a map showing MPA boundaries?
• What geographic area must be included within the MPA boundary?
• When do MPA boundaries for existing MPOs need to be updated to reflect the changes in UZA boundaries?
• Can an MPO realign the geographic boundaries of a UZA to be different from that which was defined by the Census Bureau under the 2000 Census?
• Do I need to adjust the Census designated UA boundaries?
• Can I adjust UA boundaries to include less area than the Census designed boundaries?
• How often can I make adjustments to UA boundaries?
• What Federal transportation programs are impacted by adjustments to UA boundaries?
• What impacts do adjustments in UA boundaries have on Highway Functional Classification?
• What impacts do adjustments in UA boundaries have on HPMS reporting?
• What impacts do adjustments in UA boundaries have on Outdoor Advertising Control?
• How will the new UZAs and UCs impact other data reporting?
• Is there a distinction to be made between UZA boundaries, as defined by Census 2000, that are used for apportionment purposes and transit service boundaries?

Census 2000 Effects

• What major program changes or requirements affect Section 5307 grantees that moved to the over 200,000 population threshold, as a result of Census 2000?
• What major program changes or requirements affect Section 5307 grantees within a UZA that moves from the over to the under 200,000 population category, as a result of Census 2000?
• What major program changes or requirements affect a non-UZA that becomes a UZA under 200,000 in population, as a result of Census 2000?
• Are there any provisions for a transition period for areas that moved from one status to another or for the use of operating assistance for UZAs that move from a population less than 200,000 to one greater than 200,000?
• What National Transit Database (NTD) reporting requirements can be expected when a transit provider moves from non-UZA to UZA status, as a result of Census 2000?
• What NTD changes or requirements can be expected when a Section 5307 grantee moves from the under 200,000 population category to the 200,000 and over population category, as a result of the Census 2000?
• Will NTD report data have to be resubmitted using the 2000 Census UZA designations?
• How is conformity assured in non-attainment and maintenance areas that were previously isolated rural areas, but are now designated UZAs as a result of population growth recorded in the 2000 Census?

FHWA/FTA Collaboration

• Do FHWA and FTA need to approve MPA boundary changes?
• How should projects be programmed for FTA and FHWA approvals in new UZAs?

What is transportation planning and why does it exist?

The transportation planning process exists to provide the information needed for decision makers to choose among alternative strategies for improving transportation system performance. Transportation planning is the process of:

• Establishing a community/regional vision and identifying how transportation fits into this vision.
• Developing/utilizing a cooperative and inclusive transportation vision and operations concept for the region.
• Understanding the types of decisions needed to achieve this vision.
• Assessing the opportunities and limitations of the future in relation to goals and desired system performance measures.
• Identifying near- and long-term consequences of alternative choices.
• Relating alternative decisions to goals, objectives, and system performance measures. Presenting this information to decision makers.
• Helping decision makers establish priorities and develop an investment program.

What is the importance of transportation planning in my metropolitan area or state?

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 emphasized transportation planning with a focus on intermodal transportation. The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) of 1998 continues the vision of ISTEA with seven planning factors that directly relate to quality of life in states and metropolitan areas. Transportation planning is the process used to identify priorities and determine how transportation funds are allocated to different projects and areas.

In developing transportation plans, planners should seek transportation solutions that:

• Support economic vitality.
• Increase safety and security.
• Increase accessibility and mobility options.
• Protect the environment and improve quality of life.
• Enhance system integration and connectivity.
• Promote efficient system management and operation.
• Emphasize system preservation.

What is a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and what is its role in the planning process?

The MPO is the forum for cooperative transportation decision making for the metropolitan planning area. The MPO members are reprentatives of the local units of government. An MPO is required in each urbanized area having a population of over 50,000. There are currently 340 MPOs in the United States. These MPOs, in cooperation with states, transit operators, local municipalities, counties, and other key transportation entities in the metropolitan area carry out the planning process. These same agencies, under the coordination of the MPO, also cooperatively develop the annual Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and the 3-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

Where do MPOs and states get the money for long-range transportation planning?

The TEA-21 legislation guarantees $198 billion in surface transportation investment. Surface transportation funds have been reauthorized every 6 years, in the past, and should be reauthorized again in 2003. These funds are allocated through programs like the National Highway System (NHS), the Surface Transportation Program (STP), and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ), before being redirected to states. TEA-21 also provides planning funds for states and MPOs, called State Planning and Research Funds and Planning Funds respectively. The actual money for Federal transportation funding comes from the Federal excise tax on gasoline, which is collected by each State government and turned over to the Federal Highway Trust Fund, the primary source of Federal transportation funds. States also generate their own funds for transportation projects through a variety of means.

What is meant by attainment, nonattainment, and maintenance?

Attainment, nonattainment, and maintenance are classifications of regional air quality based on the 1990 amendment of the Clean Air Act legislation enforced through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA uses six "criteria pollutants" as indicators of air quality, and has established for each of them a maximum concentration above which adverse effects on human health may occur. The six "criteria pollutants" are:

• Ozone.
• Carbon monoxide.
• Nitrogen dioxide.
• Sulfur dioxide.
• Particulate matter (including dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid).
• Lead.

These threshold concentrations are called National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). When an area does not meet the air quality standard for one of the criteria pollutants, it generally is subject to the formal rule making designating it as nonattainment. Nonattainment classifications may be used to specify what air pollution reduction measures an area must adopt as well as when the area must reach attainment. Areas that were previously designated as nonattainment become maintenance areas when they achieve attainment status.

What topics must a long range transportation plan include?

A long-range transportation plan:

• Documents conclusions and decisions of the planning process.
• Includes long-term and short-term policies, strategies, and actions.
• Covers both capital projects and operation strategies.
• Includes preservation of the existing system, system expansion and operation.
• Addresses the movement of both people and goods.

Common issues addressed in long-range transportation plans may include air quality, asset management, conformity (integrating transportation and air quality planning into areas designated by the EPA), economic development, environmental justice, financial planning and programming, freight movement, Intelligent Transportation Systems, performance measures, safety, smart growth, and system management (to name a few).

What is public involvement and why is it important to long-range transportation planning?

People want to have a voice in transportation decision making for their communities. Agencies must have public involvement to create a successful planning or project development process. A public involvement program:

• Informs people through outreach and participation (including people who are underserved by transportation).
• Involves people "face to face" through meetings.
• Gets feedback from participants.
• Uses special techniques to enhance participation.

For long-range transportation planning, public involvement is important to help articulate the community’s/state’s vision and goals, provide the public with the opportunity to champion a variety of transportation interests, and receive valuable input into the planning process. For transportation planning, public involvement can include regional agencies, local government, user/special interest groups, tribal governments, and states, as well as the private sector, legal system, and Federal government.

Works Cited

The Environmental Protection Agency Homepage: The EPA Greenbook. http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/greenbk/index.html.

Metropolitan Transportation Planning: Lecture Series. The National Transit Institute, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ. April 2001.

Overview of the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Process and Summary of Key Issues - A Briefing Notebook for Local Officials Participating in the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Process. FHWA/FTA. Draft, March 2001.

Public Involvement Techniques for Transportation Decision making. FHWA/FTA. Publication No: FHWA-PD-96-031. September 1996.

TEA-21: Moving Americans Into the 21st Century. TEA-21 Fact Sheets. www.fhwa.dot.gov/Tea21/.