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FTA is pleased to announce the availability of a first-time “pilot” program of technical assistance targeted to metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to assist them in advance of their work with transit operators in preparing project proposals for funding under FTA’s Section 5309 (New Starts/Small Starts) program. FTA has contracted with Cambridge Systematics, Inc. to provide this support, which will focus strategically on metropolitan areas that anticipate beginning a transit Alternatives Analysis (AA) in the coming two to three years. A corridor-focused AA is a required planning study to apply for FTA New (and Small) Starts funding.
The objectives of this assistance include:
- to improve metropolitan planning activities in an area that anticipates applying for New/Small Starts funding support, thereby improving readiness for and facilitating a more efficient AA study effort;
- to document such assistance for widespread dissemination and application in other areas.
Assistance may be provided to support improved MPO performance in any, or all, of the following planning areas:
CONTEXT:
1. Problem identification: understanding causes, prioritizing corridors, range of reasonable alternatives.
2. Using reasonable assumptions in financial planning.
3. Coordinating investments with planned land/economic developments.
TOOLS:
4. Strengthening technical analysis capabilities: improved tools (e.g. travel forecasting models, geographic information systems), data (e.g. stop-level passenger counts, surveys of onboard passengers and park & riders, etc.), and analysis of regional travel behaviors to support decision-making.
The assistance could take the form of phone calls, web conferences, site visits, presentations, peer exchanges, workshops, and documentation (e.g. prepared statements of work, memorandums of agreement, etc.), et al.
For consideration to receive technical assistance through this program, or for more information, please contact Mr. Charles Goodman at 202.366.1944 or charles.goodman@dot.gov.
Pre-AA Self-Assessment Checklist
Do you anticipate beginning an AA in the next 2 to 3 years (but not sooner)?
If “yes,” MPOs interested in pursuing this assistance should review the following Pre-AA Self Assessment Checklist to determine for themselves if they may be candidates to request this FTA-sponsored technical assistance – answering “no” to most or all could guide your decision to request assistance.
- Are the needs and planned investments to address those needs—including corridors for more in-depth, supplemental analyses—prioritized against available funding and clearly documented in the metropolitan transportation plan?
- Are goals and objectives for the regional transportation system clearly articulated in the metropolitan transportation plan and referenced in the TIP, with funding programmed to support projects addressing those goals and objectives?
- Have regional decision-makers reached consensus on performance indicators to be used to evaluate the performance of planned investments in the regional transportation system? Are the indicators clearly incorporated into planning documents such as the metropolitan transportation plan and project selection in the TIP?
- Are the region’s existing and future transportation problems, with their underlying causes, identified in the Plan?
- Are options broadly defined and examined to facilitate subsequent analysis of reasonable alternatives?
- Are the metropolitan transportation plan and the region’s vision for land use consistent?
- Are regional transit investments—particularly New and Small Starts projects—planned in such a way as to capitalize on known and planned developments, so as to sustain the transit system’s long-term viability?
- Are current memorandum(s) of agreements/understanding (MOA/MOU) in place between the metropolitan planning organization and local governments and/or a regional land use planning agency which establish agreed-upon methods and uses of future projections of land development, population, and employment?
- To support decisions made for transit investments, has the metropolitan planning organization adopted region-wide strategies, policies, and programs, including incentives for TOD in funding decisions?
- Is there data on current transit ridership patterns and levels? Have the travel models been updated and validated against this information?
- Similarly, has the metropolitan area conducted a household travel survey within the past 10 years?
- Is data for the base year the most recently available?
- Do MPO staff have the technical capacity and/or are there adequate consultant services necessary to perform or manage travel forecasting activities?
- Is there an MOA/MOU in place that defines roles and responsibilities in financial forecasts and priority setting for inclusion in the plan and TIP among local planning partners (i.e. the MPO, state, and transit operator)?
- Are revenue assumptions shared and reconciled among planning partners for federal, state, and local potential sources to support both capital and O&M?
- In addition to capital funds, are sufficient revenues planned to adequately operate and maintain the existing transportation network over the life of the metropolitan transportation plan?
- Has a project sponsor been identified?
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