Statewide, Metropolitan and Non-metropolitan Planning

This Final Rule, effective June 27, 2016, updates and modifies a rule originally issued as part of MAP-21.  Jointly issued by FHWA and FTA, it updates regulations concerning the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), a new mandate for States and MPOs like MATS to take a performance-based approach to planning and programming; a new emphasis on the nonmetropolitan transportation planning process, by requiring States to have a higher level of involvement with nonmetropolitan local officials and providing a process for the creation of regional transportation planning organizations (RTPO); a structural change to the membership of the larger MPOs; a new framework for voluntary scenario planning; new authority for the integration of the planning and environmental review processes; and a process for programmatic mitigation plans.

Any Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Long Range Plan (LRTP) document must comply with performance reporting requirements beginning on May 27, 2018.

Going forward, each new Long Range Plan and subsequent TIP will demonstrate the amount of investment being made towards each performance goal on either a per-project basis or more broadly across project categories. Furthermore, ongoing utilization of this Long Range Plan will place continued emphasis on meeting the targets. MATS staff will also continue to work with other MPOs on best practices for performance-based programming of projects and analysis of performance measure data.

In addition, through the LRTP and TIP, MATS will endeavor to broadly correlate future funding projections with the various projects proposed and the applicable performance rule areas.  Finally, MATS will also continue to gather selected primary data for the implementation of performance measures such as pavement and bridge condition, and secondary data from a variety of sources (such as MDOT) for traffic volumes, traffic flow, level of congestion, and safety. This data will also be used to monitor progress toward the attainment of the performance measure targets.