Johnson gilmer presentation

Developing Long-Range
Transportation Plans
April 25, 2013
Darrel S. Johnson, Rural Planning Program Manager
Transportation and Mobility Planning Division
2013 National Rural Transportation Conference
Jake Gilmer, Senior Planner
Volunteers for Energy, Transportation Planning

Background of Virginia’s Rural
Transportation Planning Program
• The Rural Transportation Planning Program was created by TMPD in
1993 to provide funding to the 20 rural regions for transportation
planning. This program was comprised of two sub-programs.
• Rural Planning Assistance Program - Each of the 20 Rural Planning
District Commission (PDC) receives $48,000 annually ($12,000 local
match) to support rural transportation planning.
• Rural Planning Grant Program – Each year the rural PDCs compete for
$200,000 in grant funds to support rural transportation planning
initiatives.
• Since the inception of the Rural Planning Program, VDOT has invested
over $20,000,000 to support rural transportation planning activities
throughout the Commonwealth

Background of Virginia’s Rural
• Funding modifications were made to the Rural
Transportation Planning Program in FY-09
• Each Rural PDC received an additional $10,000
towards The Rural Planning Assistance Program
($58,000 annually + $14,500 local match =
$72,500 to support rural transportation planning)
• Rural Planning Grant Program eliminated

Overview of Virginia’s Rural
Not eligible for rural
planning funds

Changing the Way We Plan
• Traditionally, the planning process has focused on long-
term, high-cost capital improvements for the transportation
system
• With today’s safety, mobility, and funding challenges, it is
imperative for State DOTs to continue to identify innovative
ways to improve and refine business practices
• A significant challenge we all face is the lack of revenues
needed to implement large-scale highway improvements
• We must begin to focus more heavily on identifying and
implementing short-term, low-cost roadway improvements
aimed at improving efficiency, capacity and safety and prioritize.

6
Highway Element
STP
Policy
Recommendations
Project
Recommendations
Vision
Goals
Objectives
State
Recommendations
RLRPs
SUATS
MPO CLRPs
Departmental
Recommendations
STARS
Tools:
GIS Maps
SPS
TDMs
Technical Expertise
Consultant Services
Public Meetings
Coordination with Districts
and MPOs
Bike Plan
Highway Needs
Assessment
Relationship between RLRP and the Surface
Transportation Plan
Corridor Studies
Freight Study

Overview of Virginia’s
Rural Long Range Plans
The development and components of each RLRP consists of:
• Modeled after the federally mandated metropolitan transportation
planning process (continuing, comprehensive, and cooperative).
• The transportation plans will have a minimum planning horizon of 20
years and will address the expected impacts of population and
employment growth on the transportation system.
• Each will be developed as a vision plan and will be updated every five
years.
• It is VDOT’s goal that each region will be able to use these plans to
identify regional priorities for funding.

Objectives of Virginia’s
• Identification of operational improvements (intersection improvements,
access management
strategies, etc.)
• Identification and potential
impact of high growth areas
(residential, retail, and
distribution centers) using local
comprehensive plans
• Identification of critical freight
infrastructure and
improvements
• Identifying facilities that should be targeted for bicycle and pedestrian
Improvements

• Recognizing corridors to preserve right of way for future transportation
improvements
• Identifying areas of need for on-
demand transit services
• Providing increased opportunity
for local/regional input on
interstate and primary
recommendations in the Surface
Transportation Plan
• Ensuring consistency of secondary recommendations with interstate and
primary recommendations

• RLRP recommendations could be prioritized using the methodology
that has already been developed for the Surface Transportation Plan.
• This will assist localities and the region in identifying and establishing
priorities.
• The programming of secondary roads projects already occurs on a
county-by county basis, with the Board of Supervisors and VDOT
Residencies working together to develop a list of priorities.
• The development of a RLRP will further formalize the process, address
regional continuity issues, and allow for opportunities to better
coordinate land use and transportation issues (linking comprehensive
plans with transportation recommendations).

The Process of Virginia’s
• The four phases for this initiative are:
– Phase I - Goals and Data Collection
– Phase II - Analysis and Problem Identification
– Phase III - Public Outreach and Recommendation Development
– Phase IV - Public Endorsement and Regional Adoption

Roanoke Valley – Alleghany Rural
Long Range Transportation Plan

Planning Area
 Counties of
 Alleghany
 Botetourt
 Craig
 Roanoke
 Cities/Towns of
 Clifton Forge
 Covington

Goals & Objectives
1. Reduce congestion and impact of incidents on I-81 and I-64.
2. Strengthen transportation linkages between the Roanoke Valley
and the surrounding regions (Alleghany Highlands, New River
Valley, West Piedmont, and Region 2000).
3. Preserve and maintain the existing transportation system and
encourage efficient system management and operations.
4. Promote recreational travel and tourism within the region.
5. Expand public transit and passenger rail service.
6. Provide a safe and secure transportation system.
7. Consider freight needs in transportation facility re/design.
8. Provide on-road and off-road bicycle and pedestrian
accommodations.

Public Involvement
 Public involvement and outreach to:
 General public (public meetings, open
houses, and kiosk surveys)
 Rural Technical Committee
 Public officials
 Media
 Other transportation stakeholder and/or interest
groups

Field Reviews and Counts
 Safety location analysis is based primarily on field review
(photos, detailed sketches, field recommendations)
supplemented by review of crash databases; not a full
analysis of crash history
 Use of existing count data as
well as new counts for
analysis
 Level of service analysis and
pre-warrant determinations
(planning-level assessment
for potential signalization)

Identification of Deficiencies
& Recommendations
 Operations
Safety
Congestion
Geometric
Bicycle
Transit
Ridesharing

Why Prioritize?
Why develop a prioritization process?
• Resources are limited
• Brings accountability and transparency to
project selection process
• Focuses limited transportation dollars on
critical needs
• Provides a tool to assist decision makers

Step 1 - Establish Goals
• Needed to establish the overarching policy goals
that would guide process
• Looked to goals that had already been established -
CTB priorities, VTrans goals and report from the
Commission on the Future of Transportation
• Sought input from Commissioner and Secretary of
Transportation
• Arrived at 5 overarching goals

Prioritization Goals
Goal 1: Provide a transportation system that facilitates
the efficient movement of people and goods
Goal 2: Provide a safe and secure transportation system
Goal 3: Retain and increase business and employment
opportunities
Goal 4: Improve quality of life and minimize potential
impacts to the environment
Goal 5: Preserve the existing transportation system and
promote efficient system management

Step 2 - Weighting Goals
opportunities
29%
23%
18%
15%
15%
100%

• Current Level of Service (A-F)
• Current Volume to Capacity ratio
• Current Flow Rate (passenger cars per lane per
hour
• Enhance access to other modes
Step 3 - Performance Measures

• Crash rate
• Part of Strategic Highway Network or
designated Emergency Evacuation Route
opportunities
• Average Daily Volume of Trucks
• Local unemployment rate

• Potential environmental/cultural impacts
• Utilization of existing right-of-way
• Interchange spacing/mainline adequacy
• Inclusion of other modes
• Bridge conditions
• Cost effectiveness - VMT/$cost

10
Step 4 - Collect Data
• Statewide Planning System (SPS) provides many of the
performance measures
• GIS assists with environmental/cultural impacts

Step 5 - Run, test, adjust
• Give process a spin and adjust weights and
measures as needed
• Present findings and solicit feedback
Rule Above all Rules: Prioritization process is a tool -
not the decision maker
VS

Benefits Virginia’s Rural
Long Range Plans
RLRPs will:
• Serve as a proactive step toward addressing land use and
transportation issues in potential growth areas
• Assist localities with determining impacts from future
development, assisting localities with the identification of potential
proffer requests for developers
• Assist localities with the development of setback/ entrance
requirements on transportation corridors
• Assist localities in identifying transportation priorities for the
programming process

Long Range Plans
• Ensure coordination of Surface Transportation Plan recommendations with
locally identified recommendations
• Address linking local, regional, and statewide transportation planning efforts
• Assist VDOT in meeting VA Code requirements for assisting localities with
transportation elements of their local comprehensive plans
– § 15.2-2223. Comprehensive plan to be prepared and adopted; scope and
purpose.
– As part of the comprehensive plan, each locality shall develop a transportation
plan that designates a system of transportation infrastructure needs and
recommendations that may include the designation of new and expanded
transportation facilities and that support the planned development of the
territory covered by the plan and shall include, as appropriate, but not be limited
to, roadways, bicycle accommodations, pedestrian
accommodations, railways, bridges, waterways, airports, ports, and public
transportation facilities. The plan should recognize and differentiate among a
hierarchy of roads such as expressways, arterials, and collectors. The Virginia
Department of Transportation shall, upon request, provide localities with
technical assistance in preparing such transportation plan.

Long Range Plans
• Contributes to the purpose of Planning District Commissions, as set out in the
Code of Virginia, Section 15.2-4207
– "...to encourage and facilitate local government cooperation and state-
local cooperation in addressing on a regional basis problems of greater
than local significance. The cooperation resulting from this chapter is
intended to facilitate the recognition and analysis of regional
opportunities and take account of regional influences in planning and
implementing public policies and services.
The planning district commission shall also promote the orderly and
efficient development of the physical, social and economic elements of
the district by planning, and encouraging and assisting localities to
plan, for the future."
• Assist VDOT in meeting the requirements and duties as outlined in MAP-21
(Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act)

Long Range Plans
• Assist VDOT in meeting requirements and duties as outlined in
MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act)
– The Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act - A
Legacy For Users (SAFETEA-LU) provides for consultation with non-
metropolitan officials when State Departments of Transportation
make transportation decisions in their Statewide Transportation
Planning and Programming processes. This consultation
process, separate and discrete from the public involvement
process, is required to be documented in writing. All States have
completed this task. Every five years beginning in 2006, States are
required to review and solicit comments from non-metropolitan
local officials and other interested parties regarding this process in
order to ensure that the process continues to be effective.

Moving Ahead for Progress in the
21st Century Act (MAP-21)
RPOs DUTIES (as defined in MAP 21) Current Duties of VA’s PDC
‘‘(A) developing and maintaining, in cooperation with the State,
regional long-range multimodal transportation plans
PDCs in Virginia has developed Rural Long Range Plans in
cooperation with the State
‘‘(B) developing a regional transportation improvement program
for consideration by the State;
PDCs submit regional priorities to VDOT for possible
incorporation into the Six Year Improvement Plan
‘‘(C) fostering the coordination of local planning, land use, and
economic development plans with State, regional, and local
transportation plans and programs;
PDCs in Virginia has developed Rural Long Range Plans in
cooperation with the State
‘‘(D) providing technical assistance to local officials;
Virginia PDCs currently provide this service. (Comprehensive
Plans update, bike plans, corridor studies)
‘‘(E) participating in national, multistate, and State policy and
planning development processes to ensure the regional and
local input of nonmetropolitan areas;
The PDCs provides input and review on the VA STP & Update,
VTRANS 2035 & Update along with providing input on nation
and multistate and State policy through VAPDC.
‘‘(F) providing a forum for public participation in the statewide
and regional transportation planning processes;
YES, Fall planning meeting, RLRP public meetings, VSTP public
meetings, PDC meetings
‘‘(G) considering and sharing plans and programs with
neighboring regional transportation planning organizations,
metropolitan planning organizations, and, where appropriate,
tribal organizations; Information is shared through VAPDC and individual PDC efforts
‘‘(H) conducting other duties, as necessary, to support and
enhance the statewide planning process under subsection (d). The PDCs support statewide planning efforts led by the state

Keys to Success
• Success of the RLRP effort hinges on the support and participation of
local governments
• As always, local governments retain the authority to make land use
and transportation decisions
• RLRPs could serve as a resource to localities, providing valuable
information on transportation issues to decision-makers

Developing Long-Range
Transportation Plans
Questions / Answers
For additional information on For additional information on
VDOT’s Rural Planning Program Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
Contact: Contact:
Darrel.Johnson@vdot.virginia.gov jgilmer@rvarc.org
(804) 371-8868 (540) 343-4417

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