HRTPO FY 2021 UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM: DRAFT

Background

HRTPO staff, in coordination with Hampton Roads Transit, Williamsburg Area Transit Authority, Suffolk Transit, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, has developed the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for fiscal year (FY) 2021.  The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization on May 21, 2020 approved a limited, four-month extension of the existing FY 2020 UPWP to allow for continued operations of the HRTPO until later in the year. The current draft update to the UPWP for the current fiscal year builds on the limited FY 2020 Extension document and describes the mutual responsibilities of the aforementioned entities in carrying out the metropolitan transportation planning process for Hampton Roads. The draft FY 2021 UPWP summarizes the specific work elements, end products, schedule, and budgets for each UPWP work task.

In addition to detailing the work associated with HRTPO core functions – the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the Congestion Management Process (CMP), and Public Participation – federal regulations state that the UPWP for MPOs designated as Transportation Management Areas (TMA) shall include a discussion of the planning priorities of the metropolitan planning area.  It is in the determination of these planning priorities that the HRTPO Board ensures its vision and goals are carried forward in the UPWP.  Establishing clear direction from the HRTPO Board regarding its priorities allows HRTPO staff to ensure that limited resources (manpower, funding) are properly allocated in the UPWP.  There are a number of emerging issues that will have a significant impact on metropolitan transportation planning, and the planning priorities for the Hampton Roads TMA will strive to address these issues.  For FY 2021, the planning priorities for the HRTPO include better integrating the following issues into HRTPO planning and programming:

Scenario Planning

Scenario planning provides a framework for stakeholders to make decisions that help achieve a shared vision for the future by analyzing various factors that can impact the way in which a region develops.  As part of the development of the Long-Range Transportation Plan, scenario planning will investigate plausible alternate futures and their potential impacts on the transportation system.  Each alternative scenario, developed through our collaborative regional stakeholder process, will be comprised of various regional drivers and trends (transportation technology, economic, environmental, land use, etc.) that can affect growth, connectivity, mobility, resiliency, and other factors.  Comparing the alternatives and their trade-offs helps decision-makers identify projects that provide the most benefit to the region regardless of which future assumption is analyzed thereby highlighting smart investments for Hampton Roads.

Resilience of the Transportation System

Resilience refers to the capacity of a system to survive, adapt, and grow in the face of significant changes or events.  Such changes may be foreseen, such as the expected impacts of sea-level rise, or unforeseen, such as a catastrophic event.  It is important that regional transportation planning take resilience into account to help ensure that the transportation system has the capacity to overcome disruptions and keep people and goods moving.  The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act added “take into consideration resilience needs” to the scope of the metropolitan planning process.

Active Transportation

Active transportation refers to any self-propelled, human-powered mode of transportation, such as walking and bicycling, and is an integral part of a multimodal transportation system.  Improvements to the active transportation system – the network of sidewalks, crosswalks, and bicycle facilities; as well as its connectivity to other modes like public transit – enable people to use non-motorized options to reach their destinations.

Congestion Management Process (CMP) Update

The Congestion Management Process (CMP) provides ongoing information and analysis on multimodal transportation system performance and on strategies to alleviate congestion and enhance mobility of people and goods.  The CMP – System Performance and Mitigation Report is updated in accordance with the schedule for the update of the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).  Given the schedule for the 2045 LRTP update, work on the CMP report update will be completed in FY 2020.

FY 2021 UPWP

All interested parties are encouraged to review the FY 2021 UPWP draft and send comments to John Mihaly, Principal Transportation Planner, at jmihaly@hrtpo.org or by mail to 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia 23320, by October 13, 2020.