HRTPO staff has begun work on the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for fiscal year 2013, which runs from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013.  The HRTPO UPWP describes transportation planning work to be performed for the Hampton Roads area  by the HRTPO, Hampton Roads Transit, Williamsburg Area Transit Authority and the Virginia Department of Transportation.  Each task in the UPWP includes information on who will perform the work, the schedule for completing the work, resulting end products, and proposed funding and source of funds.

In addition to detailing the work associated with HRTPO core functions – the Long-Range Transportation Plan, the Transportation Improvement Program, the Congestion Management Process, and Public Participation – federal regulations state that the UPWP shall include a discussion of the planning priorities facing 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 the HRTPO staff to ensure that limited resources (manpower, funding) are properly allocated in the UPWP. 

HRTPO staff will be soliciting input on the planning priorities for the FY 2013 UPWP from the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee and the HRTPO Board during January 2012.  The first draft of the FY 2013 UPWP will be ready for review by March 2012.