RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – The region’s transportation agencies are seeking feedback ahead of revising the transportation plan known as the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) that will identify and inform transportation projects throughout the next 30 years.
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or CAMPO, and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, or DCHC MPO, want your input.
The organizations are asking for feedback in multiple formats, including an online survey or the submission of comments, with further details available online.
There also will be two online public information sessions on Aug. 19. (Learn more online: https://publicinput.com/TriangleMTPDevelopment).
“The mobility in our region is important as we continue to grow. How we grow, and when, is what will drive our mobility needs,” said Shelby Powell, deputy director, Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, in an interview with WRAL TechWire. “If there is a dependable transportation network that offers options to people on how to get where they need or want to go, that is a good thing in terms of attracting jobs and residents in the area.”
Powell added that too much traffic congestion would likely affect the perceived and experienced quality of life for people living and working in the region, and would contribute to damage to the environment from increased vehicular emissions.
“The traffic forecasts take into account the land use we’re expecting in the Triangle, the number of people we’re expecting to move here, and generally where those people will likely live and work,” said Powell, describing the process. “This helps us determine how people will get to those jobs – by car or by transit or by walking or biking.”
Powell noted that these traffic forecasts demonstrate that if improvements are not made, many roads will have unacceptable levels of congestion by 2050.
That’s one of the reasons why the two organizations are collaborating to form one plan, to include highway, transit, rail, bicycle, pedestrian, and other transportation projects across the greater Triangle area necessary for completion through 2050.
The process began nearly a year ago, and now the organizations are asking for feedback based on three forecasted scenarios the organizations developed using a software program and data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the North Carolina State Office of Planning, and local data from regional towns and counties, as well as historical travel trend data from the North Carolina Department of Transportation, on-board transit and travel behavior surveys, and big data sources, said Powell.
The three scenarios display “what it would look like if we took different levels of investment and applied it to different sets of transportation projects,” said Powell, which is also asking for feedback on the trade-offs that occur between the scenarios.
“In order for the region to thrive, people need to be able to have a reliable method to travel to and from work, school, shopping and recreational opportunities that exist here,” said Powell. “The long-range plan will serve the current and expected job locations and houses, but also direct some of the future development through transit stations, routes and service, roadway widenings, and bicycle and sidewalk policies.”
According to Powell, the regional plan is updated every four years, and this is the latest iteration.
Feedback can be submitted online through Aug. 27. After receiving feedback, a draft plan will be developed and public input solicited, with anticipated approval by in December, Powell said.
“We will then have to go through the process of making sure the transportation network we are planning for is consistent with air quality goals and rules, and then a final plan with all air quality conformity confirmation will be adopted in February 2022,” said Powell.
