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Jan. 11, 2008 For Immediate Release MRPC Brings Local Leaders Together St. James—How transportation decisions are made in Missouri has changed over the past 15 years—and for the better. “I used to say that when it came to transportation, the state Department of Transportation planned for rural areas,” said Richard Cavender, executive director of Meramec Regional Planning Commission. “I can now honestly say that they plan with us.” Transportation affects every facet of life—from how residents get to work to how children get to school to how food arrives on the grocers’ shelves. While transportations systems are more limited in rural areas and don’t carry the volume of cars found in cities, their importance becomes even greater because there are fewer transportation options available. Regional planning commissions across Missouri have recognized this fact for many years, and with the passage of federal transportation legislation in 1991, began looking for ways to involve local elected officials in transportation planning decisions. Those discussions eventually gained the ear of MoDOT’s leadership, and in 1994, MODOT and regional planning commissions entered into a long-term partnership that has strengthen over the last 14 years. At the onset, MoDOT requested the each regional planning commission establish a transportation advisory committee to help identify and prioritize needs and projects. Meramec Regional Planning Commission’s Transportation Advisory Committee represents the same geographical area as MRPC. The committee is composed of three people from each county, and the county commission is responsible for selecting those representatives. Three of MRPC’s counties—Maries, Gasconade and Osage—are in MoDOT District 5, which is headquartered in Jefferson City, and the remaining five counties—Crawford, Dent, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington—are in District 9 out of Willow Springs. Because the area is split between two MoDOT districts, the TAC has opted to have two co-chairs to better represent local needs. Salem Mayor Gary Brown is the District 9 co-chair while Osage County Presiding Commissioner Russell Scheulen is District 5 co-chair for the TAC. Since the TAC is an advisory committee of MRPC, one TAC member is a liaison between the two groups and serves as MRPC’s at-large commissioner of transportation. That position is held Donald Dodd of Salem, who represents Salem and Dent County on the TAC and represents the TAC on the MRPC board. The TAC meets every other month at MRPC’s office and is joined by representatives from the two MoDOT districts. Meetings include updates on projects across the region and offer an opportunity to hear and comment on new needs as well as an opportunity to prioritize needs and make recommendations to MoDOT. The work of the TAC has evolved over the years. In 1997, MRPC participated in a pilot needs priorities setting project that is now used across the state. The goal was to develop a well-defined transportation process that was seamless and transparent. Eventually, MoDOT and its planning partners developed the planning framework, a formal, written process that shows how transportation decisions are made and removes the subjectivity of the past. The framework identifies where local input can be made, sets rules for selecting projects and strives to build conscensus. “MoDOT wanted to hear what local transportation users wanted and needed, and they wanted the public to be able to see how transportation decisions were made,” Cavender said. “We are accomplishing that. At our last TAC meeting, we heard from local people on a road flooding issue in Phelps County as well as a dangerous intersection in Gasconade County,” Cavender said. “Those issues are now included on our needs list, and the TAC will consider them during the next prioritization process. Additionally, MRPC staff are exploring other funding options that might help address the problems sooner. ” Through the partnership, MRPC staff are also available to help cities and counties with transportation-related grant applications and traffic counts and are developing a regional transportation plan. At the same time, TAC members and MRPC staff have been involved in statewide planning meetings that identified top needs in the state and even selected projects to be funded. In 2004, voters approved Amendment 3, which redirected millions of dollars to highway improvements and called for bonding so those projects happened more quickly. Planning partners—including TAC members—helped to select which projects became reality. And the planning process continues. “For example, in 2007, MoDOT identified some additional Amendment 3 funds, and in November, we participated in a meeting where each MoDOT district presented one or two project and requested funding. As an RPC, we prioritized those requests, as did every planning partner in the room,” Cavender said. “At the end of the day, there was a ranked list of projects based on our input, and the highest ranking projects on that list will be submitted to the highway commission for approval. “Our voice counts, and the role of the TAC is crucial in improving transportation systems in the Meramec Region and across the state,” Cavender added. “The needs are many and the funds are few, so how we spend our limited dollars becomes more critical.” Missouri roads are much improved from 1994 as is MoDOT’s image, and even MoDOT will say that the TACs and regional planning partners have helped that to happen. TACs have provided ideas, questioned needs and processes, set priorities and shared their expectations with MoDOT planners and engineers. And MoDOT has listened carefully, said Cavender. "When we first formed the TAC, the committee identified Highway 72 and the Missouri River Bridge at Hermann as the region’s top two projects,” Cavender remembers. “Those projects are now completed, and we have two more priorities—Highways 63 and 50, and there is work going on these roadways as well.” Through the TAC and MRPC, local leaders can speak with a unified voice and concentrate their efforts. For example, several entities in Dent County—the city, county, chamber and community betterment—were advocating Highway 72 improvements. When the TAC and MRPC began advocating for Highway 72, it elevated the need to the next level where district engineers and all planning partners in that district were discussing the need. “As a region, we had agreed on the need, and we were all discussing one need, one project—not a multitude of projects, and that carried more weight, and it got the job done.” explained Cavender. Next week: MRPC’s Role in Emergency Planning and Homeland Security Sidebar: Meramec Regional Planning Commission Co-chairs: Gary Brown and Russell Schuelen Crawford County: Jessica Vincent-Easler, Neil Swyers and Ed Worley |