A Guide To Metropolitan Transportation Planning Under Istea

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have prepared this guide for transportation professionals, elected officials, and policymakers, as well as community and business interests, who want to understand and participate in the transportation planning and decisionmaking process. It has two objectives: first, to provide a framework for linking the various elements of ISTEA's transportation planning process together in a comprehensive manner; and second, to provide information, suggestions, and examples of ways to carry out the metropolitan planning process. Part One describes the changes Congress and the President envisioned in the transportation planning and investment process when they enacted ISTEA. Part Two discusses the products of the transportation planning process: the transportation plan and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Part Three describes the elements of transportation planning and how metropolitan areas can use them to develop transportation plans and TIPs that meet their needs and the expectations of the Federal Government. Part Four provides a reference guide to Federal regulations, guidance, and other useful information that have been published on ISTEA and the planning process.

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) developed a framework for more productive and safer transportation systems, friendly to both the environment and communities. This booklet offers a glimpse into the experience of the past five years and describes the progress that has been achieved since ISTEA was adopted. It is a review of transportation planning progress to date based on information collected from state and metropolitan agencies across the country. Examples of these advances range from widespread incorporation of improved financial planning in long-range plans and short-range investment programs, to strategic initiatives for engaging citizens in the planning process, and to fuller integration of air quality improvement as a goal of transportation planning. This review identifies and discusses four major categories of results: improved investment decisions; working to improve environmental quality; indispensable partnerships; and service to communities.

Each State has a different process for making transportation decisions. In some, the legislature annually approves the transportation capital investment program. Others have independent or quasi-independent commissions, boards, or authorities that are responsible for transportation decisions. In all cases, elected officials at the local, regional, or State level need good information to guide their decisions, and the ISTEA planning process is designed to provide this. This guide discusses how good transportation planning can be conducted by States and presents a new framework for transportation decision making as envisioned in ISTEA.

Discusses the experiences of Metropolitan Planning Organizations' (MPO's) in implementing the planning requirements of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, and examines the extent to which U.S. urban areas comply with the Act's planning requirements. Recommends that the U.S. Secretary of Transportation develop standard reporting formats for assessing and reporting on the MPO's compliance with the planning requirements so that the Dept. can identify any deficiencies, and the extent to which the MPO's have made progress in implementing the requirements.

This report is part of the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) goal of completing in 1996 "an overall national assessment of the metropolitan planning process and its implementation under ISTEA". It concentrates on contemporary planning concepts and how ISTEA compares to the best available planning practices. The Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR) used three sources of information to make this assessment: an extensive review of contemporary planning literature, an evaluation of the 70 certification and enhanced planning reviews available from federal review teams by May 1996, and ACIR field work with 11 MPOs under 100,000 population that are well below the size of those receiving formal federal review.