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NORTHWEST
ARKANSAS REGIONAL
TRANSPORTATION STUDY UNIFIED
PLANNING WORK PROGRAM FISCAL
YEAR 2004 Adopted
by the NARTS Policy Committee on June
12, 2003 PARTICIPATING AGENCIES Bentonville Benton
County Bethel
Heights Cave
Springs Centerton Elm
Springs Farmington Fayetteville Greenland Highfill Johnson Little
Flock Lowell Rogers Springdale Tontitown Washington
County Ozark
Regional Transit Inc. Razorback
Transit Arkansas
State Highway and Transportation Department Northwest
Arkansas Regional Planning Commission IN
COOPERATION WITH: U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL
HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION and FEDERAL
TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION TEA
21 FACTORS CONSIDERED BY PROGRAM ELEMENT On June 9, 1998 Congress signed into law PL 105-178, the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, which is referred to
as TEA21. This law requires, under
Section 1203 (f), that plans and programs address the seven factors listed
below. The factors which apply to
each element of the Unified Planning Work Program are listed in the table below.
(1)
In general.—The metropolitan transportation planning
process for a metropolitan area under this section shall provide for
consideration of projects and strategies that will: 1.
Support the economic vitality of the United States, the
States and metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness,
productivity, and efficiency;
2.
Increase the safety and security of the transportation system
for motorized and non-motorized users; 3.
Increase the accessibility and mobility options available to
people and for freight; 4.
Protect and enhance the environment, promote energy
conservation, and improve quality of life; 5.
Enhance the integration and connectivity of the
transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight; 6.
Promote efficient system management and operation; and 7.
Emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation
system. TEA 21 FACTORS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
100: Data Collection/Analysis
X
X
X
X
X 200: Technical Support
X
X X
X
X
X 300: Long Range Planning
X
X
X
X
X
X
X 400: Transportation Improvement
X
X
X
X
X
X
X 500: Administration
X
X PROGRAM FUNDING NOTES
This Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) outlines
the planning activities of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Study
(NARTS) from July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004.
100:
DATA COLLECTION/ANALYSIS WORK TASKS
A.
NWARPC staff will maintain files that indicate demographic
and infrastructure elements within
the NARTS Area. Census 2000 and
other information will be utilized and incorporated into reports, thematic maps,
and TAZ boundaries. Examples of
data to be maintained includes: changes
in population, population shifts within the region, new building permit and
construction activity, new industrial development and new or expanding
employers. Data collected may
also include socio-economic characteristics, land use developments, changes in
political and economic structures, master street plans, and capital improvement
projects. Collection of regional development data from units of government will
continue. B.
NWARPC staff will maintain files for traffic count data at
locations determined by the AHTD and local jurisdictions.
Traffic counts will be supplied by AHTD and local jurisdictions C.
TAXI SUBSIDY PROGRAMS FOR BENTONVILLE, ROGERS, FAYETTEVILLE,
SPRINGDALE: The NWARPC will continue to collect data to monitor and evaluate
these taxi subsidy programs. The
evaluation will address pertinent data needed by the cities and funding agencies
including: (1) client data; (2) purpose of travel; (3) travel trends; (4) cost
data; and (5) administrative data. Computerization
of these records will continue based upon taxi driver log sheets.
This information will be reported in the studies discussed in Element
300. END PRODUCTS
COMPLETION DATES
PERFORMING AGENCIES
NWARPC, AHTD, Arkansas State Data Center, Local Governments, and taxi
companies COST DATA
Federal
$43,000
Local (MPO)
$10,750
Total
$53,750
Element Percent
15.51%
WORK TASKSA.
Staff will assist counties, cities, citizens, and the media
in understanding the process of MPO transportation planning and the impact of
transportation projects both short term and long term.
NWARPC staff will update, as necessary, the brochure outlining
transportation planning procedures for the NARTS Technical Advisory and Policy
Committees, and the general public. This
brochure will detail how regional plans are implemented and who to contact for
questions and answers. B.
PARATRANSIT: Provide
liaison and technical assistance to the Cities of Bentonville, Fayetteville,
Rogers, Springdale, Cardinal Taxi, Tony C’s Taxi, C & C Taxi Company and
the AAA of Northwest Arkansas in the operation and maintenance of the
low-income, elderly and handicapped taxi subsidy programs.
C.
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AREA AGENCY ON AGING: The staff will
continue to work closely with the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Arkansas in
order to stay informed of elderly transit issues and coordinate and develop
services as needed. A staff person
will continue to serve on the AAA’s Advisory Committee. D.
Inter-governmental Review Process: Review area FTA and FHWA funding applications. E.
OZARK REGIONAL TRANSIT INC. ASSISTANCE:
NWARPC will continue to work with Ozark Regional Transit’s management
providing transit assistance as they seek to improve additional transit services
for Northwest Arkansas. F.
RAZORBACK TRANSIT: The
staff will continue to monitor and respond to the needs of Razorback Transit and
support their activities. G.
AHTD/ARKANSAS TRANSIT ASSOCIATION/SOUTHWEST TRANSIT
ASSOCIATION: Continue to support AHTD, ATA, and SWTA by assisting their efforts
in providing local, state, and federal public transportation services,
assistance and information. Pertinent
meetings and training seminars will be attended. H.
MAPPING: Provide mapping and GIS assistance to participating
units and maintain county and regional maps. I.
PLANNING ASSISTANCE: Staff
will assist counties and cities in utilizing transportation resources by
disseminating information regarding transportation programs.
Staff will also assist counties and cities as needed for transportation
planning. END PRODUCTS COMPLETION DATES
PERFORMING AGENCIES: NWARPC, AHTD, FTA, ATA, Ozark Transit, Razorback Transit, Life Styles, Inc., City of Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville, Springdale, Cardinal Taxi, Tony C’s, C & C Taxi Company, Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Arkansas, area human service agencies and local Governments. COST DATA
Federal
$48,000
Local (MPO)
$12,000
Total
$60,000
Element Percent
17.31%
300:
LONG RANGE PLANNING WORK TASKSA.
ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATING GOVERNMENTS: 1.
Work with the governments to update master street plans as
needed. 2.
Work with the governments to further define project
priorities and explore funding options. B.
TRANSPORTATION MODELING: 1.
Assist AHTD in developing a travel demand model through a
consultant. 2. Train staff on maintenance and use of the model. C.
INCORPORATE THE FULL TWO COUNTY AREA INTO THE TRANSPORTATION
PLANNING PROCESS: 1.
Work with the new cities to create an understanding of the
work and role of the MPO. 2.
Consider revision of the NARTS Bylaws to better accommodate all participants. 3.
Review and
adjust functional classification of roads. D.
REVIEW AND REVISE THE NARTS AGREEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING: 1.
A new Agreement of Understanding will be developed as part of
the process of expanding the Study Area. E.
REGIONAL BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITY SYSTEM: The
NWA Heritage Trail Plan is the adopted bicycle and pedestrian facility plan for
Northwest Arkansas.
1.
Staff will offer assistance to participating jurisdictions in development
of their respective master trails plans. 2.
Staff will offer assistance to citizen groups that form to
promote the Heritage Trail. 3.
Street cross sections that accommodate bicycles and
pedestrians will be evaluated for possible inclusion in the next Long Range
Plan. 4.
Efforts will be made to promote proper signage for the
Heritage Trail. F.
BEGIN THE 2030 LONG RANGE PLAN UPDATE: Work will begin in 2003 in terms of
developing a potential timeline and sense of scope for the Long Range Plan.
Many of the Focus Teams can develop a more specific focus toward this
update. Work in 2004 may depend on the progress of the travel demand
model. G.
CONTINUE THE TAC STUDY GROUP AND FOCUS TEAMS: Topics
including but not limited to: 1.
Incorporating the new Study Area (New Agreement of
Understanding) 2.
ITS Regional Architecture 3.
Heritage Trail 4.
New Cross Sections for the Long Range Plan 5.
Travel Demand Modeling 6.
Regional Transit Needs 7.
Intersection Improvements H.
EVALUATE OPTIONS FOR ACCIDENT DATA COLLECTION: Explore the capabilities and
possibilities of using TransCad for accident data collection. I.
EVALUATE OPTIONS FOR ITS REGIONAL ARCHITECTURE: Continue the development of a
Regional ITS Architecture. A
completed architecture is not anticipated to be in place at the end of the
fiscal year. A definite process
should be determined with at least these goals (The TAC Focus Team will be
involved in this process): 1.
Identify most likely ITS market packages 2.
Identify key stakeholders 3.
Revise the ITS Action Plan 4.
Determine whether the final architecture should be developed
in-house or by consultants
J.
TAXI SUBSIDY PROGRAMS FOR BENTONVILLE, ROGERS, FAYETTEVILLE,
SPRINGDALE: 1.
The 2003 Annual Evaluation Reports will be prepared for each
participating City. The report will include year-end
data including client data, coupon data, travel trends, purpose of travel,
administrative functions, and questionnaire results. 2.
NWARPC staff will assist the cities in the annual
questionnaire process. This survey
is an important measure to insure program quality and to solicit the direct
input from the riders. The comments
and suggestions provided by the riders will be addressed jointly by the NWARPC,
AAA of NW Arkansas, Ozark Regional Transit Inc., the Cities, and taxi companies.
Appropriate action will be taken to preserve the efficiency and success
of the programs. 3.
The staff will provide each of the taxi programs with an “Individual
Ridership Report”
showing the number of coupons used per client for the calendar year.
This
information is very helpful for city and agency planning and budgeting
purposes. It is
also a mechanism where abuses are detected. 4.
Updated Participant Master Lists will be maintained for each taxi
program. K.
I-540 FREEWAY STUDY: Staff will work with the AHTD and
consultant in the development of the I-540 Freeway Study.
END PRODUCTS COMPLETION DATES
PERFORMING AGENCY:
NWARPC, AHTD, AAA of Northwest
Arkansas, Razorback Transit, Regional Transit, Northwest Arkansas Regional
Airport Authority, participating taxi companies, and local governments. COST DATA
Federal
$142,000
Local (MPO)
$ 35,500
Total
$177,500
Element Percent
51.21% 400:
TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT WORK TASKS
A.
Update and amend the 2003-2005 TIP as needed. B.
Begin approval process for the 2005-2007 TIP. END PRODUCTS COMPLETION DATES
PERFORMING AGENCY: NWARPC, AHTD, FHWA, FTA, Razorback
Transit, Ozark Transit, and Local Governments. COST DATA
Federal
$10,000
Local (MPO)
$ 2,500
Total
$12,500
Element Percent
3.61% WORK TASKS
A.
Provide those administrative, budgeting, bookkeeping, and clerical duties
required in order to perform work tasks and comply with AHTD and FTA
requirements. Progress reports, and
related documentation will be prepared in conjunction with P.L. activities, as
well as the FY 2005 Unified Planning Work Program. B.
Improve office equipment, computer systems, and software as needed to
keep pace with state-of-the-art technology currently in use for improved
communications, mapping, planning analysis and report production. Train staff on software packages. (The cost of equipment and
software will be shared proportionately by all elements). C.
Attend planning and transit meetings and conferences to maintain
coordination with other agencies, staff proficiency and professional
improvement. Keep informed of AHTD
and FTA programs and trends, as well as local issues and trends in order to
provide proper assistance to local governments and agencies.
Information bulletins and correspondence will be reviewed.
Necessary AHTD, ATA, TRB and SWTA meetings and conferences will be
attended. D.
NWARPC will continue public involvement procedures for all
aspects of transportation planning as specified in the current NARTS Procedures
for Public Involvement. END PRODUCTS COMPLETION DATES
NWARPC, AHTD, and FTA. COST DATA
Federal
$34,266.00
Local (MPO)
$ 8,566.50
Total
$42,832.50
Element Percent
12.36%
ADOPTION
This
Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) was prepared as a part of the
Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Study and approved by the
Technical Advisory Committee and the Policy Committee with assistance by the
Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. Public notice concerning this Program was published in The
Arkansas Democrat Gazette and The Northwest Arkansas Times on May 25, 2003.
The Technical Advisory Committee recommended the Program for adoption on
June 10, 2003. The Policy Committee reviewed and adopted the Program on June
12, 2003. I hereby certify the
adoption of this UPWP for State Fiscal year 2004 by the Policy Committee of the
Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Study on this 12th day of June,
2003. ___________________________ |
