Williamson County residents have a chance to to review the draft regional transportation plan (RTP) for Middle Tennessee, prepared by the Nashville Area MPO, during a public meeting next Tuesday, Feb. 2, at the Williamson County Public Library from 5-7 p.m.
Called, “Middle Tennessee Connected: 2016-2040 Regional Transportation Plan,” it was prepared on behalf of the MPO’s member jurisdictions, and represents the collective transportation goals of city and county governments, transit agencies and the Tennessee Department of Transportation. The plan outlines how those partners intend to invest federal funds to improve mobility across Davidson, Maury, Robertson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson and Wilson counties.
Meetings will be structured in an ‘open house’ style to allow members of the community to attend when convenient and move through the portions of the plan which interest them the most.
The RTP is extremely important to Middle Tennessee, as it is the gateway to federal dollars and offers an opportunity for city and county governments, the state and transit agencies to develop a comprehensive document to unify priorities for transportation investments. The plan includes both short- and long-range projects and strategies that come together to build an integrated multi-modal transportation network for the region. Specifically, this plan recommends federal funds for projects developed through local comprehensive planning processes or by transit agencies such as Nashville MTA and RTA’s nMotion process.
The MPO is required by federal law to update its regional transportation plan every five years to account for changes in transportation needs that result from shifts in regional economic conditions, real estate development trends, funding availability, and public policies. The 2040 RTP supersedes the 2035 RTP which was adopted in December 2010.
The RTP includes a balanced budget. It presents a list of transportation improvements that can be constructed or implemented over the next 25 years with anticipated federal funding of $8.5 billion, or $300 million annually, based on current annual appropriations. The plan schedules projects over three planning horizons including a short-term (2016-2020), mid-term (2021-2030), and long-term (2031-2040). Projects included in the short-term horizon also comprise the MPO’s regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
For more information on the draft plan or meetings, visit Connected2040.org.