Posted By HR Partnership on July 16, 2009

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) was fully certified by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as the region’s transportation planning organization.

The HRTPO was informed of the full certification at its July 15, 2009 meeting. The certification is in effect for four years. The notice of full certification culminates an extensive 14-month reform process that addressed the corrective actions that were required following the organization’s 2007 Federal Quadrennial Review.

Federal regulations require that urbanized areas with a population of 200,000 or greater throughout the United States have a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to conduct a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning process. The Quadrennial Review certifies the HRTPO’s planning and programming processes meet Federal requirements.

The HRTPO, or the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization as it was known at the 2007 certification review, was found to have several areas that required corrective actions to achieve full certification. These areas included Public Involvement, Title VI/Environmental Justice, Financial and Organizational Structure. Upon learning of the corrective actions, the HRTPO Policy Board quickly formed the MPO Committee which set about the work of addressing not only the corrective actions, but enhancing and expanding the regional transportation planning process.

“About a year and a half ago, December 2007, I stood in front of you and presented the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration preliminary findings for our latest certification review. Among a good number of commendations, were some significant corrective actions and recommended areas for improvement,” said Ivan Rucker, Safety Programs Manager and Emergency and Freight Coordinator for FHWA, addressing the HRTPO Policy Board.

“In the year and half following the review, you’ve (the HRTPO) established much needed bylaws to govern the internal affairs and actions of the HRTPO and adopted a new voting structure. You’ve approved the creation of a much needed Advisory Committee. You’ve hired a Public Involvement and Community Outreach Administrator. You’ve approved the creation of a Citizens’ Advisory Committee. You’ve established a clear open meeting format giving the citizens of this region a greater opportunity to be included in the regional transportation decision-making process. You made the Policy Board more inclusive and diverse by including important new members. You’ve opened your budget and work tasks for public review and comment. And the list goes on and on. This MPO’s reform was needed. It’s right on-time and I think the citizens of this region will be proud with what you have accomplished. Certainly we (FHWA and FTA) are. Again we want to say thank you,” concluded Mr. Rucker.

About the HRTPO: an intergovernmental planning body for thirteen jurisdictions in Hampton Roads, as well as state agencies and transit operators, that conducts a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning process. The voting membership of the HRTPO consists of representatives from the cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg, as well as, the counties of Gloucester, Isle of Wight, James City, and York. Additional voting members come from representatives of the Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads, Williamsburg Area Transit Authority (WATA), the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit, and the Virginia Port Authority. Voting membership has been extended to two delegates and two senators from the region’s General Assembly delegation. Non-voting membership applies to the Virginia Department of Aviation, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, the Chief Administrative Officers for all Member Localities, the Peninsula Airport Commission, Norfolk Airport Authority and the Chairs of the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee and Freight Transportation Advisory Committee.

For more information, contact: Camelia Ravanbakht, Deputy Executive Director
Tel: (757) 420-8300 Fax: (757) 523-4881

Categories: Transportation
Tags: Hampton Roads, HRTPO, Transportation