Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization Certification Review Report April 2012 Federal Highway Administration Federal Transit Administration Tennessee Division Office Region 4 404 BNA Drive, Building 200, Suite 508 230 Peachtree St., N.W., Suite 800 Nashville, TN 37217 Atlanta, GA 30303 1
Table of Contents Preface... 3 Executive Summary... 5 Summary of Corrective Actions... 6 Summary of Commendations... 6 Summary of Recommendations... 6 Review Areas... 7 Transportation Planning Organization - Overview of Recent Activities... 7 Designation and Organizational Structure (23 CFR 450.306 and 450.310)... 10 Unified Planning Work Program (23 CFR 450.308)... 12 Metropolitan Planning Boundaries (23 CFR 450.312)... 13 Metropolitan Planning Agreements (23 CFR 450.314)... 13 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (23 CFR 450.322)... 14 Transportation Improvement Program (23 CFR 450.324)... 17 Interested parties, participation, and consultation (23 CFR 450.316)... 19 Transit (49 CFR)... 21 Congestion Management Process (500.109)... 23 Air Quality (1990 Clean Air Act, 40 CFR Parts 51 and 93)... 24 Conclusion... 26 Appendix A Certification Review Agenda... 27 Appendix B Composition of Federal Review Team... 29 Appendix C List of Participants... 30 Appendix D Comments & Questions Received... 31 Appendix E Knoxville Regional TPO Planning Boundaries... 33 Appendix F Knoxville Regional TPO Membership/Structure... 35 Appendix G List of Acronyms... 36 2
Preface The statewide and metropolitan transportation planning processes are directed by the requirements of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), signed into law on August 10, 2005. The United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) issued planning regulations on February 14, 2007 setting Federal requirements for the transportation planning process. These requirements are presented in Title 23 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 450 and 49 CFR Part 613, Statewide and Metropolitan Planning Final Rule. The metropolitan planning regulations are closely tied with the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency s (EPA) air quality conformity regulations. SAFETEA-LU essentially continued the programs and basic philosophies of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). Pursuant to 23 United States Code (USC) 134(i)(5) and 49 USC 1607, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) must jointly review and evaluate the transportation planning process conducted in each Transportation Management Area (TMA) with a population over 200,000 no less than once every four years. This review includes an assessment of the degree to which the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) meets the requirements of the metropolitan planning regulations and, in air quality nonattainment or maintenance areas, an evaluation of the process to ensure conformity of plans and programs to the EPA s air quality conformity regulations. Upon completion of this review, FHWA and FTA jointly certify with recommendations, certify with corrective actions, or decertify the metropolitan planning process. The Knoxville Region Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), established in 1977, is the federally designated MPO for the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. The first certification review of the Knoxville TMA was in October of 1995. The most recent review was in April of 2008. This report represents the sixth certification review for the Knoxville TMA. The TMA certification review is comprised of three elements: a desk review, an on-site review, and a public involvement opportunity. The Federal Review Team (FTA and FHWA) conducted a desk review of the TPO s planning products, explored selected components of the planning process, and discussed major US DOT initiatives during an on-site review with TPO staff, Federal partners (including the EPA), and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). To encourage increased stakeholder understanding of the TMA certification process and purpose and to solicit input, FHWA and FTA held a public meeting on the evening of February 13, 2012 to invite public comment on the TPO s planning process. This report includes a summary of the Federal Review Team s observations, commendations, and recommendations. The TPO addressed all of the corrective actions from the 2004 review, the 2008 review did not include any corrective actions, and the Federal Review Team did not identify any corrective actions during the 2012 certification review. Action on the 3
recommendations in this report is not required; however, the recommendations reflect national trends and best practices and are intended to assist the TPO in their efforts to effectively meet the intent of the Federal planning regulations. Finally, the report highlights positive practices of the Knoxville Regional TPO with commendations that can serve as examples to other states and planning organizations. 4
Executive Summary On February 13-15, 2012, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) conducted a transportation management area (TMA) certification review of the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO). TMA certification reviews are required to be completed no less than once every four years in urban areas with populations greater than 200,000 people to ensure compliance with Federal regulations. The Knoxville Regional TPO meets the requirements of 23 CFR 450 Subpart C, thus the TPO s transportation planning process is certified. FHWA and FTA s previous certification review in April 2008 did not identify any corrective actions. The Knoxville Regional TPO has addressed or implemented all recommendations resulting from the last review and has demonstrated a strong commitment to meeting Federal regulations. The Federal Review Team (FHWA and FTA) identified several notable planning practices and accomplishments by the Knoxville Regional TPO since the last certification review. The TPO has made great strides to enhance bicycle and alternative transportation via its Smart Trips and Bicycle Programs, advance travel demand modeling with a new hybrid trip-based/tour-based model, and promote regional collaboration in air quality conformity, transit planning, and sustainability. The conclusion of this report provides the final Federal planning certification determination. Those elements of the planning process reviewed during the February meetings are outlined in the Certification Review Agenda included in Appendix A. The Federal Review Team composition and contact information is provided in Appendix B. A list of participants in the review process is identified in Appendix C. Comments collected from the public and TPO stakeholders are documented in Appendix D. 5
Summary of Corrective Actions None Summary of Commendations Strong leadership in multimodal planning activities including the Plan East Tennessee (PlanET) initiative, transportation air quality conformity, the Smart Trips and Bicycle Programs, Safe Routes to School (SRTS), and planning for operations through intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and traffic incident management The Bicycle Program s non-infrastructure investments, including outreach to drivers education classes, the Bicycling Ambassadors program, and greenway coordination The advancement of regional travel demand modeling with the hybrid trip-based/tourbased model, a nationally recognized best practice The update and rebranding of the Public Participation Plan (PPP) to The Outreach Plan to include innovative involvement techniques, social media, and continual feedback mechanisms The continued flexing of Surface Transportation Program (STP) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds for transit projects Summary of Recommendations Coordinate with TDOT and FHWA for the next Regional Mobility Plan update to ensure the Knoxville Regional TPO has a sufficient timeline for all deadlines and requirements Engage the Interagency Consultation Group early and often in the Regional Mobility Plan update process to ensure all conformity requirements are resolved, particularly the new 2008 ozone standard and the transition to the Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) model Strategize additional ways to utilize mailing lists to engage targeted stakeholders and elicit continuous participation in the planning and decision-making processes Consider publishing regional congestion reports for TPO members, the general public, and other interested parties Ensure that the Prospectus, Bylaws, and planning agreements are up-to-date, agreeable, and reflect any changes in planning area boundaries, membership, and responsibilities Further advance a regional discussion on climate change, energy conservation, and mitigation planning Examine the benefits of processing amendments and administrative adjustments to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) on a regular cycle 6