Lexington Area MPO - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
Metropolitan planning organization
A metropolitan planning organization is a federally-mandated and federally-funded transportation policy-making organization in the United States that is made up of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authorities...

(MPO) has been involved with transportation planning

Transportation planning

Transportation planning is a field involved with the evaluation, assessment, design and siting of transportation facilities .-Models and Sustainability :...

in Lexington

Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...

, Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

and its immediate area since being established in 1974. It is responsible, in cooperation with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is Kentucky's state-funded agency charged with building and maintaining U.S...

, for planning and coordinating all aspects of transportation planning on behalf of local governments within its region, which includes the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (the consolidated

Consolidated city-county

In United States local government, a consolidated city–county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction. As such it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation, and a county, which is an administrative division of a state...

government of Lexington and Fayette County

Fayette County, Kentucky

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 295,083 in the 2010 Census. Its territory, population and government are coextensive with the city of Lexington, which also serves as county seat....

) and Jessamine County

Jessamine County, Kentucky

Jessamine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is within the Inner Blue Grass region, which was the center of farming and blooded stock raising, including thoroughbred horses. It was formed in 1799. The population was 48,586 in the 2010 Census...

Organizational Framework

The MPO was formed in 1974 when the committee structure was established by a letter from Mayor H. Foster Pettit to the Kentucky Secretary of Transportation, Calvin Grayson. The Transportation Policy Committee (TPC) is the decision making body of the Lexington Area MPO and is composed of the mayors of Lexington, Nicholasville

Nicholasville, Kentucky

Nicholasville is the 11th largest city in state of Kentucky and the county seat of Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 19,680 at the 2000 census...

, and Wilmore

Wilmore, Kentucky

Wilmore is a city in Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,134 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area...

; the Fayette and Jessamine County Judge-Executives; the Vice Mayor of Lexington; six members of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council; the Chairman of LexTran; President of Federated Transportation Services of the Bluegrass (FTSB) and the Secretary for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC).

The TPC has several subcommittees that report to it: Transportation Technical Coordinating Committee (TTCC), Congestion Management Committee (CMC), Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), Air Quality Advisory Committee (AQAC), and Traffic Safety Coalition (TSC).

Plans and Documents

The Lexington Area MPO, as part of its mandate, produces many plans and documents. The Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) is required by federal and state laws, and is the primary plan for the future transportation system of the region. It is updated every 3-5 years. The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is updated more frequently and is more project-oriented. The MPO must also develop a Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) which identifies where all of the money flowing into the MPO goes, including staffing and other administrative costs. The MPO also has a Participation Plan (PP), and develops many other plans and documents as directed by federal and state governmental bodies.

Work Programs

There are several different areas within the MPO and planners that specialize in at least one area, although some cover multiple areas.

Air Quality

The MPO monitors the air quality and level of ozone

Ozone

Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...

in the area. This includes a forecast from May to the end of September and alerts if the forecast approaches the level of unhealthy for sensitive groups. The MPO also educates the public about pollution reducing activities through the school system and extensive public service announcements.

Public Transit

Transit planning is crucial for a growing region. The Lexington area is growing in population, and is forecast to continue this trend. Transit service is currently expanding, thanks in large part to a dedicated tax that was passed in 2004. Along with the expansion of service and routes comes an increased amount of transit planning work. Regular transit planning duties include developing a Long Range Transit Plan, developing maps and statistical reports, updating Title VI documentation, and various other activities.

Congestion Management

The Congestion Management Process (CMP) alleviates, and mitigates traffic congestion in the MPO Planning Area which includes Lexington and Jessamine County. The CMP supports the planning process by providing information to assist transportation decision-making. An overview document was completed in March, 2011 and approved by the Congestion Management Committee.

The CMP utilizes several different methods to reduce traffic congestion. One innovative design that came out of one of the MPO's Congestion Management Studies is the Diverging diamond interchange

Diverging diamond interchange

A diverging diamond interchange is a rare form of diamond interchange in which the two directions of traffic on the non-freeway road cross to the opposite side on both sides of the bridge at the freeway. It is unusual in that it requires traffic on the freeway overpass to briefly drive on the...

(DDI). Because of the CMP suggesting that this type of interchange should be used to alleviate bottlenecks in the MPO area, KYTC chose to use a DDI design for the Harrodsburg Road and New Circle interchange. A public meeting will be held on March 29, 2011 at Southern Hills United Methodist Church from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This will be the first Diverging Diamond Interchange in the state of Kentucky.

Bluegrass Mobility Office

The Lexington Bluegrass Mobility Office was established in 1997 by the LFUCG as the central point of contact in all inquiries concerning mobility (transportation) issues. The Mobility Office offers a carpool/vanpool computer ridematching program that includes LexVan, a work commute vanpool leasing program. These services are available to anyone that lives or works in Fayette or Jessamine County and commutes to or from the surrounding counties. Aimed at reducing air pollution, traffic and parking congestion, road repairs and gasoline consumption, the Mobility program is managed by the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

Bicycle and Pedestrian

This is an ever growing activity for the MPO. But it's more than just constructing and repairing sidewalks and bike lanes. A lot of it has to do with educating the public about the importance of having good bicycle and pedestrian connections for our community. As the population grows, it's important to plan for viable alternative transportation options, such as simply walking or biking to the grocery store or to work.

External links

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