Transportation Governing Policies & Agencies

GOVERNING POLICIES
2030 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP)
This document sets forth the metropolitan area’s long range plan for providing intermodal mobility to its citizens.  The plan is based on projected population and employment information for the planning horizon.  It integrates all components of surface transportation:  roads; transit; bicycle; pedestrian; and freight movement.  Because the region has been designated as non-attainment under the eight-hour ozone standard, the Plan must comply with the statewide air quality attainment plan and must be updated every four years.  The Plan includes a Thoroughfare Plan which is the identification of those roads, both existing and proposed, which will serve a significant function in moving vehicles longer distances at moderate to high speeds.  It has a transit element that identifies the investments in local transit services.  It is financially constrained which means it must identify how the region will pay for all proposed improvements and the maintenance of existing and proposed facilities.  Bicycle and pedestrian movements have become important components of the Plan.  The document covers all of Mecklenburg County and a large portion of Union County, extending as far east as Wingate, and is adopted by the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO.)  The 2030 Long-Range Transportation Plan was adopted in April 2005 and can be viewed at www.MUMPO.org.
 

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
This program details the state’s anticipated investments in transportation over a seven year period.  It is updated every two years by the North Carolina Board of Transportation and must then be endorsed by local MPOs.  It represents the largest capital investment in transportation in our area.  The current TIP for 2009-2015 (adopted in May, 2008) can be downloaded from the MUMPO website at www.MUMPO.org.

Thoroughfare Plan
A Thoroughfare Plan provides a functional hierarchy of major streets that permits travel between origins and destinations with directness, ease and safety, and is designed to: provide for the orderly development of an adequate major street system as land development occurs or as traffic increases; reduce the costs of major street improvements, mainly through coordination with private action; reduce travel and transportation costs; enable private interests to plan their actions, improvements, and development with full knowledge of public intent; minimize the disruption of people and business (development can be prohibited in a road corridor, saving future disruption); reduce environmental impacts on air quality, wetlands, historic sites, parks and other publicly used recreational areas, archeological sites, endangered species, and neighborhoods. In the near future, thoroughfare plans will become an element of Comprehensive Transportation Plans, a concept now being developed by NCDOT that will include transit, bicycle and pedestrian modes. 

MUMPO’s most recent Thoroughfare Plan update occurred in November 2004 in response to additional areas of Union County becoming a part of MUMPO.  Go to www.MUMPO.org to view the Thoroughfare Plan.
 

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)
The UPWP is adopted annually by MUMPO and identifies the major transportation planning activities to be undertaken by state and local staffs for the coming year.

The 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan
On November 15, 2006, the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) adopted the 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan. This updated, long-range plan consists of multiple rapid transit improvements in five corridors, a series of Center City improvements, and bus service and facility improvements throughout the region. The implementation plan for the 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan includes the North and Northeast corridors seeing early implementation followed by the streetcar project. Once complete, the 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan will consist of 25 miles of commuter rail, 21 miles of light rail, 16 miles of streetcar, 14 miles of bus rapid transit and an expanded network of buses and other transit services.

The Equity Formula
NC General Statute 136-17.2A established a distribution formula governing virtually all federal and state transportation funds spent in North Carolina.  Seven distribution regions were created by pairing two highway divisions (generally an urban and a rural) into each region.  Funds are then distributed based upon the following formula: 25% on the estimated number of unbuilt Intrastate System miles in the region; 50% on the population; and 25% equal share for each region.  Urban loop projects are specifically exempt from the formula.

AGENCIES
Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO)
Under federal law, any urbanized area (as defined by the Census Bureau) exceeding 50,000 population shall have an MPO whose purpose is to coordinate transportation planning among the member governments.  In our area, the MUMPO includes all of Mecklenburg County and most of Union County.   Representatives to the MPO include members of the governing boards of Mecklenburg and Union counties, the cities of Charlotte and Monroe, and the towns of Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Indian Trail, Matthews, Mint Hill, Pineville, Stallings, Waxhaw, Weddington, Wesley Chapel, and Wingate; the local representative to the NC Board of Transportation is also a voting member.  Non-voting representatives from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission, Union County Planning Board, US DOT, and the North Carolina Turnpike Authority participate in MUMPO deliberations.  The voting structure is based on population: Charlotte has 16 votes; Huntersville, Matthews, Mecklenburg, Mint Hill, Monroe, and Union have two votes each; each of the other voting members has one vote.  Please go to www.MUMPO.org to see a complete list of MUMPO delegates.

The MPO is charged with the responsibility of preparing and adopting the long-range transportation plan, the Thoroughfare Plan; the Transportation Improvement Program and the Unified Planning Work Program.  After appropriate planning, engineering, and public input, the MPO will adopt specific alignments for proposed thoroughfares.  Local governments will then use these alignments to require land development proposals to conform to the Thoroughfare Plan by reserving or donating the land upon which the roads will be constructed.

The MPO typically meets every other month (January, March, May, July, September, November) on the third Wednesday at 7:00 PM in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center.  Special meetings are scheduled if necessary.  A period for public input is available at each meeting.

Mecklenburg-Union Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC)
The TCC is the staff arm to the MPO.  It is composed of representatives of various departments and communities involved in the transportation planning process.  Other relevant local, state and federal departments are also members.  (Please click on www.MUMPO.org to view a complete list of TCC members.)  The TCC's primary responsibility is to carry out the various planning tasks described in the Unified Planning Work Program.  These include updates to the long range transportation plan, analyses of operational issues in the thoroughfare system, recommendations for various transportation investment programs, and the public involvement process for the MPO.  Virtually all technical recommendations to the MPO originate at the TCC level.  The TCC meets monthly on the first Thursday at 10:00 AM in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center.

North Carolina Board of Transportation (BOT)
The Governor of the State of North Carolina appoints the Board of Transportation.  They adopt the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the seven-year investment program determining how state and federal transportation funds will be spent statewide.  They then award contracts for construction based on the TIP.  They set policies for state maintained and operated transportation systems regardless of mode.  The Board has 19 members (plus the non-voting Secretary of Transportation.)   The BOT meets monthly in Raleigh.  Board of Transportation Website

Lake Norman and Rocky River Rural Planning Organizations (RPO)
The NCDOT has created rural planning organizations to give a similar planning capability to counties located outside MPOs.  The Lake Norman RPO has been chartered to include Iredell, Cleveland, and Lincoln counties and the part of Gaston County not under the jurisdiction of the Gaston Urban Area MPO.  The Rocky River RPO covers Anson and Stanley counties, and the part of Union County not under MUMPO’s jurisdiction.  The Lake Norman RPO is staffed by the Centralina Council of Governments; Anson County provides the staff for the Rocky River RPO.  Lake Norman RPO Website - Rocky River RPO Website

Charlotte Regional Alliance for Transportation (CRAFT)
The MPOs serving the Cabarrus-Rowan Urban Area, Gaston Urban Area, Mecklenburg-Union Urban Area and the Rock Hill-Fort Mill Area Transportation Study plus the Lake Norman and Rocky River RPOs participate in a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning process through an entity known as the Charlotte Regional Alliance for Transportation (CRAFT).  CRAFT’s role is to enhance communication among jurisdictions, promote awareness of regional concerns, and to provide an educational forum in the Charlotte metropolitan bi-state region that addresses significant common issues.

Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC)
As a result of the implementation of a one-half cent sales tax for transit purposes, Mecklenburg County and the seven incorporated communities within it formed a Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) to act as the coordinating body to review and recommend transit system operations and improvements throughout Mecklenburg County.  Each municipality has one vote.  The MTC meets monthly on the fourth Wednesday at 5:30 PM in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center.  An opportunity for public comment is available at each meeting. MTC Website

Local Governments
Local governments set transportation policy for locally maintained streets and determine land use policy that affects the entire transportation network.  Voters in the city of Charlotte have for many years voted to approve roadway improvement bonds.  Recently, voters in the towns of Matthews and Huntersville have done the same. Related Sites