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DANVILLE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION (MPO)
What is an MPO?
The Metropolitan Planning Organization is
an entity encouraged by federal legislation whose mandate is to help ensure
that current and future expenditures for transportation programs and projects
have a basis or foundation in a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive
planning --the "3-C" planning process.
What
is the area served by the Danville MPO?
Several federal agencies have been
involved in defining MPO's, including the Bureau of the Census, Office of
Management and Budget, and the Federal Highway Administration/U.S. Department
of Transportation. In the early 1980's it was recognized that an
urbanized area of 50,000 population existed within
Danville and portions of
Pittsylvania County and so boundaries were drawn and steps taken to establish
the MPO agency and establish an initial boundary. Since then a
study
area boundary has also been established at a distance outside of the Urbanized
Area boundary. With the 2000 Census, these
boundaries have changed to a limited extent.
What is the
MPO Policy
Board?
The Danville MPO has a governing body
whose voting members are made up of three members from the Pittsylvania County
Board of Supervisors, two members from the Danville City Council, the Danville
City Manager, and a member from the
Virginia Department of
Transportation (VDOT). A number of voting alternates are
also specified. The Policy Board meets to determine policy matters and
vote on issues brought to them by the
Chairman and/or
MPO Administrator.
The Board meets when sufficient agenda items warrant a called meeting.
Meeting information is posted on the PDC's
Calendar of Events page. Click
here for a listing of the
MPO Bylaws,
MPO Policy Board,
Staff Contact Persons,
Technical Committee/Project Management Team,
Citizens Advisory Committee, or
Freight Committee Membership.
How is the Danville
MPO contacted?
The Executive Director of the West
Piedmont Planning District Commission is a primary contact person and can be
reached at 1-276-638-3987 (voice); 1-276-638-8137 (fax);
rdowd@wppdc.org
(email); address: MPO Administrator, West Piedmont Planning District
Commission, P.O. Box 5268, Martinsville, VA 24115-5268. Alternatively, the
Danville City Manager, Danville City Engineer, Danville Regional Airport
Manager/Director of Transportation Services, and Pittsylvania County Administrator
are other avenues for contacting the MPO.
What does the MPO do?
The Danville MPO develops plans and
programs that are subject to approval by federal transportation agencies in
order for federal-aid to transportation funding to flow to the region governed
by the MPO. The national transportation act, Transportation Equity Act
for the 21st Century, dictates that primary MPO activities shall include
development and maintenance of a Long-Range Transportation Plan and a
Transportation Improvement Program. The agency also develops a Unified
Transportation Planning Work Program on an annual basis that outlines planning
activities that are to take place and the funding determined to be required to
undertake the annual efforts and effectively serves as both the MPO's budget
and work program.
Long-Range Transportation
Plan for Year 2030
The
current
Long-Range Transportation Plan covers a period out to the Year 2030. The document includes a map
showing color coded segments of existing corridors where improvements are
recommended and some new segments where new construction is recommended in the
future sometime before Year 2030. Also included are text and tables
further detailing the recommendations. At this time the MPO anticipates updating the
Plan by June 2009 with work to begin in Spring 2008.
Transportation Improvement
Program, FY 2003-2005; FY 2005-07; & FY 2006-08 Update
The MPO has an
approved Transportation Improvement Program for the Fiscal Year period of
2003 through 2005. The document details projects to improve the area's
transportation system, facilities, and services based on what is believed at
this time to be amounts of funding reasonably thought to be available for the
work during the three year time period. The program covers
transportation elements such as
transit, paratransit,
transit for the elderly
and handicapped, urban streets,
primary roads,
secondary roads,
safety program
projects, enhancement program projects, and
Route 58 corridor improvement
program projects. The August 2004 update of the document to the period
FY
2005-2007 is posted here. As of March 20, 2006, the MPO adopted a
new TIP for
FY 2006-2008.
Unified
Transportation Planning Work Program, FY 2008
The MPO adopted its annual
Unified
Transportation Planning Work Program in the spring of 2007. The document
specifies the work activities that the MPO Board, its staff, and contracted
consultants may be expected to carry out during the period of July 1, 2007
through June 30, 2008. Efforts will include initiation of the area
Long-Range Transportation Plan for the Year 2035 and development of three
consultant-led study projects.