The Burlington-Graham MPO is a transportation planning organization. MPOs are federally required to work with regional stakeholders to improve local transportation planning policies, network systems, improve air quality and enhance quality of all travel modes.
One of the primary responsibilities of the BGMPO is development of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). The MTP is a long-range transportation plan that establishes the local communities’ vision and goals and identifies transportation needs and deficiencies in the region. A list of projects, categorized by mode and horizon year (anticipated construction year), are developed to address these transportation needs. Projects in the MTP can be submitted for funding consideration every two years through the Strategic Transportation Prioritization (SPOT) process. Public and stakeholder engagement is a critical component to development of the MTP, helping to identify transportation concerns, establish a community vision and prioritize proposed projects. The proposed project recommendations must be fiscally constrained—tied to a committed or available revenue source. This plan is updated every five years, the 2045 MTP having been adopted in June 2020.
The Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) is a long-range transportation plan developed by NCDOT. The BGMPO provides input and feedback throughout development of the CTP. The CTP identifies long-term transportation needs and solutions across multiple modes for the next 25 to 30 years. Compared to the MTP, projects within the CTP are not required to demonstrate fiscal constraint. The MTP is a fiscally constrained subset of the CTP. They also do not have a horizon year or specified timeframe. The CTP contains a ‘wish list’ of projects that at some point may be selected for inclusion into the MTP and potentially the STIP.
In addition to these long-range plans, BGMPO works with local member jurisdictions to fund and develop a variety of special studies. Recent examples include the Haggard Avenue Corridor Study and the Lowe’s Boulevard Corridor Study. We also manage similar projects—BGMPO recently began steps toward developing a Highway Safety Plan that will highlight current safety trends and adopt measures and goals to help us improve traffic safety in the region.
Ensuring public engagement in and accessibility to the transportation planning process is an important priority of the BGMPO. Our recently updated Public Involvement Plan and Title VI Plan outlines our commitment to public accessibility non-discrimination in all our work.