FHWA 50-15 Tuesday, July 14, 2015 Contact: Nicole Jones / Doug Hecox Tel: 202-366-0660

Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration Announce Year's Best

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today jointly announced the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG), which serves the greater Colorado Springs, Colo., area, as one of this year’s eight Transportation Planning Excellence Award (TPEA) recipients. It is the Council’s first TPEA.

“Building a world-class transportation system doesn’t happen overnight, and never by accident,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “These important awards recognize the critical role planning plays in meeting America’s future transportation challenges.”

The PPACG was recognized for its “Moving Forward Update 2035,” a regional transportation plan which includes habitat protection, wildfire evacuation plans, efforts to engage the public and streamline cooperation among government agencies at all levels over the next two decades. The plan, which relied on public input and a Google Earth visualization tool, was also selected last August to be showcased in FHWA’s “Model Long Range Transportation Plans.”

Because of its planning innovations, the PPACG has received a broad mix of funds – federal, state and otherwise – more quickly, allowing work to begin on a new diverging diamond interchange and other important segments of I-25.

“Good projects are the result of good planning,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “The more we can engage affected communities about their transportation needs and choices, the sooner construction can begin and regional economies can strengthen.”

Selected by an independent panel, the awards are a biennial recognition by the FHWA and FTA of outstanding transportation planning practices performed by planners and decision makers in communities across the country.

This year, eight winners were selected of 35 TPEA submissions from around the nation. Criteria for selection included: community, public involvement and partnerships; context sensitive solutions; innovation and effectiveness; equity; implementation and strategy; multi-modalism; and potential for long-term benefits.

“It’s important to recognize the creative efforts of the nation’s transportation planners,” said Acting Federal Transit Administrator Therese W. McMillan. “The future of our infrastructure system begins with their vision.”

This year’s other winners include:

4th Street/Prater Way Bus RAPID Transit Project Awardee: Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, Nev. Category: Planning and Environmental Linkages for Livability, Sustainability and Public Health

Bus Stop Accessibility Study Awardee: Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission Category: Modeling and Technology Applications Transportation, Land-Use, Freight and Operations Planning Linkages Asset Management

CHCNGA-TPO Community-Sensitive Performance-Based Planning Awardee: Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency Category: Planning and Environmental Linkages for Livability, Sustainability and Public Health

Humanizing Infrastructure: Design for the Replacement of I-95 Awardee: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 6 Categories: Public and Educational Planning, Training, and Outreach Planning and Environmental Linkages for Livability, Sustainability and Public Health Modeling and Technology Applications

Minnesota State Highway Investment Plan (MnSHIP) Awardee: Minnesota Department of Transportation Categories: Public and Educational Planning, Training and Outreach Asset Management

Mt. Hood Multimodal Transportation Plan Awardee: Oregon Department of Transportation Category: Emergency and Safety Planning Public and Educational Planning, Training and Outreach Rural, Small, Regional and Tribal Community Planning

Project Connect North Corridor: Taking Transit Where No Transit Has Gone Before! Awardee: Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Texas Category: Planning and Environmental Linkages for Livability, Sustainability and Public Health Public and Educational Planning, Training and Outreach Transportation, Land-Use, Freight and Operations Planning Linkages

Additional information about the 2015 TPEA recipients can be found at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/tpea/2015/

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