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 Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) as one of this year’s eight Transportation Planning Excellence Award (TPEA) recipients.

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

ODOT was recognized for its “Mt. Hood Multimodal Transportation Plan,” (MHMTP) a multimodal strategy to improve safety and increase travel options for the millions of annual visitors to, and residents near, the Mt. Hood Highway corridor.

A large economic driver for the state and home to rural communities, Oregon’s Mt. Hood is as a major recreational destination for several tourists, and is prone to congestion. Due to various environmental reasons, nearby US 26 could not easily be widened, forcing the state to examine other options.

Building on previous efforts, the plan prioritized a series of 38 projects that are financially feasible, sustainable and can be implemented within 15 years. With significant public and stakeholder input from more than 3,200 Oregonians, the plan resulted in $35 million of immediate improvements.

“The study will help to enhance safety and increase travel options on this corridor,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau. “It’s a promising way of doing more with less.” 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 Asset Management Transportation, Land-Use, Freight and Operations Planning Linkages

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

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

Moving Forward Updated 2035 Regional Transportation Plan Awardee: Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Categories: Planning and Environmental Linkages for Livability, Sustainability and Public Health Asset Management

Project Connect North Corridor: Taking Transit Where No Transit Has Gone Before! Awardee: Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Texas Category: Public and Educational Planning, Training, and Outreach

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

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