Transportation Planning

Transportation planning is the most recent expansion of services at Region III-A. The Rural Planning Organization (RPO) designation from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHA) is a recent move by these agencies towards recognizing rural transportation planning needs. Region III-A obtained and has maintained that designation since 2001.

The RPO designation, along with annual planning grant provide access to able assistance in the following areas of transportation planning:

• Traffic Counts
• Hazard Elimination Studies
• Traffic Design and Analysis
• Parking and Traffic Ordinance Research
• Federal-Aid Funding Requests

On a regional basis, the RPO designation is significant for several reasons: 1) Region III-A is expected to complete an annual Transportation Improvement Plan and communicate the same to INDOT. Local elected officials, county highway and municipal street employees and other pertinent groups are regularly surveys to produce this plan. 2) INDOT relies on the RPOs for guidance with the annual TE-21 grant application processes. Region III-A’s role is to identify those applications of highest priority and readiness to proceed, and work with those applicants that need to strengthen their projects and funding requests.

In addition to the added, in-house technology and expertise that has enhanced all of Region III-A’s services, the RPO designation is also a point-of-contact and flow of information back to INDOT and the FHA. From Transportation Enhancement (TE-21) grant requests to INDOT project programming for the region, Region III-A is a valued partner.