SOUTHERN ALLEGHENIES PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

Transcription

1 SOUTHERN ALLEGHENIES PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION RURAL TRANSPORTATION COORDINATING COMMITTEE February 9, :00 AM SAP&DC Conference Room Altoona, PA ACTION SUMMARY The following are the major actions taken by the Rural Transportation Coordinating Committee (RTCC) at its regular meeting held on February 9, 2011, at the SAP&DC in Altoona, PA. 1. Approved the November 15, 2010 RTCC meeting minutes as presented. 2. Approved placing the 2011 RPM Installation Project on the FY TIP. 3. Approved the modifications to the RPO Policies and Procedures as presented. 4. Approved the sending of a letter to all enhancement awardees requesting that they provide the current status of their projects and commitment of match by the date provided in the letter or risk losing the enhancement funding.

2 SOUTHERN ALLEGHENIES PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION RURAL TRANSPORTATION COORDINATING COMMITTEE February 9, :00 AM SAP&DC Conference Room Altoona, PA MEETING MINUTES I. Welcome The following members were present at the meeting: Commissioner Steve Howsare, Bedford County Commissioner David Hoover II, Fulton County Commissioner William Hoover, Huntingdon County Commissioner James Marker, Somerset County Larry Shifflet, PennDOT Central Office Tom Prestash, PennDOT District 9-0 Edward Silvetti, SAP&DC Fred Querry, SAP&DC Anne Stich, SAP&DC Others in attendance included: Vince Greenland, PennDOT District 9-0 Dave Lybarger, PennDOT District 9-0 Kristen Swan, PennDOT District 9-0 Scott Smeal, PennDOT District 9-0 Each participant received a meeting packet that included: Agenda November 15, 2010 RTCC Meeting Minutes Southern Alleghenies RPO Draft TIP Adjustments Southern Alleghenies RPO Draft Policies and Procedures Level 1 Screening Form LPN Forms Workflow Overview Slides Construction Progress Report Transportation Enhancement Status Report

3 II. Review and Approval of the November 15, 2010 Meeting Minutes Tom Prestash welcomed the committee to the meeting and Anne Stich conducted roll call. Tom asked the committee to review the November 15, 2010, meeting minutes included in the packet. With no further discussion, Edward Silvetti made a motion to approve the November 15, 2010, RTCC meeting minutes as presented. Commissioner James Marker seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. Action Items The first item was an issue with two bridge repair projects that still do not ride smooth after completion. Vince said to cut costs, they tie into the existing roadway and this can cause the joint to be a little rough where it connects. They are currently looking into possibly paving overtop for better ride quality and are continuing to try different methods to fix this. Some of the bridges are being sealed with epoxy after completion and this helps to smooth out the irregularities in the surface as well. The second action item was an issue concerning different let dates for the same projects listed on multiple project lists. Tom said that this has been addressed and all lists are consistent now. III. TIP Modifications and Amendments Dave Lybarger referred the committee to the SA RPO TIP Adjustments included in the packet. He reviewed the modifications with the committee answering any questions they had. He informed the committee that there will be a statewide line item that will be listed under Bedford County called the Raised Pavement Marking (RPM) Installation Project for $320,000 on the TIP. This is new federal funding that is coming into the RPO from a statewide line item. This funding is above and beyond our regular funding allocation and covers all six counties in the PennDOT District 9-0 area including the Johnstown and Altoona MPOs. The funding will be used to place reflective markers on the roadways. A motion is needed to place the project on the FY TIP. There was some discussion about the reflectors and how they are affixed to the road. With no further discussion Commissioner Steven Howsare made a motion to place the 2011 RPM Installation Project on the FY TIP. Commissioner James Marker seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. IV. RPO Policies and Procedures Modification Anne reviewed the changes to the RPO policies and procedures with the committee. The first change was to move the selection of new RTTC and RTCC members from the first meeting of the year to the last meeting of the year. This was necessary because the Southern Alleghenies Board of Directors approves all committee lists at its January

4 meeting. Also added was that the committees may choose to designate/select new members outside of this schedule when deemed necessary. Also, there have been some issues with attendance at the RTTC meetings. The RTTC has recommended adding a member from transit/public transportation for a total of 19 members. Anne recommended the addition of Julie Dovey from Fulton County Partnership, Inc. as the third transit representative. The guidelines currently state that the PAC recommends the members of the RTTC. Now that the committees are more established, the RTTC should recommend the members as they are made up of the four counties rather than six. With no further discussion, Commissioner James Marker made a motion to approve the modifications to the RPO Policies and Procedures as presented. Commissioner William Hoover seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. Edward Silvetti requested a copy of the new RTTC membership list be given to him for approval at the March SAP&DC Board of Directors meeting. V. Long Range Transportation Plan Update Anne reminded the committee that the UPWP was approved at the January SAP&DC Board of Directors meeting. Included in the UPWP is the Long Range Transportation Plan update. The last update to the plan was completed in An update was started in 2009 but notification was received that the guidelines were being updated. The new guidelines were published in September and a new update must be underway or completed by December The RTTC decided that the SAP&DC, PennDOT and the County Planners would work together as a steering committee on the planning process. Updating the regions project lists will be a big part of the update. There will be meetings in each of the four counties to discuss county goals and priorities as well as a new round of public meetings. The commissioners will be invited to attend those meetings. VI. Screening Forms Discussion and Linking Planning & NEPA Update Tom informed the committee that for quite sometime they have been hearing about linking planning and NEPA. PennDOT has been trying to improve the process. Linking the long range plan with the process identifies projects early and helps the process run more smoothly. Anne directed the committee to the Level 1 screening form included in the meeting packet. The first step for any project will be to complete this form. There is also a Level 2 and Level 3 form that goes into more detail. The county planners were given the Level 1 form to incorporate into the project identification packets that they send out to the local municipalities. This form focuses on identifying problems, rather than identifying a project. There is also a section to describe the problem in more detail and identify if

5 there are any environmental concerns, etc. There will be an automated version available sometime this summer and eventually all forms will be electronic. Potential projects will then have a Level 2 form completed by various organizations before a project becomes eligible to be placed on the TIP. This will help to identify potential issues with a project before any funding has been spent, helping the process become more efficient. PennDOT is currently using technology and GIS databases to help identify potential issues with a project before any funding has been spent on the project. Anne directed the committee to the workflow handout included in the packet and reviewed the process of using the forms with the committee. VII. Job Access Reverse Commute and New Freedom Transit Applications Normally this time of year we send out applications for the Job Access Reverse Commute and New Freedom Transit Program to the human service agencies in the four county region. Previously the Welfare 2 Work funding was part of the Job Access Reverse Commute Program application. The W2W guidelines are currently being updated and they will not be included this round. Due to that omission, it is anticipated that very few applications will be received this round. VIII. Projects Review Vince reviewed the construction progress report with the committee answering any questions they had. The committee asked if the focus remains on bridges. Vince replied that even with the 35% reduction in overall funding, 60% of the funding is spent on bridges. Roadways were getting better but with the focus on bridges the percentage of roadways in need of repair is rising again. Progress is being made; the region has gone from 25% structurally deficient bridges to 16%. The focus had been on the larger bridges but is now shifting to the smaller projects. There are also 500 local bridges that are 40% structurally deficient. Larry Shifflet added that the Transportation Advisory Committee did a funding study on the state system a year ago and are now doing one on the local needs. As part of the work program the state has asked the MPOs and RPOs to conduct an inventory of all the locally owned road and bridge assets. Vince then reviewed the upcoming lets with the committee. He mentioned that Riddlesburg Bridge in Bedford County will be using a temporary bridge because the detour would be significant and the impact on the community great. The cost is $1 million but the impact on community must be considered. Vince reviewed the Transportation Enhancement Status Report with the committee answering any questions they had. There was some discussion about the Bryan Street Streetscape Project in Huntingdon Borough. Originally the borough had applied for both the streetscape portion and restoration of the road leading to the hospital. The project was divided with the streetscape portion receiving TEP funding and the hospital road project is looking toward other funding sources. Edward Silvetti said that at a December meeting with Huntingdon Borough and J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital, both organizations

6 did not have the required match. At the meeting, PennDOT had recommended that they select a consultant and obtain a cost estimate. The same consultant could be used for both the Streetscape project and the road project. There are concerns now that because they do not seem to have the funds up front to move forward with this project, they will not be able to complete the project in the two year time frame. If that is the case, the funding will need to be reallocated to another project. The committee discussed whether a letter should be sent to all enhancement awardees asking if the projects are moving forward and requesting commitment of match. Anne suggested the letter include a date they must respond by as the funding is time sensitive. If a project cannot proceed, the funds come back to this group to be reallocated to another project. Edward added that it is important that the funds be obligated to keep the region from losing funding. Money that sits in this economy will be removed and placed elsewhere. With no further discussion, Commissioner William Hoover made a motion to send a letter to all enhancement awardees requesting that they provide the current status of their projects and commitment of match by the date provided in the letter or risk losing the enhancement funding. Commissioner James Marker seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. Kristen added that Somerset did receive a PCTI award of $617,000 for the Route 30 Park and Ride project. They have already had the kick-off meeting with Brad Zearfoss. Tom added that Johnstown and Tyrone also received PCTI awards in the PennDOT District 9-0 region. Tom added that Barry Schoch has been appointed Secretary of Transportation. He is originally from Dubois and currently resides in Harrisburg. He most recently worked as vice president for McCormick, Taylor & Associates, and in the past he was the project manager on the Rt. 219 and Goucher Street Projects making him familiar with this region. He has served on various committees throughout the state and was recently the president of the Pennsylvania Highway Information Association (PHIA) where he was a spokesperson on the importance of securing additional funding for transportation. Infrastructure is necessary to bring new businesses into the state. Many states are experiencing the same issues as Pennsylvania. Tom will be meeting with Mr. Schoch on February 22, IX. Adjournment NOTE: The next meeting of the RTCC is scheduled for May 4, 2011, at the SAP&DC beginning at 9:00 AM.

7 SOUTHERN ALLEGHENIES PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION RURAL TRANSPORTATION COORDINATING COMMITTEE February 9, 2011 ACTION ITEMS Date Issued Action Items By Whom Due Date February 9, 2011 Submit a copy of the new RTTC membership list to Edward Silvetti for approval at the March 16, 2011, SAP&DC Board of Directors meeting. Anne Stich March 9, 2011