During the 2019 National Regional Transportation Conference (June 2019, Columbus, Ohio), Andrew Shepler provided an overview of how the Ohio Department of Transportation worked with regional partners to establish Regional Transportation Planning Organizations.

1. CREATING REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION
PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS IN OHIO

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OUTLINE
o How RPOs/RTPOs were started in Ohio
o How they are set up
o How they are funded
o Their roles and responsibilities
o What authority they have
o Challenges
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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MAP 21 LEGISLATION – 23 CFR 135 (M)
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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HISTORY OF REGIONAL PLANNING IN OHIO
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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EXPAND REGIONAL PLANNING TO OHIO’S
NONMETROPOLITAN AREAS
o Provide local elected officials and stakeholders a
forum to participate in the statewide transportation
planning process
o Better transportation decision making in rural areas
o Cover the entire state with regional transportation
planning
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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HOW IT STARTED
o In the winter of 2012, ODOT issued a RFP for a
Regional Transportation Planning pilot program
o Offered planning funds to 2 RPOs
o All 5 existing regional planning agencies applied
o ODOT awarded planning grants to all 5 RPOs!
o Two-year pilot program initiated in July 2013
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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RTPO PILOT PROGRAM COVERAGE
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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TWO YEAR PILOT PROGRAM
o Components/goals
o Establish Committee Structure
o Develop public involvement procedures
o Lead regional rural consultation and STIP public
involvement processes
o Develop transportation planning/data expertise
o Assist local governments with pursuing capital funding
o Develop a multimodal long-range transportation plan
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN COMPONENTS
o Goals and objectives
o Inventory existing conditions
o Project future conditions
o Needs analysis
o Fiscal analysis
o Stakeholder participation
o Plan recommendations
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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HOW DOES AN RPO BECOME AN RTPO?
1. Complete 2 year pilot program
2. Develop an RPO committee approved regional LRTP
3. Submit plan to ODOT for acceptance
4. ODOT submits request to Governor for RPO to be
formally designated as an RTPO
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

11. 11 | Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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CURRENT RPOS/RTPOS IN OHIO
o January 2016 – All 5 pilot RTPOs designated
o Buckeye Hills – Buckeye Hills Hocking Valley Regional
Development District
o LUC – Logan-Union-Champaign Regional Planning Commission
o MVPO – Maumee Valley Planning Organization
o OMEGA – Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association
o OVRDC – Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission
o July 2016 – a new pilot RPO added
o CORPO – Central Ohio Regional Planning Organization
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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CURRENT OHIO RTPO PROGRAM COVERAGE
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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OHIO MPO-RTPO PLANNING PROGRAM COVERAGE
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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HOW ARE THE RPO/RTPO FUNDED?
o Annual Planning Program Budget: $1,034,164
o 80% Federal SPR – Part A
o 10% State match
o 10% Local Match
o Federal/State Funds allocated based on:
o $60,500 per RPO/RTPO
o Balance distributed proportionally: 50% pop / 50% area
o No capital funding (Yet!)

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WHAT DO RPO/RTPO DO?
o Typical work items include:
o Rural consultation
o RTIP
o Safety and corridor studies
o Safe Routes to School and Active Transportation Plans
o Asset Management/Data Collection
o Transit Planning
o Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plans
o Freight Planning
o Grant writing/assisting to locals
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

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SUCCESSES / CHALLENGES
o Successes
o Initially, partner each RPO with a MPO mentor
o Mentor relationships were the single most important key to the RPOs
success
o RTPOs are delivering value added transportation services to
member governments
o RTPOs are assisting member local governments in securing project
funding
o Challenge
o No RTPO Capital Program
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)

18. 18 |
?
QUESTIONS
Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO)
Andrew Shepler
ODOT Office of Statewide Planning & Research
1980 W. Broad St., MS 3280
Columbus, OH 43223
614.466.2348
Andrew.Shepler@dot.ohio.gov