Below are Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Texas Rural Transportation Plan 2035.
 How is rural transportation planning currently being done?
| Transportation planning in rural Texas is a collaborative effort between local elected officials, transportation providers and TxDOT. Every even-numbered year, the Texas Transportation Commission adopts the Unified Transportation Program (UTP) to indicate the projects moving toward implementation over the next 10 years in both urban and rural Texas. |
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Why do we need a Texas Rural Transportation Plan?
| Metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) are created when a city reaches a population of 50,000. A major project for the MPO's is the preparation of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), a minimum 20-year planning document that identifies transportation improvements that are reasonably expected to be built within the forecasted funding and within the planning horizon. While rural projects are included in the 10-year Unified Transportation Program (UTP), there currently is not an established plan "“ comparable to an MTP - identifying rural mobility projects for 15 years beyond the UTP. The Texas Rural Transportation Plan (TRTP) is the first that TxDOT has ever prepared specifically addressing rural transportation.
The TRTP, as a component of the Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan 2035, will analyze the existing conditions present for each mode, forecast future need and expand on existing performance measures to determine where gaps may exist. This plan will accomplish the following goals:
- Help address future rural population and employment growth
- Provide guidance on rural infrastructure needs
- Integrate various planning efforts into a single, measurable plan
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How will the plan be developed?
The Texas Rural Transportation Plan will be developed through the following initiatives:
- Build on the existing work produced for the Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan 2035, the 2030 Texas Transportation Needs Report (including the update published in March 2011) and use TxDOT's Strategic Plan as a guide to implementation
- Inventory all rural added capacity projects scheduled for construction after 2020
- Propose rural projects based on needs assessment from SLRTP 2035
- Establish evaluation criteria to compare projects on measures such as crash rates, projected traffic, freight movement and connectivity to other modes of transportation.
- Develop a prioritized list of long-term mobility projects
- Provide for outreach to transportation users, stakeholders and the public
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What is different about this plan?
This plan is the first that TxDOT has prepared that is specifically focused on rural parts of the state outside of boundaries of Metropolitan Planning Organizations. As with the Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan 2035, the plan looks at all modes of transportation together, including future needs for the following:
- Highways
- Inter-city buses
- Paratransit
- Rural Aviation/Air Access
- Rural Port Access
- Bicycle/Pedestrian Facilities
- Freight Movement
- Intermodal Connectivity in Rural areas
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What are the key elements of the plan?
Key elements of the plan include the following:
- 24-Year Planning Time Frame
- Analysis of Existing Rural Transportation System (all modes)
- Analysis of Current Usage, Current Needs and Existing Funding
- Public/Stakeholder Involvement
- Projection of Future Needs by Mode
- Addressing the 8 Planning Factors required by SAFTEA-LU
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How can I participate?
Public outreach will include the following activities:
- Distribution of 3 newsletters with project updates and public meeting information
- Email for electronic input and mailing address for written input
- Open-House style public meetings to be hosted by each of 24 TxDOT districts (anticipated to be February-March 2012)
- A public hearing to be held in Austin (anticipated to be May 2012)
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How do I get more information or submit comments?
You may receive more information through the following activities:
- Attend an open-house style public meeting or public hearing
- Submit a comment at a meeting or send a letter
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube
- Call the toll-free information line 1-855-TX-RURAL (1-855-897-8725)
- Email us
- Write to us at:
Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan 2035
4544 Post Oak Place, Suite 224
Houston, TX 77027
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