The Rewind: February TPO Board Meeting recap

At this month’s meeting, the TPO Board approved a TIP Amendment encompassing the following two projects: 

• HART Fixed Guideway 5309/5337 
• Fowler Ave from 51^st St to Riverhills Dr 

With this amendment, HART will receive its annual allocation of FTA Section 5309/5337 funds, amounting to $750,000. These funds will be used to rebuild five streetcars and the work will be completed by the original manufacturer, Gomaco. This amendment also includes a change to the Fowler Avenue from 51st Street to Riverhills Drive project, changing the eastern terminus from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to 51st Street. As the project limits will be reduced, construction funding will also be reduced by $5,000. This project will include pavement resurfacing, as well as signalization, signage, and pavement markings and drainage. The project is anticipated to improve safety and pavement condition, as well as enhancing reliability and traffic flow.

The TPO Board also approved the 2024 Safety Performance Targets. Tracking the community’s annual crash performance complements the TPO’s Vision Zero initiative and provides insights as to what future improvements may lead to crash reductions. The TPO’s target-setting methodology is considered a best practice by the Federal Highway Administration, and the targets are established using historical crash and future safety investment data to forecast performance. One board member shined a light on terminology used to describe bicycle and pedestrian crashes and asked to explore different words to humanize the victims of these types of crashes. A request was also made by Mayor Ross for TPO Staff to conduct before and after studies to assess the impact of safety investments on corridors within the county. He expressed that by having this information on hand, it will help the Board be able to maximize efficiency by implementing investment strategies that are proven to work.

Following the approval of the 2024 Safety Performance Targets, the Board received a status report on the 2050 Plan Needs Assessment for Major Projects. These projects, which are all included in the TPO’s Long Range Transportation Plan, include road widenings and fixed guideway transit, and will be tested to determine their impacts. To get community input, the TPO has launched a survey to gauge community support for these major projects. Learn more about the LRTP and take the survey by visiting Access2050.org 

To view the entire proceedings, recordings of the TPO Board Meetings can be found on our YouTube channel: Transportation Planning Organization – YouTube.