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TRANSPORTATION
PLANNING
Rural
Planning Organizations
The Southwestern Commission serves as the Lead Planning Agency
(LPA) for the Rural Transportation Planning Organization (RPO).
The Southwestern Commission RPO serves Cherokee, Clay, Graham,
Macon, Jackson, and Swain Counties. As Lead Planning Agency,
Southwestern Commission provides staff and GIS support to
the RPO. The RPO consists of a Transportation Coordinating
Committee (TCC) and a Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC).
The TCC serves as to make staff-level recommendations to the
TAC. The TCC consists of local planners, county and town managers,
NCDOT staff, economic development professionals, and local
transportation committee members. The TAC is the policy-making
body of the RPO. The TAC consists of county and municipal
elected officials and members from the NCDOT Board of Transportation.
The RPO serves as a forum for local officials and citizens
to interact with NCDOT staff on a regular basis, and for NCDOT
to obtain more local input for transportation planning and
projects. For more information on the history of North Carolina's
Rural Transportation Planning Organizations, click
here.
The RPO was formed to involve rural county and local governments
and the public in planning transportation systems for their
area. These systems include highways, bikeways, pedestrian
walkways, rail systems, seaports and ferry systems. The twenty
RPOs covering North Carolina include all areas that are not
covered by an MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization). An
MPO is a city with a population of 50,000 or more. Within
the Southwestern Commission RPO there are no MPO's.
| GOALS |
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To
provide a forum for public participation in the rural
transportation planning process and serve as a local link
for residents of the region to communicate with the State
Department of Transportation |
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To
develop, prioritize, and promote proposed transportation
projects that the Rural Transportation Planning Organization
believes should be included in the State Transportation
Improvement Program. |
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To
assist the North Carolina Department of Transportation
in publicizing its programs and services and providing
additional transportation-related information to local
governments and other interested organizations and persons. |
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To
conduct transportation-related studies and surveys for
local governments and other interested entities and organizations. |
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To
promote transportation as a regional issue requiring regional
solutions.
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Public
Input
One of the primary functions of the Rural Transportation Planning
Organizations is to solicit public comment on the plans and
projects of NCDOT. Please use this form if you have a question
or comment about a specific project, or if you would like
more information on the RPOs. This form may also be used to
obtain general information about transportation issues within
the Southwestern Commission region.
form
(still being developed)
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