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Southwestern Commission

Last updated 3/31/08   

Community & Economic Development
 

RURAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING

Jackson County, the Southwestern RPO and NCDOT's Transportation Planning Branch are seeking public input as part of Jackson County's Comprehensive Transportation Plan. Please complete this short survey to let us know your area’s transportation issues and needs. Your answers will be used to prepare Jackson County's Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP). During the CTP process, the county’s future transportation needs will be determined, and solutions will be recommended. Alternative modes of transportation will also be studied. The process will involve local government officials and the public. Public workshops will be held in the future to receive additional input on the transportation issues in the County.

Click here to download a PDF version to mail in or drop off to Ryan Sherby, 125 Bonnie Lane, Sylva NC 28779. Click here if you need to download the free reader.

Click here to take the on-line version of the survey at Survey Monkey dot com.

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, Jackson, Macon, and Swain Counties. As Lead Planning Agency, Southwestern Commission provides staff and GIS support to the RPO. The RPO consists of a Technical 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.

A new website NcTransportationAnswers.org, was developed to assist elected officials and their staff, as well as the general public they serve, to find information about transportation issues in their community, and how to address issues that will not be solved through large construction projects, typically found in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). 

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.

RPO Documents ( PDF format. Click here if you need to download the free reader.
  Administrative
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2008-09 RPO Planning Work Program (PWP)
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2008-13 5-Year Planning Calendar
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Memorandum of Understanding
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RPO By-Laws TCC (To be ammended in 08)
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RPO By-Laws TAC (To be ammended in 08)
  Minutes
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Minutes TCC/TAC 3.26.07
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Minutes TCC/TAC 6.20.07
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Minutes TCC 10.16.07
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Minutes TAC 10.16.07
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Minutes TAC 11.26.07
  Documents
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Draft STIP 2009-2015
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Prioritized List of Projects for the Region
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Comprehensive Transportation Plan Priorities

Links
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Mountain Landscapes Initiative
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Transportation Answers Website
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NCDOT Home Page
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NCDOT Board of Transportation
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NCDOT Planning & Environment Branch
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NCDOT Construction Projects Information
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NCDOT Traffic and Travel Conditions
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NCDOT Maps and Publications

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 forward questions to ryan at regiona dot org, or call 828.586.1962 x214.

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