Ithaca-Tompkins County
Transportation Council

The purpose of the UPWP is to serve as the annual work program for the ITCTC. The UPWP coordinates all transportation and transportation-related planning activities within the agency’s planning area. The UPWP is produced annually to match the New York State fiscal year of April 1 to March 31. It provides details of the transportation-related planning activities that the ITCTC intends to accomplish during the program year utilizing federal, state and local resources. It also delineates responsibilities and procedures for carrying out the cooperative transportation planning process. Included in the UPWP is a budget, which details how each fund source will be utilized. This permits the UPWP to act as a grant application for federal funds and also as a management tool for directing the staff activities throughout the year. Federal regulations require that all MPOs develop UPWPs. The draft UPWP for each year is reviewed, and the final document approved, during the regularly scheduled Planning and Policy Committee meetings held in February and March, respectively.

More>> The 2009-2010 Unified Planning Work Program

The 2009/10 program year is the seventeenth year (April 1, 2009 - March 31, 2010) for which federal planning funds are available to the Ithaca area under the metropolitan planning program. This UPWP will continue to focus on the general goal of preserving and sustaining the core MPO activities and requirements with a focus on the following emphasis areas for 2009/10:

Implement selected recommendations from the 2025 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).
Monitor federal rules and guidelines for implementation of SAFETEA-LU and ensure the ITCTC meets all federal requirements of the metropolitan planning process.
Complete the LRTP update, due December 2009:
> Advance data collection, analysis and forecasting efforts
> Prepare plan drafts
> Implement a public participation strategy
> Complete LRTP approval process
Collect and distribute necessary data to support the transportation infrastructure decision-making processes.
Develop an automated accident mapping process
Contribute to and support the transportation planning efforts of participating entities in the MPO process for the following efforts:
> Implementation of Economic Recovery federal legislation
> Complete implementation of the SR-96 Corridor Management Study
> Development of the Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan
> Transportation Improvement Program Update
> Cornell Community Investment Initiative
Participate in efforts to address issues of "community livability" and "social justice". In particular:
> Cooperate with the Tompkins County Planning Department in implementation action items of the Tompkins County Countywide Comprehensive Plan.
> Cooperate with local municipalities and community groups in development of transportation plans and other efforts that support the goals and objectives on the LRTP.
> Provide continued emphasis on the development of transportation modes and programs that provide alternatives to the private automobile:
> trail development
> car sharing
> public transportation
> bicycle and pedestrian facilities
> others
Coordinate with appropriate agencies to ensure that transportation services are seamless, comprehensive and accessible to all citizens.