Planning Documents

The Hagerstown/Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization (HEPMPO) is the Federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the U.S. Census defined metropolitan area that con sists of the urbanized portions of Washington County, Maryland; Berkeley County, West Virginia; and a small portion of Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Following the formal designation of the MPO after the 1990 Census, Jefferson County, West Virginia voluntarily joined the organization. Significant cities and towns within the MPO include Hagerstown, Williamsport, and Boonsboro in Maryland, and Martinsburg, Charles Town, Ranson, and Shepherdstown in West Virginia. The MPO’s mission is to provide a forum for coopera¬tive decision-making for short-term and long-term solutions to transportation and trans¬portation-related concerns such as air quality.

The LRTP is a comprehensive examination of the future transportation needs within Washington County, Maryland, and Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, West Virginia. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) declined to participate in this LRTP update process. As a result, the small portion of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, consisting of Antrim Township and the Borough of Greencastle, that is officially part of the Federally designated MPO urbanized area was not included in this LRTP update process.

In the development of the LRTP, this study examined the transportation needs of the three-county region through 2030, and included consideration of a multimodal range of transportation issues and service needs. The LRTP presents recommendations for enhanced transportation efficiency and functionality, including the construction of new facilities, improved connectivity to multiple travel modes, and the enhancement of existing highway, transit, and bicycle/pedestrian facilities. The LRTP also identifies potentially available Federal, state, and local funding levels and presents recommendations for the future pro¬gramming and implementation phasing of major projects.

Following its adoption by the MPO Policy Board (the Interstate Council Committee), the LRTP can be used to guide the development and periodic updates of the multiyear Transportation Improvement Programs (TIP) for the MPO and the Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia Departments of Transportation (DOTs). The LRTP update process sought to build upon previous planning efforts while addressing applica¬ble Federal and state planning requirements as well as local needs and objectives.

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Transportation Improvement Program -
FY 2008 - 2011

The Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, is a prerequisite for federal assistance to implementing transportation projects in a metropolitan planning area. This includes highway, public transportation, and other surface transportation projects. It may also include aviation and waterway projects as applicable to a particular region. As stated in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 49 Part 1410.324, the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is responsible for advancing the TIP in a metropolitan planning area.

The TIP must be a fiscally balanced listing of projects and must list how each project sponsor is capable of implementing the project over the next four years. Additionally, the TIP indicates all available public and private revenues and/or resources expected to finance the program including any or all-innovative fiscal techniques to carry out the program.

Further, legislation defines the TIP as a short-range four-year priority listing of local, state, and federal projects and strategies consistent with the goals and objectives established in the metropolitan area's Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The HEPMPO develops its LRTP through a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive transportation planning process (typically called, the 3-C Planning Process) as directed in federal law. The intent is that planning would be dynamic, all inclusive of all stakeholders and address all modes of transportation.

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Unified Planning Work Program

The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for the Hagerstown-Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization documents the transportation planning activities and budget for each fiscal year that is from July 1st through June 30th. The objective of this work program is to ensure that a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive approach for short and long range transportation planning is established and maintained for the metropolitan area, with proper coordination with neighboring jurisdictions and the Departments of Transportation for the States of Maryland and West Virginia, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The UPWP is developed with review and input by each of the Federal and State planning partners and the Interstate Council (the Governing Body of the MPO). Development of the UPWP begins in January and is completed by June 30th prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year. Periodic updates may be approved throughout the fiscal year.

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Public Participation Plan

On August 10, 2005, the President signed into law the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). With guaranteed funding for highways, highway safety, and public transportation totaling $244.1 billion, SAFETEA-LU represents the largest surface transportation investment in our Nation’s history.

One element of SAFETEA-LU addresses the issue of public involvement in the transportation planning process. SAFETEA-LU encourages a decision-making process for transportation that is more responsive to local needs. The Hagerstown-Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization (HEPMPO) has developed this Participation Plan to accomplish the following major objectives:

Create a process that will improve and increase participation in the transportation planning process by all stakeholders
Provide for early involvement in the planning process by stakeholders to ensure there are ample opportunities to participate in key decisions.
Facilitate access to the transportation planning process by populations that typically lack formal access, such as low income, elderly, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
Encourage involvement in the planning process by non-traditional participants.
Foster a process that will result in transportation plans and projects that reflect the values of the communities that HEPMPO serves.

The participation activities discussed in this document represent an attempt to meet the federal requirements and to develop a program that will gain as much input as possible for the transportation planning process.

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Coordinated Public Transit -
Human Services Transportation Plan

In August of 2005, Congress passed the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) reauthorizing the Surface Transportation Act. As part of this reauthorization, grantees under the Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310), Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC, Section 5316), and the New Freedom Initiative (Section 5317) grant programs must meet certain requirements in order to received funding for federal fiscal year 2007 (October 1, 2006) and beyond.

One of SAFETEA-LU's requirements is that projects from the programs listed above must be part of a "locally developed Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan". This Coordinated Plan is required to be developed through a process that includes representatives of public, private, and non-profit transportation services, human services providers, and the general public.

As a result, the Hagerstown/Eastern Panhandle MPO, in coordination with the West Virginia Region IX Planning and Development Council, has produced the Gateway Region/Region IX Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan. This document provides an evaluation and assessment of community characteristics and an inventory of existing services, as well as a description of unmet needs and a series of recommendations to meet these unmet needs. The study areas for this Plan are Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties in WV including all incorporated municipalities.

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Transit Development Plans

Washington County Transit Development Plan

PanTran Service Evaluation Plan

Transit Development Plans (TDP) are prepared to provide a short term service plan for the Transit operator. Generally, TDP's are five year plans that evaluate existing services, project future service needs, and evaluate how to improve services over the five year period. The HEPMPO has two major public service providers in the region. Washington County Commuter that operates in Washington County, Maryland and the Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority (PanTran) that operates in Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties in West Virginia.

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