The Rural Transportation Planning Organization Technical Advisory Committee (RTPO TAC) makes recommendations to the MRCOG Board of Directors and the New Mexico Department of Transportation.  The committee meets bi-monthly.

Current Projects and Services

 The meeting schedule for fiscal year 2011-2012 has been established.

A call for transportation project proposals was issued on October 17, 2011.

This is a call for proposals for transportation projects in the rural areas for all projects other than those proposed to be funded through the Safety program. (Information about the Safety project call for proposals is provided below). Information about eligibility is provided in the PIF Supplemental materials. The final result of this effort will be development of a Rural Transportation Improvement Program Recommendation (RTIPR) for the Mid-Region RTPO.

Key dates related to this call for project proposals are as follows:

• Request for Project Proposals Release Date – Monday, October 17, 2011
• Project Identification Form Development Workshop – Thursday, November 10, 2011, 9:30 a.m. in MRCOG Board Room
• RTPO Committee meeting with NMDOT District Engineers – Thursday, December 8, 2011, 9:30 a.m. in MRCOG Board Room
• Deadline for Submission of Proposed Projects – Monday, January 16, 2011
• RTPO Committee decision regarding proposed Projects and Priorities – Thursday, February 9, 2011, 9:30 a.m. in MRCOG Board Room

Materials related to this call for projects are listed below:

• Project Identification Form
•  PIF Supplemental Material 

A call for Safety Transportation Project Proposals was announced on August 19, 2011. The deadline for proposals is Monday, November 14, 2011.

Download the  Project Identification Form  and a  flyer showing key dates for the process.

This is a data-driven project prioritization process. An overview of the process and the types of projects eligible for funding is available in  this Powerpoint presentation, which was provided at the August 11 RTPO Safety Project Training Workshop.

The NMDOT Safety Project Engineer has released two memos providing more details about this process and the types of eligible projects:

•  Memo of May 6, 2011  
•  Memo of May 13, 2011 

Traffic crash data is an important element of the data needed for these applications. Links to Traffic Crash Data Summary Tables for each of the counties in the RTPO area are provided below.

•  Sandoval County
•  Southern Santa Fe County 
•  Torrance County 
•  Valencia County 

The New Mexico FY2011 Transparency Report, or Five Percent Report, provides additional data which may be of use to project applicants.  That Report is available here. 

Other Activities:

• The 2011 Mid-Region RTPO Rural Transportation Improvement Program Recommendations (RTIPR) has been completed and approved by the RTPO members.
   View 2011 Mid-Region RTPO Rural Transportation Improvement Program

• A Status Report for the 2010 Mid-Region RTPO Rural Transportation Improvement Program Recommendations has been published and  can be viewed here . The Report lists the projects identified during the 2010 Call for Transportation Programs and identifies which projects were subsequently funded and/or completed.

• Staff continues to meet with eligible local governments and tribes to provide a presentation regarding the RTPO process and products.  This is the presentation. If you are interested in scheduling a presentation to your council or commission, please contact us.

• RTPO staff currently provides support to the Step Into Cuba Health Alliance in Sandoval County, and the Salt Missions Trail Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan Update project in Torrance County. MRCOG is also acting as the project manager for the Los Lunas Corridor Study in Valencia County.

• We support local organizations as they identify and implement projects that will enhance the Scenic Byways in their communities. The Salt Missions Trail, the Turquoise Trail, the Jemez Mountain Trail, the Camino Real and the Route 66 Scenic Byway are all in the rural planning area.

A Member Orientation Session was held in mid-August.

•  View the presentation for the Session
•  View the handouts for the Session

Reports

•  Valencia County Mobility Plan Update 2.08 Mb
• The  Mid Region Rural Long Range Transportation Plan 3.31 Mb (approved in 2007) identifies transportation needs in Torrance, Valencia, rural Sandoval, and southern Santa Fe counties between now and 2030. 
• Traffic flow maps are available for the major road network in Sandoval, Torrance, rural Bernalillo, and Valencia Counties.
•  Jemez Valley Corridor Assessment 3.28 Mb
•  2009-2010 Mid Region Rural Transportation Planning Organization Annual Report 

Resources for Local Communities

There are a number of resources that local communities can use as they identify their communities' needs and ways to address those needs, search for funding for projects, or navigate the grant and project development process.

• Federal Highway Administration
• Federal Railroad Administration
• Federal Transit Administration
• Environmental Protection Agency
• New Mexico Department of Transportation
• NM Scenic Byways
• Scenic Byways
• Rural Transportation Clearinghouse
• New Mexico Finance Authority