Public can comment on draft Regional Transportation Plan through Oct. 9
In a milestone for one of the Westside's bigger
transportation projects in recent years, vehicles flow south from the new Chestnut
Street intersection with Fillmore Street on the first day that the newly aligned
"south leg" and stoplight opened for traffic Aug. 19, 2013. The view is from the
north end of Parker Street, which became a cul de sac as part of the $7 million
Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority project. Several weeks later,
Chestnut's new "north leg" connected to the intersection (where the piles of dirt
are).
Westside Pioneer file photo
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At their Sept. 9 meeting, the elected members of the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (PPACG) board of directors approved a draft of the 15-chapter plan to go before the public for a 30-day comment period.
The action followed months of plan development by staff studying federal requirements, working with area entities and individuals and seeking community input.
To view the draft online, go to ppacg.org.
The RTP “guides the region's auto, bicycle, bus and pedestrian projects and funding through 2040,” a press release states. “It establishes the vision and goals for transportation within the region; identifies existing and future needs such as maintenance of infrastructure, pedestrian safety and congestion reduction; outlines both long- and short-range strategies to address these needs; and identifies projects that are expected to be funded with federal, state, and local funds.”
Included in Chapter 8 (Implementation) is a multi-page list of "fiscally constrained projects" - which it defines as the "top-ranking [regional transportation] projects that can be funded with available funding sources."
Open houses on the plan are scheduled Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Hillside Community Center and Oct. 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Ivywild School.
The previous RTP, through 2035, was adopted in January 2012. Updated plans are adopted every four years.
PPACG is a voluntary association of 16 municipal and county governments covering the counties of El Paso, Park and Teller, with representatives of those entities serving on the board of directors.
Westside Pioneer article
(Posted 9/15/15;
Transportation:
General)
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