MPO and Standing Committee Membership
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FAQs

Frequently Used Terms & Acronyms

MPO FAQS

Richmond Area MPO Study Area Boundary

Study Area Boundary extension approved by the MPO April 13, 2006.

Table of Contents

1. What is an  MPO?

2. What are the MPO's Planning Processes?

3. What Federal, State and Regional Agencies are involved in the MPO process?

4. What Federal Legislation guides the MPO?

5. What Funding Programs are available to the MPO?

1. What is an MPO?

The Richmond Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (RAMPO) is the federally designated regional transportation planning organization that serves as the forum for cooperative transportation decision-making in the Richmond area. The MPO's geographic coverage extends to that area which is projected to be urbanized within the next 20 years; it includes approximately two-thirds of the Richmond Regional Planning District. The RRPDC serves as the contracting agent for the Richmond Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, and provides the administrative and technical staff.

The MPO is organized under a Memorandum of Understanding and Bylaws. The MPO annually establishes a Unified Work Program (UWP) which defines work tasks for the upcoming fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) and shows staff assigned and funds allocated to the UWP’s work tasks. The RRPDC provides lead staffing and primary administrative and technical support for MPO tasks. Based on these adopted plans, area local governments and transportation agencies prepare detailed and specific transportation projects.

The primary products of the MPO are a regional long-range 20-year transportation plan, a 3-year transportation improvement program, and related plans and studies. Within this regional framework, local governments and state and local transportation agencies refine these project proposals which are submitted to the MPO for review and approval as part of its Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). For fiscal year 2000-02, the MPO coordinated the development of a $302 million transportation improvement program.

The MPO is charged under Section 134 of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1973, as amended, for maintaining and conducting a “continuing, cooperative and comprehensive” (i.e., “3C”) transportation planning process that results in plans and programs consistent with the comprehensively planned development of the Richmond urbanized area. The MPO and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) annually certify the MPO’s compliance with federal requirements for the “3C” process, and other federal rules and regulations, as a condition for the Richmond area receiving federal capital and operating assistance funds.

Various federally funded highway and transit projects that are located within the RAMPO study area must be approved by the MPO prior to their becoming eligible for federal funds.

Voting membership on RAMPO includes nine local governments, four transportation/planning agencies, and VDOT. Consultants, local government, VDOT, and other staffs are also utilized as detailed in the UWP. Standing and special RAMPO committees review, comment, and advise the MPO on various work tasks and other matters and issues related to the region’s transportation needs, plans, programs, and projects.

And Rural Areas?

The RRPDC also assists rural areas in their transportation planning through cooperative agreements with member counties and the Virginia Department of Transportation. PDC staff have recently completed circulation studies for two member counties in cooperation with their planning staff and VDOT.

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2.   What are the MPO's Planning processes?

Urban Transportation Process

Major Projects of Integrated Transportation Planning & Programming Process

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Urban Transportation Process

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Major Projects of Integrated Transportation Planning &
Programming Process

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3. What Federal, State and Regional Agencies are involved in the MPO process?

CRAC——Capital Region Airport Commission

EPA——Environmental Protection Agency

FAAFederal Aviation Administration

FHWA——Federal Highway Administration

FRA——Federal Railroad Administration

FTA——Federal Transit Administration

GRTC Transit System——Greater Richmond Transit Company Transit System

MRAQC——Metropolitan Richmond Air Quality Committee

Ridefinders——A public nonprofit corporation that provides carpool/vanpool matching and other commuter and transportation services.

MARAD——Maritime Administration 

RMA——Richmond Metropolitan Authority

RRPDC——Richmond Regional Planning District Commission

USDOT——United States Department of Transportation

VDA——Virginia Department of Aviation

VDEQ——Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

VDOT——Virginia Department of Transportation

VDRPT——Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

VTRC——Virginia Transportation Research Council

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4. What Federal Legislation Guides the MPO?

ADA of 1990——Americans With Disabilities Act

CAAA of 1990——Clean Air Act Amendments

TEA-21——Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century; signed into law on June 9, 1998.  Authorizes federal funds for highways, highway safety, transit, and other surface transportation programs for the next 6 years.  Builds on and continues many of the initiatives established in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991.

SAFETEA-LU——Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users; Signed into law on August 10, 2005.  SAFETEA-LU guarantees funding for highways, highway safety, and public transportation totaling $244.1 billion and represents the largest surface transportation investment in U.S. history. SAFETEA-LU builds on the two landmark bills that brought surface transportation into the 21st century by shaping the highway program to meet the nation's changing transportation needs—the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).  The metropolitan planning provisions of SAFETEA-LU retain most of the previous planning provisions from TEA-21; however, there are significant changes in several areas.  These new provisions are identified and discussed under various work tasks in the UWP.

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5. What Funding Programs are available to the MPO?

SPR——State Planning and Research; funds allocated to VDOT in support of MPO program activities.

Local Match——Funds required by recipients of PL and Section 5303 funds for matching federal and state grant funds.  Section 5303 and PL funds require a 10% match, with VDOT/VDRPT providing 10% and the remaining 80% provided by the federal source. 

PL——Planning funds available from FHWA for MPO program activities. 

CMAQ——Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality funds also available for eligible planning activities leading to project implementation. 

Section 5303——Planning funds available from the FTA for MPO program activities. 

TEIF——Transportation Efficiency Improvement Fund; purpose of program is to reduce traffic congestion by supporting transportation demand management programs designed to reduce use of single occupant vehicles and increase use of high occupancy vehicle modes; operated by the Commonwealth Transportation Board.

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Access Management | Air Quality | Bicycle/Ped | Citizen Participation | Congestion Management

Elderly/Disabled/Low-Income | Intermodal | Public Transportation | Long-Range Transportation Plan

Socioeconomic Data | Transportation Database/GIS

Transportation Improvement Program | Unified Work Program

Richmond Regional Planning District Commission
Copyright © RRPDC.
All rights reserved.
Revised: November 18, 2010.