Unified Planning Work Program

About the UPWP

The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) is adopted annually in accordance with joint Federal Highway Administration/Federal Transit Administration (FHWA/FTA) transportation planning guidelines. The UPWP describes the planning activities that are anticipated for the coming fiscal year and documents the allocation of state and federal funds associated with each planning activity.

The UPWP is a listing of the projects, priorities and work tasks the CRTPO will undertake during the fiscal year. It reflects the CRTPO’s short-range planning needs and is the instrument for coordinating metropolitan planning activities in the CRTPO’s planning area. The UPWP’s primary objective is to develop an integrated planning program which considers the planning activities of each transportation mode and coordinates these activities to produce a plan that serves all areas of the region. The UPWP has traditionally been developed using the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) as the primary planning guidance document; however, development of the FY 2023 UPWP is also guided by the goals and strategies outlined in the CRTPO’s first Strategic Plan that was adopted in November 2021.

Most of the tasks outlined in the UPWP are required by either Federal or State law and are ongoing. At the Federal level, these tasks include the development of a fiscally constrained MTP and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), implementation of the Congestion Management Process (CMP), setting performance targets in coordination with state and local partners for national performance measures, and engaging the public and stakeholders to establish a shared vision and goals for the community. At the State level, NC General Statute 136-66.2 requires each MPO to develop a Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP).

Funding for transportation planning is a product of Federal, State and local sources, with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) providing 80 percent of the funding. The remaining 20 percent is the required match for Federal funds and is provided by local jurisdictions through a method outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding.

Key Initiatives

Beyond 77

Completion of the Beyond-77 Corridor Study and its subsequent adoption was a great success for the CRTPO. The multimodal study’s results have the
potential to enhance mobility and better position the I-77 corridor to succeed in meeting existing and future mobility
challenges. The study provided 280 recommendations that are intended to provide a wide range of options for all of the corridor’s jurisdictions and agencies. Moving any of the recommendations
from ideas to reality is critical to continuing the study’s momentum. During FY 2023 CRTPO will work to advance the implementation steps outlined in the Beyond 77 final report.

CONNECT Beyond

With completion of the CONNECT Beyond regional mobility plan, attention is now turned to implementation of the plan’s
recommendations. From the beginning CRTPO has been a critical partner to the project, providing funding as well as staff
time to assist in the development of the plan’s recommendations. This coordination continued after the plan’s completion with CRTPO’s endorsement in
November 2021 and prioritizing recommendations for near term implementation. In order to maintain momentum and make progress on the plan’s recommendations, CRTPO will work closely with the Centralina Regional Council throughout FY 2023 on implementation activities.

Strategic Plan

The CRTPO adopted its first Strategic Plan in November 2021. The plan consists of six goals and 34 actionable strategies that allows the linking of day-to-day planning activities to CRTPO’s mission, long-term vision, goals, and actionable strategies. Plan implementation, begun during the third quarter of FY 2022, will continue into FY 2023 with a focus on Goal 6: Funding, Goal 1: Regional, and Goal 5: Internal
operations.

Urbanized Area Expansion and Memorandum of Understanding Review

The CRTPO may be required to expand its planning area boundary during FY 2023 depending upon how the census designated Charlotte urbanized area (UZA) expands as a result of the 2020 census. The Census Bureau is expected to release information about new and modified UZAs during FY 2023. Also, the decennial modifications to the planning area boundary have traditionally triggered a thorough review of the Memorandum of Understanding as well as of the policy board and Technical Coordinating Committee bylaws. Lastly, agreements with neighboring MPOs governing planning area responsibilities will need to be updated.

Metrolina Regional Model

The Metrolina Regional Model (MRM) covers an eleven county, bi-state region and provides estimates of future travel patterns, travel time and distance, and volume by mode for long range planning and conformity determinations, small area planning, corridor studies, and project planning and design. The Charlotte Department of Transportation manages, develops, and maintains the federally required travel demand model on behalf six funding partners: CRTPO, GCLMPO, CRMPO, RFATS, NCDOT, and SCDOT. In addition to the activities fundamental to the management and maintenance of a travel demand model, during FY 2023 MRM staff will work on a household travel survey, the last of which was conducted in 2012 following the 2010 Census. MRM staff will also participate in Blue Line Extension After Study On-Board Survey. Survey will be incorporated into the MRM along with the 2020 Census data, household travel survey data, and external travel data and be used to calibrate the mode choice model for the next base year.