2007 Awards

AMPO Awards

2007 Award Winners

• Award for Excellence in Metropolitan Transportation Planning
• The National Award for Technical Merit in Metropolitan Transportation Planning
• The National Award for Innovation in Metropolitan Transportation Planning
• The National Award for Outstanding Achievement in Metropolitan Transportation Planning
  

  
  Honorable Mention Award for Excellence in Metropolitan Transportation Planning

  Recipient: National Capital Region Transportatio Planning Board in Washington, DC

  The first Honorable Mention award for excellence in metropolitan transportation planning was presented to the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) in Washington, DC for their Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan and Program.  Working with its regional partners, the TPB took the initiative in becoming one of the first MPOs to serve as a designated recipient for FTA’s Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) and New Freedom programs under SAFETEA-LU. The TPB achieved consensus on its new role by effectively involving regional transportation partners, human service agencies, private transportation providers and consumer advocates early in the process. The TPB put an emphasis on “customers first” which helped overcome parochial and institutional barriers. This experience offers a model for addressing funding challenges and multi-state complexities in other metropolitan areas.
  
  
  Recipient: Greensboro Urban Metropolitan Planning Organization in Greensboro, NC
  
  The second Honorable Mention award for excellence in metropolitan transportation planning was presented to the Greensboro Urban Metropolitan Planning Organization in Greensboro, NC for The Higher Education Area Transit (HEAT) project. The MPO teamed up with the Greensboro Transit Authority, and other stakeholders to create a new bus service, connecting 8 college and university campuses. The HEAT project was funded mainly by grant money from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program and by the colleges and universities, who committed financial resources to ensure that students rode for free. In the first academic year, the six HEAT bus routes carried over 130,000 passengers. This project demonstrates that through a strategic application of resources and by leveraging community support, a project can create long lasting benefits for the community.
  
  
  The National Award for Technical Merit in Metropolitan Transportation Planning
  
  Recipient: Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) in Detroit, MI
  
  The AMPO national award for technical merit in metropolitan transportation planning was presented to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) in Detroit, MI for their regional analysis of the impact of planned transportation projects on the environment and the series of guidelines they developed for mitigating those impacts. Transportation infrastructure and the people and vehicles that use it, impact both the natural and built environments. In consultation with federal, state, local, and Tribal agencies, SEMCOG developed a three-step process for analyzing the balance between environmental issues and transportation plans. Their data driven process is designed to draw attention to the range of possible impacts and elevate the consideration of environmental resources at the project level. To that end, they developed a series of mitigation guidelines for use by local road and transit agencies where impacts could not be avoided.
  
  
  The National Award for Innovation in Metropolitan Transportation Planning
  
  Recipient: Wichita Area MPO (WAMPO) in Wichita, Kansas
  
  The AMPO national award for innovation in metropolitan transportation planning was presented to the Wichita Area MPO (WAMPO) in Wichita, Kansas for their Railroad Crossing Plan, which examines safety and congestion issues at almost 300 railroad crossings in the region. Located near the geographic center of the United States, WAMPO’s planning area sees a vast amount of rail freight pass through the region. As rail freight and population both increase, there has been a rise in concern over safety and congestion at rail crossings. The Plan was adopted this past July and one of the main successes was the regional dialog and interagency coordination between the MPO, the public, railroads, school officials, law enforcement, fire departments, emergency responders, elected officials and government staff. This is expected to spark further policy changes that will improve safety.
  
  
  The National Award for Outstanding Achievement in Metropolitan Transportation Planning
  
  Recipient: Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) in Meridian, Idaho
  
  The AMPO national award for outstanding achievement in metropolitan transportation planning was presented to the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) in Meridian, Idaho for their Plan, Communities in Motion: Regional Long-Range Transportation Plan 2030 or CIM. In the past, their Plans had been little more than a collection of individual projects. For this Plan, they evaluated the regional transportation needs across a six-county region for the next 20 years and tied quantitative and qualitative evaluations of land use patterns to transportation needs associated with desired growth patterns. During the three-year project, they involved the public in numerous ways and thus brought significant attention to the need for transportation and land-use integration. Local elected officials commended them for their public involvement efforts and a local nonprofit noted that, “They were a changed region because of Communities in Motion outreach.”

  
  Honorable Mention Award for Excellence in Metropolitan Transportation Planning
  Recipient: National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) in Washington, DC