Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) 2050 Update
Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are required to prepare Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs). RTPs are developed in cooperation with federal and state agencies, local project stakeholders, and the traveling public. An RTP documents performance of the current transportation system, identifies needs to address existing and future travel demands, and recommends how funding for transportation improvements should be invested in the region over the next 25 years (2025-2050).
Throughout the study process, the Sun Corridor MPO will be looking for public input to help guide the plan.
The current Sun Corridor MPO Regional Transportation Plan 2040 Update was adopted by the Executive Board in March 2020.
Since the Sun Corridor MPO planning area is within Pinal County’s nonattainment area for PM-10 and PM-2.5, a new RTP must be completed every four years. This new RTP 2050 will be completed in conjunction with the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG)/Sun Corridor MPO Winter 2023 Air Quality Conformity Update.
As the Sun Corridor MPO Region continues to grow and change, so do transportation needs and priorities. To respond to these changes, the RTP 2050 will:
- Document changes in the characteristics of the existing transportation system over the last four years,
- Update regional performance goals and targets for areas such as mobility, safety, and infrastructure conditions,
- Identify additional transportation system needs to accommodate forecasted growth through Year 2050,
- Investigate potential new funding sources to support future transportation system improvements, and
- Recommend funding strategies to support implementation of future transportation system improvements.
The Sun Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) provided a preliminary DRAFT copy of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) 2050 update for public review and comment. The public comment period ran from January 11, 2024, through February 10, 2024, no public comments were received.
The Regional Transportation Plan 2050 Update was completed in March 2024 and adopted by the Sun Corridor Executive Board on March 12, 2024, contingent on a new finding of conformity.
Approval of the Sun Corridor MPO Regional Transportation Plan 2050 Update by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is tied to a finding of conformity for the Winter 2023 Air Quality Conformity cycle. The air quality conformity process establishes the connection between transportation planning and air quality. A regional emissions analysis must be conducted to assess the impacts that the TIP and RTP, taken as a whole, will have on emissions within an air quality nonattainment area. Because the Pinal PM-10 and PM-2.5 nonattainment areas overlap the MAG and Sun Corridor MPO planning area boundaries, MAG and the Sun Corridor MPO have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to complete air quality conformity analyses for the Sun Corridor MPO region.
The Winter 2023 Air Quality Conformity analysis received on May 1, 2024, supports a finding that the amendment to the FY 2023-2027 TIP and Regional Transportation Plan 2050 Update meet transportation conformity requirements for PM-10 and PM-2.5 in the Pinal County nonattainment areas. The results of the analysis indicate that the amendment, when considered together with the FY 2023-2027 TIP and Regional Transportation Plan 2050 Update as a whole, will not contribute to violations of federal air quality standards. The 30-day Public Comment period for the conformity analysis and list of air quality projects started on May 2, 2024, and ended on June 1, 2024; no comments were received.
SCMPO RTP 2050 Update Executive Summary
Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and other nondiscrimination laws and authorities, the Sun Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization (SCMPO) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Persons that require a reasonable accommodation based on language or disability should contact Irene Higgs, SCMPO’s Title VI Coordinator at ihiggs@scmpo.org or (520)705-5143. Requests should be made at least 48 hours prior to the meeting so that accommodations may be arranged.
En conformidad con el Título VI del Decreto de los Derechos Civiles de 1964, el Decreto de Americanos con Discapacidades (ADA por sus siglas en inglés), y otras leyes y autoridades contra la discriminación, la organización de planificación metropolitana Sun Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization (SCMPO por sus siglas en inglés) no discrimina basándose en raza, color, origen nacional, género/sexo, edad o discapacidad. Las personas que requieran una adaptación razonable basada en idioma o discapacidad se deben comunicar con Irene Higgs, Coordinadora del Título VI de SCMPO en ihiggs@scmpo.org ó llamando al (520)705-5143. Las solicitudes se deben hacer por lo menos 48 horas antes de la reunión para que se puedan organizar las adaptaciones.