Frequently Asked Questions

TMA
Q.  What is the transportation management area for PSRC’s region? Is PSRC in a TMA?
A.   PSRC is in a TMA, which is an urban area over 200,000 population and was established in 1991 by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. PSRC’s TMA was designated in 1991.

MPO Certification
Q.  When was PSRC’s most recent metropolitan planning organization certification review completed by the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration?
A.  FHWA & FTA conducted their most recent MPO certification review of PSRC in October 2005. The final report from the review will be provided by the federal agencies to PSRC in the near future, at which time it will be added to PSRC’s Web page.

Public Participation Plan
Q.  How often does PSRC review the effectiveness of its adopted public participation plan? When was the current plan adopted?
A.  PSRC continuously reviews the effectiveness of its public involvement process. More specifically, in designing each major planning effort, PSRC adapts its public involvement process to fit the needs of that product, or as new tools become available. The PSRC public participation plan was first adopted in the early 1990s. It was last revised in 2002 to include new technologies for involving the public, such as the Internet and email publications. A copy of the plan is at the following location: http://www.psrc.org/about/what/pubpart.htm

Private Transportation Providers Involvement in PSRC
Q.  How does PSRC involve private transportation providers in the public review of the draft transportation improvement program?
A.  PSRC includes private transportation providers in its public involvement process. Public transportation providers are included on the distribution list for PSRC's monthly Regional View newsletter. PSRC uses the newsletter to reach its largest, direct mail distribution list at about 10,000 individuals and organization.

FTA “Program of Project” Requirement
Q.  Does PSRC’s public involvement process for the draft transportation improvement program satisfy the FTA “program of projects” review for public transit agencies for their federally funded TIP projects?
A.  Yes, the PSRC various methods for publicizing the draft TIP and requesting comments from the public include the suggested text to satisfy FTA’s the POP requirements. For example, when PSRC announces in its monthly newsletter or a press release that the draft TIP is available for public comment, both contain the FTA-mandated phrase that the Draft TIP public review process includes, in part, an "update to the program of projects funded by the FTA." A copy of the press release for the most recent announcing the public review of past Draft TIPs, and several previous years, are available on the PSRC Web site. For a copy of the most recent press release, see Transit Agencies Triennial Review Information.