Long Range Transportation Plan/Metropolitan Transportation Plan

One of the core functions of every MPO is to maintain the region’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), also known as the Long Range Transportation Plan. Federal legislation stipulates that the MTP must articulate a 20+ year vision for the future of the region’s transportation system. The SMTC is required to update our region’s MTP at least once every 5 years, with our next plan due to be adopted by the end of September 2025.

The current SMTC Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is the 2050 LRTP – 2020 Update, which was adopted by the SMTC Policy Committee on September 23, 2020. This is supplemented by an Amendment adopted in February 2022 consisting of a revised Chapter 6 (Financial Analysis) and an addendum to Chapter 4. The LRTP reports on the performance of our traLRTP Draft Covernsportation system in accordance with the transportation performance management approach to planning and programming specified by the FAST Act. The original 2050 LRTP was adopted in 2015 and amended in December 2018 with an update to the financial analysis. The 2050 LRTP replaced the previous 2020 LRTP, which was originally published in 1995 and updated in 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2011.

The MTP/LRTP serves as a blueprint that guides the Syracuse Metropolitan Area’s transportation development over a period of at least 20 years. Updated every five years to reflect changing conditions and planning principles, the plan is based on projections of growth and travel demand coupled with financial assumptions. The MTP considers major urban transportation planning concerns such as complete access to transportation, alternative transportation modes (especially bicycle and pedestrian), the impact of land development on the transportation system, highway traffic congestion, maintenance of the existing infrastructure, and environmental/air quality. Central to the MTP is the protection of the value of investments already made in the transportation system, while providing resources to pursue innovative solutions to mobility constraints. The MTP also supports enhancing travel choices and anticipates major projects that will be needed over the next 20+ years.

Public input is a necessary element of the MTP, and we expect to begin various public engagement activities in spring 2024 and continue throughout the MTP process before adopting a new plan in September 2025. We will be looking for opportunities to participate in existing community group meetings, events, or festivals to provide information about the MTP process and hear about the community’s desires for the transportation system. Please sign-up for our newsletter and watch our social media channels for more information about the MTP process, and reach out to us at contactus@smtcmpo.org if you have suggestions for public engagement opportunities.

 2050 LRTP April 2022 Amendment

2050 LRTP 2021 Amendment

2050 LRTP 2020 Update

2050 LRTP 2020 Update Appendix

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