MPO Technical Committee

MPO SPECIAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA February 16, 2017 10:00 a.m. MPO Office 100 West Broadway 2nd Floor Farmington, New Mexico  AGENDA FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION SPECIAL TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEETING February 16, 2017 10:00 AM This meeting will be held in the MPO Office, 100 West Broadway, 2nd Floor, Farmington, New Mexico. ITEM PAGE 1. Call meeting to order 2. Review and consider recommending approval of draft PC Resolution 2017-1 1 Presented by: Duane Wakan 3. Business from Chairman, Members, and Staff 4. Business from the Floor 5. Adjournment ATTENTION PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: If you are an individual with a disability who is in need of a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter, or any other form of auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in the hearing or meeting, please contact the MPO Administrative Assistant at the Downtown Center, 100 W Broadway, Farmington, New Mexico or at 505-599-1466 at least one week prior to the meeting or as soon as possible. Public documents, including the agenda and minutes, can be provided in various accessible formats. Please contact the MPO Administrative Assistant if a summary or other type of accessible format is needed.  FARMINGTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Agenda Item #1 Subject: Policy Committee Resolution 2017-1 Prepared by: Duane Wakan, MPO Planner Date: February 10, 2017, 2017 BACKGROUND  At the December 8, 2016 joint meeting, the Policy Committee directed staff to draft a resolution highlighting the following: o Redirect NHPP funds away from US 64 Phases V and VI; o Focus attention on funding projects of regional significance in the FMPO; o Encourage greater partnership with NMDOT and the local entities; o Address different levels of accountability, transparency, and public comment opportunity from NMDOT; o Emphasize that the FMPO’s TIP is to be incorporated into the STIP without change per the state’s own procedures.  The TC decided to hold a special meeting on February 16, 2017 to review draft updates to Resolution 2017-1 CURRENT WORK  Develop redlined revisions for Technical Committee review.  Seek Technical Committee input and approval of the draft resolution. BACKUP MATERIAL  Policy Committee Draft Resolution 2017-1 ACTION ITEM  It is recommended that the Technical Committee review and approve Policy Committee Resolution 2017-1 to the Policy Committee. 1  POLICY COMMITTEE RESOLUTION NO. 2017-1 REAFFIRMS THE NEED FOR IMPROVED COMMUNICATION BETWEEN NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (NMDOT) AND LOCAL ENTITIES, FUTURE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PHASES I AND II OF THE PINON HILLS BOULEVARD EXTENSTION OVER THE ANIMAS RIVER WHILE POINTING OUT THE UNWARRANTED WIDENING OF US 64 PHASES V AND VI GIVEN THE CURRENT FISCAL DEFICIENCIES AT THE STATE LEVEL, AND THE MINIMAL IMPACTS TO CONGESTION RELIEF. WHEREAS, the Farmington MPO (FMPO) is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the cities of Farmington, Aztec, Bloomfield, and the urbanized area of San Juan County; and WHEREAS, the Farmington MPO Policy Committee is the decision-making body for the MPO and addresses the major issues in the metropolitan planning area; and WHEREAS, recent communication breakdowns between NMDOT and the local entities within the FMPO highlighted the need to improve transparency, ensuring the future communications are continuous, cooperative and comprehensive according to 23 CFR 134 including “that the selection of federally funded projects in metropolitan areas shall be carried out, from the approved TIP”; and WHEREAS, metropolitan planning organizations are designated in urbanized areas to carry out the metropolitan transportation planning process coordinating decisions based on regional perspectives per 23 U.S.C. 134; and WHEARAS, the Pinon Hills Bridge over the Animas River and the East Arterial Relief Route in Aztec are the number one and two regional priority as identified in the 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (2040 MTP); and WHEARAS, future TIP developments will require an extensive cooperative vetting processes to identify funding gaps and shortfalls, as well as clear priorities for NMDOT and the local agencies; and WHEARAS, a more collaborative process can eliminate the appearance of indifference by providing proactive local programming assistance for project completion; and WHEREAS, travel demand modeling by the MPO has shown that the construction of the two phases of the Pinon Hills Bridge over the Animas River and Oxbow do more to alleviate congestion on two major highways than does the widening of the two remaining phases (V and VI) of US 64; and WHEREAS, the cost/benefits of constructing the Pinon Hills Bridge with its various phases equates to $26M exceeds that of completing the final two phases of US 64 which equates to over $30.5M; and NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE FARMINGTON MPO, NEW MEXICO: Support 1. Improvement in communication and transparency from NMDOT to its regional bodies which include Aztec, Bloomfield, Farmington and San Juan County; and 2  Section 2. The removal or delay of construction of Phase V and VI of US 64 until average daily traffic merit such widening; and Section 3. Future Federal funding be directed to the completion of Phases I and II of the Pinon Hills Bridge over the Animas River as well as other regionally significant transportation projects; and Section 4. That the development of the regional TIP follow 23 CFR 134 namely in cooperation with the State and any affected public transportation operator, the metropolitan planning organization designated for a metropolitan area shall develop a TIP for the area for which the organization is designated; and Section 5. That the NMDOT work to expedite the completion of regionally significant projects to alleviate cost burdens on small departments and agencies. PASSED, SIGNED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this ____ day of __________, 2017. _______________________________ _______________________________ June Markle FMPO Policy Committee Chair MPO Administrative Aide 3