Monday, February 21

Where's the Blogs?

Is this what you've been thinking since our last blog on January 5th? I apologize to our Florence County Planning blog followers. It's been a busy time for the Planning Services Department.

We've been working on six Florence Area Transportation Study (FLATS) documents required by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that are due by our fiscal year end (June 30th). Some of these documents require a public comment period and review by the FLATS Study Team for recommendation to the FLATS Policy Committee and ultimately their approval. A tentative date has been chosen in June for these documents to be presented to the Policy Committee. I'll give you a few details on each document; however, you can view the current versions of each on our Florence County FLATS web page.
  • The Federal Obligation Report is an annually updated document. This document does not require a public comment period or review by the FLATS Study Team and Policy Committee, so the FY2010 update is complete and posted on the FLATS web page. The information for this report is provided to the FLATS staff by SCDOT. The narrative explains in detail why this report is required and what it entails. In short, it is an annual listing of projects, including investments in pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities for which federal funds have been obligated during the year.
  • The Public Participation Process (PPP) is required to be updated every three years. The June, 2008 version is on the FLATS web page. The draft for the June, 2011 version is complete, but requires a 45-day public comment period and Study Team/Policy Committee review. It will be posted on the web page after this process has been completed.
  • The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) is required to be updated annually. This document outlines the activities that the FLATS will undertake in the next fiscal year using PL funds from FHWA with a local match by Florence County. The information for this report is also provided to the FLATS staff by SCDOT. The current FY2011 version is on the FLATS web page. The FY2012 version will require a 10-day public comment period and Study Team/Policy Committee review. It will be posted on the web page after this process has been completed.
  • The Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) entire document is updated every six years. However, amendments are necessary periodically during this six year period. The six year update is not due but there are some amendments required. The TIP entails information regarding each of these type of transportation projects: Guideshares, SAFETEA-LU Earmarks, Federal Transit Administration, and enhancements. The September 27, 2010 amendment to this document is on the FLATS web page. The entire updated document in addition to each amendment requires a 10-day public comment period and Study Team/Policy Committee review. The amended report will be posted on the web page after this process has been completed.
  • The FLATS Annual Report is updated annually. This report documents all FLATS activities as of the fiscal year end to be submitted to SCDOT. This document does not require a public comment period or review by the Study Team/Policy Committee. The FY2009 report is on the web page. The FY2010 version will be posted sometime in July.
  • The Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is updated every six years. This very large, detailed document is a process of developing a transportation model that shows the demand on the transportation network in the FLATS area over a 20-year horizon period. It stipulates potential improvements for our transportation network to suffice future growth and alleviate traffic congestion. These improvements include, but are not limited to, roadway widening, access management, multi-modal transportation and possibly new road construction. This document requires a 30-day public comment period and Study Team/Policy Committee review. We plan to submit the final draft to the Policy Committee during their June meeting.

Ok, that's it for now. As you can see, lots of work to get back to. Just wanted to let you know why you haven't seen any new blogs lately. Til next time..........