Metropolitan and Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning

The information collection under OMB control number 2132-0529 Metropolitan and Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning is requesting a 3-year extension without change of a currently approved information collection. This is a mandatory collection that authorizes the use of federal funds to assist Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), States, and local public bodies in developing transportation plans and programs to serve the transportation needs of urbanized areas over 50,000 in population and other areas of States outside of urbanized areas. The information collection activities involved in developing the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), the Metropolitan Transportation Plan, the Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan, the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) are necessary to identify and evaluate the transportation issues and needs in each urbanized area and throughout every State. These products of the transportation planning process are essential elements in the reasonable planning and programming of federally funded transportation investments. The entities that respond to this collection are State Departments of Transportation and MPOs. This information is submitted on an annual basis are used by FTA and FHWA on a national scale to establish national out year budgets and regional program plans, develop policy on using funds, monitor State and local consistency with national planning and technical emphasis areas, respond to Congressional inquiries, prepare congressional testimony, and ensure efficiency in the use and expenditure of federal funds by determining that planning proposals are reasonable, cost-effective, and supportive of full compliance with all applicable federal law and regulations. There have been no programmatic changes to this program since 2017. However, this request is associated with a decrease in responses from 461 in 2017 to 456 currently (-5). The reduction in the respondents is a result of several small transit agencies in one State, merging into one Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). This was at the discretion of the local government and was not a result of any federal policy or regulation change. As a result, there was also a reduction in burden (-900) due to the merger of transit agencies. In addition, there is a change in the cost to the respondents and the cost to the federal government. Both areas have been updated to reflect the current Department of Labor wage category and the 2020 OPM Federal salary table.

The latest form for Metropolitan and Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning expires 2023-11-30 and can be found here.