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 is the development of transportation plans. There is a different level of effort in the development of the plans, depending on the size of the agency, transportation issues and the population served. This supporting statement clearly shows the level of effort involved. The types of plans developed varies but could include; 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). It is 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 approval in 2020. However, this request is associated with an increase in the respondent universe from 456 in 2020 to 502 with the current proposed IC due to the 2020 census. As a result, there is a corresponding increase in burden hours from 4,198,379 hours to 5,869,921. 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 2022 OPM Federal salary table.

The latest form for Metropolitan and Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning expires 2027-03-31 and can be found here.