TRANSPORTATION ADMINISTRATION
TRPC’s Administrative Transportation Functions and Documents
TRPC plays an important role in meeting federal and state planning requirements to implement and coordinate the region’s transportation planning activities. This includes working with local, state, and federal government agencies, a variety of stakeholders such as transit companies, environmental groups, and utilities, as well as the general public.
TRPC has specific responsibilities under federal and state laws, including the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy of Users (SAFETEA-LU), the state Growth Management Act, and the Washington Clean Air Act. Maintaining compliance with these regulatory requirements ensures continued funding for the regional transportation work programs.
Administrative Functions
Executive Board
The Thurston Regional Planning Council is the executive board for regional transportation decision making within Thurston County and its urbanized area (U.S. Census designated geographic area with a population of 50,000 or more). TRPC sets regional transportation policies and establishes regional funding priorities through its dual governance role as the:
- Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the U.S. Census designated urbanized area of Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater (federally designated by USC Title 23, Chapter I, Section 134); and
- Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) for the rural areas within Thurston County that fall outside of the urbanized area (state designated by RCW 47.80 and WAC 468-86).
Advisory Bodies
The Transportation Policy Board (TPB) is the principal advisory body to the council on all matters of regional transportation planning. The TPB meets on a monthly basis. Its members evaluate a wide range of economic, environmental, and social issues and studies as they relate to transportation and provide informed recommendations to TRPC.
The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is an advisory body to the TPB and TRPC. It evaluates the technical, operational, and implementation aspects of studies, grant proposals, and certain construction projects and offers recommendations to the region’s policy makers. The TAC is composed of professional transportation planning and engineering staff from local governments and Washington State Department of Transportation.
Staff
Staff to the Thurston Regional Planning Council performs the daily tasks that are necessary to fulfill the requirements as the region’s MPO and RTPO.
Administrative Documents
Listed below are the documents that are necessary for fulfilling the programmatic, legal, and financial requirements to accomplish the ongoing transportation planning activities and decision-making processes among the affected jurisdictions in the Thurston Region.
Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)
The UPWP outlines, by task, how TRPC fulfills its federal and state transportation planning requirements. It identifies TRPC’s short- and long-range transportation planning tasks and its data development and forecasting program. This document is adopted by TRPC each May, and is effective for the state fiscal year, which is July 1 through June 30.
Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP)
The RTIP is a four year investment plan of regionally significant capital projects derived from local government’s six-year Transportation Improvement Programs. This document may be amended on an as needed basis, but is required to be updated annually and adopted by TRPC in October.