Benton-Franklin Council of Governments: Transportation Programs Office

Our office serves as the Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) for the jurisdictions within Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla Counties in southeastern Washington State. We also serve as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Tri-Cities area. The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) describes the transportation planning activities undertaken by our office. Tasks included in the UPWP are the result of issues identified by the ongoing Tri-Cities Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (Tri-MATS). Tri-MATS is comprised of two working committees, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), which hold meetings the first and second Thursday of each month. Details about some of our work products can be found below. For further information, please contact the Transportation Programs Office.

2011 - 2032 Regional & Metropolitan Transportation Plan

The 2011-2032 Regional & Metropolitan Transportation Plan (RTP/MTP) replaces the 2006-2025 version of the plan, after undergoing an extensive update throughout 2010-2011. The document was revised (Spring, 2012) to extend the planning period an additional two years and address concerns with financial constraint. This twenty-two year planning document identifies regional transportation issues, goals and policies related to transportation planning, deficiency analysis for both the MPO and RTPO, and a financial plan to alleviate anticipated deficiencies. This combined urban/rural document eliminates duplication; provides a comprehensive vision for the entire region; and meets both the state planning requirements of the Growth Management Act (GMA) and the federal requirements of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The plan can be viewed by accessing the following link:

Regional and Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

Each year, jurisdictions across the state complete their six-year Transportation Improvement Program, or "TIP". Collectively, the projects with secured funding in these TIPs make up our regional portion of the State Transportation Improvement Program, or "STIP". This program gives the jurisdictions the opportunity to review their project lists and adjust their plans, as necessary. Selected projects are those which the jurisdiction has funding to complete. Planning projects are those which are yet to be funded. For information about the TIP for our member agencies, contact Tanna at the Transportation Programs Office or the agency directly.

2013-2018 MPO/RTPO TIP

BFCG staff have worked with local agencies in preparing their TIPs. These TIPs will collectively be adopted as the Regional/Metropoplitan TIP and be included within the 2013-2018 State TIP (STIP). Some agencies are working through final revisions and will be made available when in final format. Available TIPs can be accessed by clicking upon the active links in the status column. The written portion of the 2013-2018 MPO/RTPO TIP is available by clicking here. An electronic version of the complete 2013-2018 MPO/RTPO TIP is available by contacting Tanna Dole at the BFCG Transportation Programs Office.

Periodically, amendments to the TIP may alter, add, or delete projects within the TIP. If you have questions with any specific project, you can contact the BFCG Transportation Programs Office or the local agency directly. .

Washington State DOT maintains a database dedicated to the secured projects within all statewide TIPs. Information about projects can be obtained by accessing this site:

The Tri-MATS Annual Report is available by accessing the following link: Annual Report.

For RTPO Mission Statement, Goals & Policies, and information about STP Project Selection Process: Click Here.

Tri-City Urbanized Area - Designation as a new Transportation Management Area

In March of 2012, the US Census Bureau released their population numbers for Urbanized Areas confirming that the Tri-City Metropolitan Area has surpassed the 200k population threshold. Areas above 200k in population are designated Transportation Management Areas (TMAs) and enjoy certain benefits and incur additional planning requirements beyond smaller MPOs. This TMA. designation became official with the release of the July 18, 2012 Federal Register in which the Kennewick-Pasco, WA Urbanized Area was shown to have a 2010 population of 210,975.

The 2013 Kennewick-Pasco-Richland Metropolitan Area Social and Economic Data Book presents characteristics of age, income, and race/ethnicity focusing primarily upon the metropolitan area, but does also include data for all of Benton and Franklin Counties. The Data Book contains information from both the decennial census and the metropolitan Travel Demand Model. For more information about the document, please contact Len Pavelka of the Transportation Programs Office. :

Walla Walla/College Place/Milton-Freewater Urbanized Area - A new MPO on the horizon

In March of 2012, the US Census Bureau released their listing of Urbanized Areas (over 50k population) that included the Walla Walla/College Place/Milton-Freewater area. Under federal law, Urbanized Areas are required to be represented by an MPO within twelve months of Urbanized Area designation. To aide with this distinction and the requirements that accompany it, the BFCG Transportation staff have coordinated with officials potentially effected and held a meeting on June 27th to present information and discuss the topic - The presentation provided at that meeting can be seen here. At that meeting, WSDOT agreed to serve as lead in assisting the area in the formation of their MPO. A web page has been built to house information related to MPO designation as well as meeting materials and information. The site can be found at:

The Federal Highway Administration is keeping a webpage current with related content to Census Urbanized Areas and MPO/TMA designation - it is a great resource for information. The site can be found at:

2012 SOV/HOV Windshield Survey

During May, the BFCG Transportation Programs office coordinated a windshield survey to tally the percentages of Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOV) vs. High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) at key locations throughout the Tri-City Metropolitan Area and Hanford Site. Surveys were completed at Twenty-three locations spread across the urban area, with vanpool totals and the �Hanford Commute� being points of focus. For the results of the 2012 SOV/HOV Survey, please click here to access the summary report.

2012 Interim Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan

Federal law requires a Human Services Transportation Plan (HSTP) every four years. The Washington State Department of Transportation awards grant funding for HSTP projects every two years through its Consolidated Grant funding process.

This update to the 2010 BFCG Coordinated Public Transit � Human Services Transportation Plan addresses a revision in Service Gaps and Strategies, recognizing any perceived changes in need over the last two years. Service gaps and strategies to address those gaps were identified at stakeholder meetings in Kennewick and Walla Walla and are listed within. Changes in Federal Transit Administration funding programs are also described.

For more information regarding the Coordinated Public Transit Human Service Transportation Plan, contact Len Pavelka of the Transportation Programs Office.

In response to Presidential Executive Order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at federal facilities, DOE completed and released a study focused on identifying appropriate commute alternatives for Hanford Site workers aimed at reducing GHG emissions. A copy of the report and a slide presentation summarizing the study effort/findings are available by accessing the links below:

Washington State Freight Mobility Plan

On June 7th, BFCG hosted a meeting with TAC members and WSDOT/Freight Systems Division presenting background upon the goals and objectives of the Washington State Freight Mobility Plan. Presentational materials for that meeting are provided below. Please contact Len Pavelka for information or materials from the meeting.

Columbia River Crossing Study

The Benton-Franklin Council of Governments (BFCOG) Transportation Programs Office coordinated a study evaluating the future need and optimal location for a future Columbia River bridge crossing. Local cities, counties, ports, TRIDEC, ASCE, and Ben Franklin Transit were partners in the study, lead by a steering committee consisting of local officials. An Executive Summary and Final Alternatives Map are available by accessing the links below.

2012 RTPO Information Forum

In March, 2012, the BFCG hosted an information meeting discussing GMA planning and updates to the GMA Transportation Planning Guidelines, Climate Change in Washington State, Complete Streets & Active Communities, and the Health Benefits of Complete Streets. For information about the meeting or for meeting materials, please contact Len Pavelka.

Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan for Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla Counties

Adopted in 2010, The 2010 Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan fulfills federal requirements (23 CFR 450) that a metropolitan transportation plan contain a bicycle and pedestrian component as well as addresses state direction (RCW 36.70A) that regional transportation plans encourage efficient multimodal transportation systems that are based on regional priorities and coordinated with county and city comprehensive plans.

Major Employers Report

The 2010 Major Employers Report details major employers within Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla Counties. The list includes private and public sector employers � from orchards to Hanford contractors and school districts to the Post Office. The criterion for inclusion in the list was that a business/agency/entity have 100 or more full time employees, including those with a total of 100 or more shift workers, and entities with a substantial number of seasonal employees. The final result is a list of around 140 significant employers for the three-county area.

2010 Transportation Trends & Key Facts

In 2004, the BFCG prepared a report compiled of local trends related to transportation in the Urban Area. Information such as population, Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), road miles by Federal Functional Classification, Transit ridership, Level of Service (LOS), accidents, etc. were part of the report. The report was updated in 2010 and expanded to includes the rural portions of the RTPO. Click here to view the report.

A Decade of Accomplishments

The RTPO has seen significant growth over the last ten years and experienced the challenges that accompany growth. BFCG staff were asked to compile a collection of some of the most significant transportation accomplishments over the last decade. Selecting the projects to feature was difficult, as much progress has been made through the region. A presentation highlighting some of the more significant accomplishments can be found at this link.

Traffic Count Program

Our office maintains an inventory of all traffic counts collected in the RTPO. County spreadsheets date back to 1997, and are updated as data becomes available (Updated: May, 2013). WSDOT Permanent Traffic Recorder (PTR) locations are summarized by rural and urban locations.

We also collect traffic counts for the smaller jurisdictions throughout the RTPO, as they are needed. For more information about the Traffic Count Program, please contact our office.

Mapping/GIS Activities

The Transportation Programs Office maintains an extensive inventory of maps for our region. Maps are used for informational presentations and also appear in a variety of planning documents. The maps provided here are letter sized and can be viewed/printed with an adobe acrobat viewer. Designations and boundaries found within these maps are accurate - to the best of agency knowledge - as of our most frequent Regional Transportation Plan adoption (November, 2011). However, designations and boundaries change frequently - for verification of a designation or boundary, please contact the Transportation Programs Office.

Map Name	Description
RTPO-PTBA	Transit Public Transportation Benefit Areas within RTPO
RTPO-MPO-CL	MPO Planning Boundary and RTPO City Limits
RTPO-Traffic Flow	RTPO Average Daily Traffic Flows
RTPO-Port Districts	RTPO Port District boundaries
RTPO-Scenic & Rec	RTPO Scenic & Recreational Hwys w/interpretive markers
RTPO-TransFac	Active & Abondoned Rail, Gas, Petroleum, Port, & Airport Facilities in RTPO
RTPO-FreightGoods	Freight & Goods Transportation System within RTPO
RTPO-HUA	Highway Urban Areas within RTPO
MPO-Traff Flow	Tri-City Metropolitan Planning Area Average Daily Traffic Flow
MPO-WCity UGAs	Metropolitan Planning Area and city Urban Growth Areas
Tri-City PNR	Tri-City area Park and Ride Lots
WWCP_UGA	Walla Walla/College Place Urban Growth Areas
BFT-routes	Ben Franklin Transit transit routes
Valley-routes	Valley Transit routes
GasTaxFSL	Federal &State Gasoline taxes shown by State
BFTPTBA	Ben Franklin Transit Public Transportation Benefit Area

One of the more popular maps provided by our office is "Cycling Tri-Cities" - which shows bike routes, area Bike/Ped trails, the Sacagawea Heritage Trail, area parks, facilities, and other points of interest. On the backside of this map are descriptions of favorite area rides, a visual of their locations, and assorted safety tips. For convenience, both sides of this map have been prepared in "tiled" quadrants ready for print on regular letter sized paper.

Free large copies of the Tri-Cities Bike Map are available at our office, local jurisdictions, local bike shops, local Chambers of Commerce, and the Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau.

The Cycling Tri-Cities map is also available in scaled versions ready for print on 11 x 17 paper. Click on the links below for each side of the map