Tippecanoe County committee previews draft 30-year transportation goals, launches short public survey

The Tippecanoe County Transportation Study Committee previewed draft goals and invited public input on its Metropolitan Transportation Plan during a meeting where staff opened an eight-question survey intended to help rank plan priorities.

The presentation, given by a staff member, outlined draft goals and supporting objectives intended to steer the countys long-range transportation investments. "So tonight, the main thing we're gonna be talking about is 1 of the parts we do for our Metropolitan Transportation Plan," the staff member said. The committee asked clarifying questions and voted to adjourn after the discussion.

The Metropolitan Transportation Plan, which the presenter described as a federally required document updated every five years, uses a 20-plus year planning horizon; the committee said its current horizon extends roughly 30 years to 2055. Draft goals shown to the committee include: creating a connected network of sidewalks, trails and bike lanes; investing in system preservation for roads and bridges; improving efficiency and connectivity (including signal timing and arterial improvements); expanding and improving public transit access and facilities; improving safety for all users; supporting economic development; reducing transportation-sector emissions; and improving infrastructure resilience for natural disasters or major disruptions.

Staff explained objectives under those goals. Examples: filling sidewalk gaps near schools and parks; completing planned rails-to-trails projects; completing pavement and bridge maintenance; improving traffic-signal timing and intersection geometry near industrial areas to accommodate heavy vehicles; adding transit transfer stations and increasing service to employment and health-care centers; and investing in alternative-fuel vehicles and fueling infrastructure. The presenter said CityBus has compressed natural gas vehicles and has applied for grants to procure hydrogen buses that would require new fueling infrastructure.

Committee members asked for clarifications during the meeting. Lynn Nelson asked whether Amtrak service still allows boarding and alighting in the community; the presenter replied that the Cardinal still stops locally but service is more limited since the Hoosier State service ended. Lynn Nelson asked, "Can we get on or get off Amtrak here?" and the presenter replied that passengers still can, but the Cardinal runs only three days a week.

Staff described the public survey, which is linked in the meeting packet under agenda item 2a and also posted on Nextdoor and Facebook. The survey asks respondents to rate the importance of the eight draft goals using radio buttons from "not important" to "extremely important." Staff estimated the survey would take about five minutes to complete and encouraged attendees to share the link; responses will be used to rank goals relative to each other but will not remove goals entirely.

On local infrastructure concerns, a committee member raised the lack of continuous sidewalk on South 24th Street (described in the meeting as South 20 Fourth Street from Maine to Earl), noting many children walk that route to school. The presenter said sidewalk construction for such routes is managed by the City of Lafayette and recommended contacting the Lafayette City Engineer's Office for project-specific status.

The committee was told the plan also includes an objective to maintain attainment with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys National Ambient Air Quality Standards because losing attainment would place additional restrictions on how certain federal funds may be used. Staff also noted the plan can include investments in EV charging and future fueling infrastructure as technology evolves.

The committee accepted a motion approving the previous meetings minutes without a formal roll-call vote because only two voting members were present when the motion was made; later in the meeting, a formal adjournment motion was made and approved in a recorded vote. The presenter said the committee will receive additional updates on the Metropolitan Transportation Plan at upcoming meetings on September 10 and December 10.

Future meetings will present more detailed documents such as the annual state projects list and opportunities for public comment on the draft plan.