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MPO staff outlines 2026 Unified Planning Work Program priorities and timelines
Summary
Staff previewed the 2026 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) timeline, candidate projects and plan updates (Transportation 2050 update, ITS, Safe Routes to School, Vision Zero follow-up), and discussed staffing capacity and grant allocation guidance for budgeting.
MPO staff provided a preview of the 2026 Unified Planning Work Program and a multi-year schedule of planned planning work, seeking input from the technical committee on priorities and staff capacity.
The presentation listed expected tasks and timelines for several MPO responsibilities, including drafting the annual UPWP, initiating a Transportation 2050 long-range plan update (estimated 15–18 months), completing minor ITS and Safe Routes to School updates, and considering local pedestrian and bikeway plans for Lawrence and countywide work.
Staff explained the UPWP discussion is an early-stage planning exercise and said the MPO will draft a formal UPWP for committee review, public comment and MPO policy-board action. “We will be drafting a unified planning work program to bring back to you for your consideration and for public comment and then a policy board decision making,” staff said.
Staff also noted a pending change in Title VI/LEP requirements and suggested some LEP elements may be folded into the public-participation plan. The staff summary listed candidate items for 2026: a Transportation 2050 update, potential pedestrian and bikeway plans, local Safe Routes to School planning in Eudora and Baldwin City and policy work tied to Vision Zero implementation.
Committee members discussed budgeting guidance for grant estimates. One member advised staff to use the MPO’s final 2025 CPG allocation as the best estimate for next year’s Unified Planning Grant funding and recommended conservatism in budgeting to avoid mid-year cuts. Staff noted in-house NPO staff time is limited: “this year, it looks like 3 of our staff may we each have 5 hours a week for local planning,” staff said, indicating local planning hours allocated to MPO-billed work are constrained.
No formal decisions were made; staff will draft the UPWP and return with a proposed work program for committee review and public comment.
