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SAW MPO launches long-range transportation plan update and targeted public outreach
Summary
The St. Augustine–Waynesboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (SAW MPO) staff outlined a 25-year long-range transportation plan update, emphasized expanded public engagement and stakeholder outreach, and released an interactive survey with mapping tools.
Zach Beard, program manager at the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission, briefed the Augusta County Board of Supervisors on the SAW MPO’s long-range transportation plan update and a new public-engagement campaign.
Beard said the MPO is updating its long-range transportation plan—typically refreshed every five years—to look at existing conditions and project needs over a 25-year horizon to 2050. The plan will cover all travel modes, from driving to walking, biking and transit, and will identify projects that could be funded over the period based on available revenues.
A primary change in this update is an increased emphasis on public engagement. Beard said past MPO outreach produced low participation—about 200 survey responses during the last update, which occurred during the COVID period—so planners are using a multi-phase approach this time. The first phase launched with an interactive mapping survey that lets residents drop icons for safety issues, congestion, crossings and bus needs. The MPO also plans a lunchtime webinar on August 28, tabling at community events in September, and two targeted stakeholder sessions specifically aimed at underserved populations (faith-based groups, nonprofits, schools, health-care and community organizations).
Beard said the MPO has coordinated with Augusta County staff and the city partners in Staunton and Waynesboro to avoid duplicating outreach and to incorporate input from each jurisdiction’s comprehensive-plan updates. He described public engagement as an 18-month process that will include subsequent rounds where residents can comment on a draft project list.
Board members asked whether survey links and materials would be posted on the county web page; Beard said links could be placed on the county site and that the webinar would be recorded and posted. The county’s representatives on the MPO policy board and technical advisory committee were identified as ongoing points of contact for coordination.
Beard and his team asked board members to help distribute the MPO’s outreach toolkit—flyers, postcards and survey links—to expand reach, particularly to groups historically underrepresented in transportation planning.
No board action was required; the presentation served as an informational update and a request for assistance in outreach.
