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WAMPO presents draft Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2050 to Andover council; public comment period open
Summary
Representatives from the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization outlined the draft MTP 2050 to the Andover City Council, described the plan's goals and project list and invited public comment; an open house is scheduled in Wichita and the Transportation Policy Body is expected to consider the plan in May.
Markie Jonas, a planner with the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WAMPO), presented the draft Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2050 to the Andover City Council and urged residents to review and comment on the document.
Jonas said the plan is a federally required long-range document that sets a 25-year horizon (to 2050) for regional transportation priorities and lists projects that may be eligible for federal funding. "The goals of Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2050 are to set the priorities for transportation improvements throughout the region, including safety, reliable travel times, managing environmental and economic impacts, creating a more equitable transportation system, and improving connectivity for all modes of travel," Jonas said.
Jonas said the public comment period is in its fourth round, with a draft available online and an open house scheduled for Wednesday, March 26, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce, 350 West Douglas Avenue, Wichita. Attendees may submit paper comment cards at the open house; written comments can also be submitted through WAMPO's website. Jonas said WAMPO staff will review public comments and address them before asking the Transportation Policy Body (TPB) to vote on the plan, which WAMPO anticipates will occur May 13.
The presentation described the plan's structure: seven chapters (plan purpose, regional trends, existing conditions, system management, system performance, financial plan and project selection/list) and multiple appendices that include performance measures and a fiscally constrained financial plan. Jonas said the MTP includes a mixture of specific projects and project categories for items such as public transit, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, intelligent transportation system upgrades, safety work and bridge projects.
Jonas noted WAMPO is the federally required MPO for the Wichita metropolitan region, covering 22 cities including Andover and parts of Sedgwick, Butler and Sumner counties. He said the plan is designed to be consistent with federal performance measures and to show how projected projects fit within anticipated revenue.
No members of the council asked substantive follow-up questions beyond logistical clarifications about the location of the open house; Jonas and a colleague, Nick Flanders, answered those questions and left materials for public review.
The council did not take action on the plan at the meeting; WAMPO staff requested public review and comment ahead of the TPB vote in May.
