Kingsport MPO kicks off 2050 long-range plan; board adopts draft goals

Consultants for the Kingsport Metropolitan Planning Organization kicked off the update of the 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan on the MPO’s regular meeting, outlining a five-step process that includes goals adoption, needs analysis, project evaluation, fiscal-constraint work and public engagement.

Jim Meyer of AECOM told the board the LRTP is a federally required, multimodal plan updated every five years and will guide regional transportation investments through 2050. He said the schedule calls for draft memos and appendices this year, a full draft plan by October, submission to TDOT and VDOT in mid-December, FHWA and FTA review in February, a 30-day public review in March–April and formal adoption at the MPO meeting in May 2027. Meyer asked jurisdictions to forward recent planning studies and updated project costs to MPO staff (Leslie, Michael) to inform the plan’s needs and opportunities analysis.

Meyer described coordination with TDOT and VDOT to update travel-demand modeling and maintain consistent population and employment forecasts for the regional model. He emphasized a data-driven project evaluation tied to stated goals and performance measures, noting the plan will include a fiscally constrained project list and a separate illustrative list of projects that are not funded but could be advanced if new revenue becomes available.

On safety analysis, Meyer said the team had mapped fatal and serious-injury crash locations for the period used in the LRTP analysis and will use that data to identify potential priority improvements. Meyer also outlined planned public engagement tools, including a Social Pinpoint project website with language translation and interactive mapping so residents can drop pins to report safety or access concerns; the team hopes to launch the site within a week of the meeting and coordinate an initial open house with an MPO meeting in May.

After the presentation the board discussed timing for public events and website launch. Board members asked for TDOT guidance about how to categorize state-promised projects that lack identified funding; Meyer said the project team will work with TDOT staff and the MPO to ensure consistent treatment across jurisdictions.

The MPO then considered the draft goals and objectives for the 2050 LRTP (largely carried forward from the 2045 goals with one wording change noted in the packet). A motion and second were made to adopt the presented goals; the board approved them by voice vote. The plan’s development will continue into 2027 with targeted memos, public engagement and several follow-up presentations to the MPO and executive board ahead of adoption.