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Ithaca–Tompkins MPO director outlines projects, funding and new data tools
Summary
Tom Knip, director of the Ithaca Tompkins County Transportation Council, told local officials the MPO programs about $20 million in federal transportation funds annually, previewed projects including the Black Diamond Trail and a Route 13 bridge, and announced new staffing, a transit–housing accessibility index and a transportation project map.
Tom Knip, director of the Ithaca Tompkins County Transportation Council (the region's Metropolitan Planning Organization), briefed municipal officials on the council's role, funding and a slate of projects and tools intended to improve coordination across jurisdictions.
"Our role is really to help local governments make coordinated data-driven decisions that serve everyone," Knip said, summarizing the MPO's mission. He said the council programs more than $20 million in federal transportation funds annually for the region and maintains a 2045 long-range transportation plan and a Transportation Improvement Program that funds specific projects on a two- to three-year cycle.
Knip outlined immediate work streams and tools: an expanded staffing plan (adding a transportation planner position), a white-paper series starting with rural speed reduction, and a data-driven transit–housing accessibility heat map being scoped with U.K.-based Basemap. He highlighted locally funded studies and projects supported through the MPO's annual work program, including conceptual planning for the southern section of the Black Diamond Trail, work on a bridge over Route 13, small studies for Lansing Greenway and an east-shore rail-line ownership review.
Officials asked how municipalities could connect on speed-limit changes and easements for rail-trail opportunities; Knip said the council would share study guides, host webinars (including an upcoming demo on the state's crash database), and follow up with stakeholders who requested assistance.
Knip also noted federal reauthorization uncertainty — the joint infrastructure law is set to expire on Sept. 30 — but said recent congressional language signals continued surface-transportation investment and possible increases in local planning funds that would benefit MPO operations.
