Planning Process

Two laws, enacted in 1991, provide the basis for the transportation planning process in Colorado.  The first, enacted by the Colorado General Assembly, created the Colorado Department of Transportation to replace the Colorado Department of Highways and established a grassroots planning process to identify and prioritize the state's transportation needs. The law requires the development of a comprehensive, long-range twenty-year Statewide Transportation Plan that incorporates the priorities and needs of Colorado's 15 Transportation Planning Regions (TPRs).  Colorado's transportation planning law is codified in 43-1-1103, CRS with additional regulation outlined in 2-604-2, CCR .

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA), enacted by Congress, similarly required the states to produce a Statewide Transportation Plan and a Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).  In 1998, ISTEA was replaced by TEA-21, the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century, and in 2005 TEA-21 was replaced by SAFETEA-LU, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. SAFETEA-LU revised several statewide and metropolitan transportation planning requirements and includes provisions for consideration of environmental issues in transportation planning, and linkages between transportation planning and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes.  Transportation bills are reauthorized by Congress approximately every six years.  Federal transportation planning law, including amendments made by the latest authorization (currently SAFETEA-LU), is codified in 23 USC 134 and 23 USC 135 , with additional regulation outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations, primarily 23 CFR 450 , 23 CFR 500 , and 49 CFR 613 .

In accordance with SAFETEA-LU, CDOT carries out a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive statewide multimodal transportation planning process with its 15 Transportation Planning Regions (TPRs). The process includes the development of long-range multimodal Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs), a long-range multimodal Statewide Transportation Plan that sets the vision for transportation in the state and a Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) that identifies short-term project needs and priorities. 

Transportation Planning Process

Transportation Planning Regions (TPR)

Development of a twenty year Statewide Transportation Plan begins at the local level with business persons, residents and local officials in the TPRs. Of the 15 TPRs, ten are considered non-urban TPRs and five located in urban areas are considered Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs).  Each TPR is comprised of the municipalities and counties within its established boundaries.  State law enables elected officials from the counties and municipalities in the non-urban TPRs to form Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) through an intergovernmental agreement. The RPCs and MPOs develop and adopt Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs), which are then integrated into the Statewide Transportation Plan and approved by the Transportation Commission.

Colorado's Transportation Planning Regions

Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO)

Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are located in urban areas with a population of 50,000 or more.  An MPO is a federally designated entity established by agreement between the Governor and the units of local government responsible for transportation planning processes.  MPOs include: Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG); Grand Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (Mesa County); North Front Range MPO (Fort Collins/Loveland/Greely); Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments (Colorado Springs area); and Pueblo Area Council of Governments (Pueblo area). The five MPOs have more complex planning requirements than the ten non-urban TPRs.

MPOs with populations of 200,000 or more are designated as Transportation Management Areas (TMAs) and have additional federal requirements and responsibilities regarding air quality conformity, long-range planning and short term project selection. Colorado has three TMAs: Denver Regional Council of Governments, North Front Range MPO, and Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments.

MPOs prepare Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs), which include constrained and vision components and identify the needs, corridor strategies and/or projects anticipated to be constructed over the next twenty-plus years.  RTPs are forwarded to CDOT for integration into the Statewide Transportation Plan.  Additionally, under federal law all five MPOs, in cooperation with CDOT, are required to develop a short-term capital improvement program consistent with the long range RTP.  Similar to the STIP, the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is updated every four years, and in Colorado, includes a six year planning horizon.  TIPs are approved by the MPO and the Governor and included in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) without modification.

Non-Urban Transportation Planning Regions (TPRs)

Colorado's ten non-urban Transportation Planning Regions (TPRs) are primarily rural in nature.  Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs), in cooperation with CDOT, are responsible for establishing regional priorities and needs and developing the multimodal Regional Transportation Plans (RTPs).  Like their MPO counterparts, the RPCs develop long-range (twenty-year plus), multimodal plans that have both fiscally-constrained and vision components.  Regional Transportation Plans are forwarded to CDOT for integration into the Statewide Transportation Plan

In non-urban TPRs, regional priorities are established by the RPCs through their regional transportation planning process.  Projects are selected through the CDOT Region Project Priority Programming Process (4P), which generally occurs once every two years. The 4P process utilizes the "fiscally-constrained," regionally prioritized corridor strategies outlined in the RTP as the basis for projects and priorities to be included in the six-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).

Long Range Statewide Transportation Plan

The long-range Statewide Transportation Plan outlines a comprehensive, multimodal transportation vision. It provides a statewide perspective that reflects the policies of the Transportation Commission and integrates the needs, revenues and costs identified in all 15 RTPs.  It contains a constrained component based on Transportation Commission resource allocation , the cost to sustain the system at current performance levels, and a vision of how the system could perform by reducing congestion, improving safety and maintaining the existing transportation system.  Like the Regional Transportation Plans, the Statewide Transportation Plan is a multimodal plan covering at least twenty years  As a multimodal plan, all modes of transportation- highway, transit, freight, aviation and bicycle/pedestrian- are included.  The Statewide Transportation Plan is prepared by CDOT's Division of Transportation Development and incorporates the 15 Regional Transportation Plans.  The Statewide Transportation Plan is corridor-based, including approximately 350 corridors statewide.  Corridor visions include strategies aimed at meeting each corridor's unique transportation needs. 

Public involvement is a key component in the development of both the Statewide and Regional Transportation Plans.  Input from citizens, government leaders, environmental resource and regulatory agencies, and community organizations is critical to identifying local and regional transportation needs.  Population growth, a booming energy industry, increasing congestion, deteriorating roadways and bridges, and funding shortfalls require tough choices and open dialogue.  Increasing awareness of these issues and educating the public is critical to a successful process and a sound transportation system.

Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)

The Statewide Transportation Plan is implemented by programming priority projects into the short-term, six-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP).   The STIP is updated every four years.  STIP projects must be consistent with the corridor visions identified in the Statewide Transportation Plan.  All federally funded and regionally significant projects are identified in the STIP.  Projects are selected in cooperation with local officials in TPRs based on a set of criteria developed to solve or improve a particular congestion, safety, or system quality need on the transportation system.  MPOs develop their own TIPs, which are then included without modification into the STIP.  Non-urban TPRs do not develop TIPs, and their projects and priorities are included directly in the STIP.

Under SAFETEA-LU, the STIP is updated every four years through the Project Priority Planning Process (4P). The 4P effort incorporates the state statutory requirement that CDOT formally hear the transportation needs of Colorado's 64 counties through meetings with the Transportation Planning Regions. The 4P process also meets the federal requirement that CDOT work cooperatively with the MPOs to develop TIPs prior to incorporating the TIP into the STIP.

Statewide Transportation Advisory Committee (STAC)

Representatives of each of the 15 TPRs form the Statewide Transportation Advisory Committee (STAC), which serves to advise the Department and the Transportation Commission on transportation planning related issues and reviews the regional and statewide transportation plans prior to their adoption.  Colorado's two Native American tribes, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Southern Ute Tribe also have representation on the STAC as non-voting members.  The STAC meets monthly prior to each Transportation Commission meeting. The Chair of the STAC provides regular updates on STAC activities, issues and recommendations to the Transportation Commission. 

Colorado Transportation Commission

The state's transportation system is managed by the Colorado Department of Transportation under the direction of the Transportation Commission . The commission is comprised of 11 commissioners who represent specific districts. Each commissioner is appointed by the Governor, confirmed by the Senate, and serves a four-year term.  The Transportation Commission reviews and approves the Statewide Transportation Plan and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).  The Commission also promulgates transportation policy, including guidance directing Colorado's transportation planning processes.