The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) was awarded a grant from the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Prioritization Process Pilot Program (PPPP). This funding will improve how transportation projects are planned and built in the Durham City and County; Hillsborough, Chapel Hill, and Carrboro and adjacent portions of Orange County; and north-central Chatham County.
With this grant, the DCHC MPO will:
- Revamp Project Prioritization: We will award transportation project funding more consistently, more data-driven, and with stakeholders’ input. This means better decisions, more effective use of resources, and faster project delivery to benefit our constituents sooner.
- Supporting Local Projects with the Local Project Delivery Study: This effort will:
- Make it easier to plan and deliver locally administered federally funded projects by strategically improving efficiency and predictability.
- Build a new online space on the DCHC MPO website to share project updates, milestones, and costs, keeping the public informed every step of the way.
“The MPO team identified the PPPP grant opportunity to create better, more efficient, and more meaningful transportation investments that balance regional goals with practical outcomes,” DCHC Executive Director Doug Plachcinski explains. “The MPO’s project selection process can be more efficient and better support our members’ needs.”
MPO Board Chair and Chatham County Commissioner Chair Karen Howard describes the Board’s view, “This significant investment of federal resources will help our communities build transportation projects their people want and deserve while strategically planning for a future with more public transportation and non-motorized travel options.”
“Rapidly developing communities like Durham are challenged for effective transportation solutions that help our residents and visitors travel safely and efficiently while minimizing pollution and climate altering impacts. The PPPP initiative will modernize our practices and deliver faster results for our community,” added MPO Board Vice-Chair and Durham City Councilwoman Javiera Caballero.
The MPO will convene focused partnerships into the new calendar year and anticipates completing a grant agreement with the Federal Highway Administration in the first quarter. “Dialing in project prioritization and developing good solutions is critical to our communities’ hard work on behalf of their constituents. We will complete this work with consensus and expert support with the grant award,” Plachcinski summed up. “The DCHC MPO looks forward to working with our partners and the public to bring these exciting changes to life.”
For more information, please contact Filmon Fishastion, DCHC MPO Transportation Planner, at filmon.fishastion@dchcmpo.org or call (919) 503-4117.
