As part of the SAFETEA-LU federal planning regulations, UDOT is required to update its Long Range Transportation Plan every four years. InterPlan assisted UDOT in the development of its 2007-2030 Long Range Transportation Plan and its award winning Unified Transportation Plan involving the four metropolitan planning organizations throughout the State. InterPlan is presently assisting the Utah Department of Transportation begin the update process of the Long Range Transportation Plan.
UDOT’s Long Range Transportation Plan is one of a set of transportation planning documents prepared for the transportation system. This document addresses mobility needs for the corridors within state jurisdiction in the rural and small urban areas of the state. This includes all highways designated as state routes, US highways, and Interstates outside of the metropolitan boundaries of the four designated metropolitan planning areas. Separate planning documents have been prepared for Utah’s four urbanized areas by the metropolitan planning organizations in Logan/Cache Valley, St. George/Dixie, Salt Lake-Ogden, and Provo-Orem. Through InterPlan’s past efforts, each plan relies on a consistent set of financial assumptions and allows each area and the entire state to indentify and fund priority transportation improvements.
InterPlan’s present role in assisting the UDOT Planning Division is to broaden the Transportation Plan from the capacity improvements which are presently included to encompass broader plans for safety, freight movement, bicycle and pedestrian travel, TravelWise and a full host of mobility needs throughout the State Highway System outside of the metropolitan areas. InterPlan is part of a team of consultants bringing various statewide travel models, environmental analysis models, safety models and related analysis tools used to ensure that Utah’s elected decision makers have the best available information. It is anticipated that various planning scenarios will be developed and evaluated from the list of transportation planning needs to assist UDOT develop transportation solutions which are cost effective and remain sensitive to the social and natural environment where they are located. We are actively creating the new UPlan website and associated UPlan documents and fact sheets.