What influences transportation decisions?

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) of 2005 and its predecessors, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) and the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), have given the transportation industry a dramatic redirection from the major focus for highway building, which has been in place since the start of the interstate system in the 1950's.

SAFETEA-LU focuses on the diverse needs within the overall transportation arena during the early years of the 21st century.  SAFETEA-LU provides a new focus, a reevaluation of priorities and new requirements for more planning at the state and metropolitan levels.  SAFETEA-LU also encourages alternative forms of transportation, such as mass transit, and a new means of managing existing transportation resources.  SAFETEA-LU recognizes the importance of planning and the process of evaluating, selecting and managing projects within the transportation program.  Transportation planning historically includes setting goals and objectives, identifying plans and projects, and establishing management systems to monitor outcomes.

How are the plans, programs, and projects selected?

MPO's are charged with the developing a 20-year Long Range Transportation Plan which is to be an outline of the transportation needs of the area for the next two decades.  Projects programmed into the shorter four-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), are to be extracted from the Long Range Transportation Plan.  The cities, county road commissions, and transit agencies indicate priorities for projects under their respective jurisdictions as projects move to the TIP programming stage.

The majority of the federal funding for projects programmed in the TIP is provided through the Surface Transportation Program (STP), a block grant type of program that may be used by the States and localities for any road improvements located on roadways included on the National Functional Classification System.  Transit capital projects and non-motorized projects are also eligible for funding under this program.  The Jackson urban area is targeted by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to receive approximately $1,440,000 annually in federal urban STP funds.  The JACTS committees are also responsible for allocating approximately $ 800,000 annually in rural STP and Transportation Economic Development-Category D funds, which can only be used outside the Jackson urbanized area boundary.  All projects are funded at an 80% federal/20% local match ratio.  The target funding amount is based on the area population.

Transportation Committees

The Jackson Area Comprehensive Transportation Study is comprised of two committees which advise the MPO —the Region 2 Planning Commission— on transportation decisions.  The JACTS Technical Advisory Committee, which is comprised of appropriate staff from units of government and modal agencies, reviews all plans and programs and makes technical recommendations to the Policy Committee.  The Policy Committee includes elected and appointed officials from units of government and is responsible for reviewing recommendations from the Technical Advisory Committee and recommending formal action to be taken by the R2PC.  Monthly notification of JACTS committee meetings is sent to the Jackson Citizen Patriot and the meeting schedule is available at the Region 2 Planning Commission office.  All meetings of the JACTS Committees are open to the public.  A public comment period is regularly scheduled on the agenda of both committees.

The various commites meet monthly on the following days and times, unless otherwise noted on the calendar page of this website:

• The JACTS Technical Advisory Committee meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. Meetings are held at the Jackson County Road Commission, 2400 N. Elm Avenue, Jackson.
• The JACTS Policy Committee meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month, at 8:00 a.m. Meetings are held at the Jackson County Tower Building, 120 W. Michigan Avenue, Jackson.
• The Region 2 Planning Commission (MPO) meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 2:00 p.m.  Meetings are held at various locations throughout the region.

2035 Long Range Transportation Plan

The Region 2 Planning Commission has completed the Jackson Area Comprehensive Transportation Study (JACTS) 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan for the Jackson metropolitan area.  This Plan, adopted on April 10, 2008, replaces the 2025 Long Range Transportation Plan and conforms to the new federal transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU, signed by President Bush in August, 2005.The Plan reviews the existing transportation system including roads & highways, transit, non-motorized, rail and aviation; identifies current and projected deficiencies on the County’s federal-aid road system; and proposes a list of improve and expand (widening) projects based on future needs and anticipated revenues.

'Click' on the following links to view the various chapters and appendices of the LRTP:

	Table of Contents
Chapter 1	Introduction
Chapter 2	Goals and Objectives
Chapter 3	Existing Transportation System
Chapter 4	Socioeconomic Conditions
Chapter 5	Urban Travel Demand Modeling Process
Chapter 6	Transportation Deficiencies and Recomended Projects
Chapter 7	Coordination with the State Long Range Transportation Plan
Chapter 8	Operational and Management Strategies
Chapter 9	Financial Analysis and Constraint
Chapter 10	Public Participation
Chapter 11	Consultation
Chapter 12	Environmental Mitigation
Chapter 13	Environmental Justice

Fiscal Years 2008-2011 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

The four-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the JACTS planning area has been completed and adopted by the Region 2 Planning Commission Executive Committee on April 10, 2008.  The document has been forwarded to MDOT, FHWA, and FTA for review and approval.  The Executive Committee also approved several amendments to the TIP at that meeting.

In order for any state or local agency to receive federal funding for a transportation project (e.g., road, safety, transit, maintenance, and non-motorized), it must be included in the TIP document. The TIP is required to be financially constrained by fiscal year (October 1- September 30), based on anticipated revenues, and consistent with the JACTS 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan.

Click on the following links to review and comment on the TIP and the amended project listing:

The Wayne State University-Transportation Research Group (WSU-TRG), with funding provided through the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP), will be performing a site-specific traffic crash and safety audit in Jackson County over the next 12-month period.  With the assistance of the JACTS committees and local enforcement agencies, WSU-TRG will identify and prioritize thirty (30) high crash intersections; collect data and perform a traffic operation and safety analysis; and, eventually develop mitigation measures that may include engineering, education and enforcement recommendations.

WSU-TRG made a presentation to local officials, planners, engineers on “Traffic Crash Characteristics for Jackson Area Transportation Study.”  CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PRESENTATION.  WSU-TRG also made a report on “Preliminary Analysis of High Crash Locations and Preliminary Analysis of Countywide Crash Trends and Characteristics”  CLICK HERE TO SEE THE REPORT.