The McLean County Executive Committee met Monday June 13 and approved annual funding for the McLean County Regional Planning Commission (MCRPC).
The annual funding level is $54,000. MCRPC is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Bloomington-Normal (B-N). An MPO is a transportation policy making body made up of local elected officials and transportation officials. MCRCP develops and maintains the Long Range Regional Transportation Plan.
Administration of the MCRPC falls under the Administration of Phil Dick, Director of the McLean County Building and Zoning Department. Raymond Lai is the Executive Director of the MCRCP and made the request to Dick for the funding. Dick requested approval from the Executive Committee through its Chair, Jim Soeldner, a Republican.
Cities 92.9 contacted Soeldner and he described the responsibilities of the commission, “The MCRPC aids the county in a number of ways. They assist the building and zoning department in keeping them informed on new procedures and practices and regulations sent down from Fed and state. They help implement transportation programs and help plan for new and updated road projects. And they help apply for federal and state transportation grants.”
The funding of the MCRPC is authorized through a Regional Planning Service Agreement. Some of the duties described in the agreement are; assist the County in the periodic updating of plans and ordinances that pertain to planning and development, prepare or coordinate the preparation and updating of reports that are an integral part of the McLean County Transportation Study and provide assistance in the preparation of applications for Federal or State funding as needed.
According to the MCRPC website, “When a community reaches a population of 50,000 or greater, MPOs are established to ensure that current and future federal expenditures for transportation needs are decided through a comprehensive, cooperative, and continuing (3C) planning process. The distribution of federal funding for transportation projects in our urbanized area and McLean County is based on the joint efforts of local, state, and federal participants. In legislation passed from the early 1990s through today, Congress has introduced new requirements and rules within the 3-C process, so we monitor these changes and adapt our transportation planning efforts to implement them.”
“In 1966, the Bloomington and Normal combined population exceeded 50,000 people, and made our community eligible to establish an MPO serving a Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA),” the MCRPC website states. “From the early 1970s onward the Transportation Study became more central to the planning program.”
In the 1990’s the MCRPC began an alignment study for Mitsubishi Motorway (Rivian Motorway) and the transportation program included the East Side Corridor feasibility study. In the 2000’s they conducted a multi-jurisdictional review of the East Side Corridor findings and project status. During the past decade the Commission began its participation in the East Side Highway Phase 1 Engineering Study, including participation in the Project Study Group and Initiated and administered the Main Street Feasibility Study, to assess feasibilities and priorities for transportation-related improvements proposed in the Main Street: A Call for Investment adopted plan.”
The existing 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan includes an entire appendix titled the, “East Side Highway Project Monitoring Plan.
What would you like to see in the future? Should our transportation funding be almost entirely spent on an extensive East Side Highway Project? Would the funding be better spent on significant improvements on Veteran’s Parkway? Should the Main Street Corridor be significantly upgraded so that it serves pedestrian needs better in areas such as downtown Bloomington and through the Illinois State University campus? Or should we stop all new construction and upgrades to concentrate all of our funding on maintaining the streets we have?
The MCRPC is asking for your input. Complete the survey and let them know your thoughts on things.
