Regional Planning Commission briefs parish on metropolitan transportation planning and how to access federal funds

Jeff Ruzell, executive director of the Regional Planning Commission, told the parish Infrastructure Committee on Dec. 5 that metropolitan transportation planning is governed by federal law and requires a continuous, cooperative and comprehensive process to make projects eligible for federal implementation funds. Ruzell said the commission produces three core documents required by federal statutes and regulations: the Unified Work Program (annual), the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (a 20-year policy document) and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which programs where federal money is spent.

Ruzell said a 2020-census-driven change to urbanized-area boundaries consolidated multiple subareas into a single larger metropolitan planning area. That consolidation, he said, reduces administrative duplication and “gives us much more flexibility with how we program money,” allowing the commission to target larger, regionally significant projects across previously separated boundaries.

Ruzell outlined how federal funding typically works in the region: formula block grants (surface transportation/STBG) are largely population-driven, carbon-reduction funds are more prescriptive and discretionary grants or earmarks are pursued by RPC and its members. He said the common federal/local split is roughly 80% federal to 20% local match and that some grant processes (for example certain resiliency grants) can reduce the local match requirement.

The RPC director listed recent and ongoing studies and projects the commission has led or supported, including freight mobility analyses, a Louisiana International Terminal Access Study in St. Bernard Parish, a federal lands access study at Bayou Sauvage, and smaller local projects such as signal upgrades, roundabouts and bike-and-pedestrian plans. He said the RPC has coordinated on major infrastructure for the region — ports on the Lower Mississippi, Class I railroads, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and MSY airport — and provides data and demographic analyses to help parishes prepare grant applications.

Council members asked technical and procedural questions. Nelson Hollings, senior planner at the RPC, confirmed that outreach for the bike-pedestrian plan is still in an early phase and that public input will be mapped into potential projects for later review. Ruzell emphasized that projects must be included in the region’s planning documents to be eligible for implementation funding: “you can’t go after [implementation money] unless that’s in the plan,” he said.

The committee members urged residents to attend RPC public meetings so local priorities are captured on project lists that make them eligible for federal funds. After the briefing and a short Q&A, a motion to adjourn was made and approved by voice vote.