Public workshops scheduled

How will the next generation get to work? Will their commute be longer, tougher, more expensive? Or will they have more choices about how they live, work and travel?

You may not think about these transportation issues every day, but we do. The North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (formerly the First Coast MPO) is the independent regional agency that plans for future transportations needs, seeks and coordinates funding, and mobilizes resources through outreach and consensus building. Our jurisdiction includes Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns Counties, and encompasses an area of over 3,000 square miles and 1.2 million citizens.

One of the TPO’s most important roles is to develop the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) for the region. By law, the Plan must be updated every five years, have a 20- to 25-year time horizon and address road, transit, freight, bike and pedestrian needs.

In practice, this Plan serves as the blueprint for our region’s transportation future.

The 2030 Plan was adopted in December 2004 and much has changed since that time – energy prices, environmental sensitivity,
changing growth patterns, economic development, shrinking public-sector funding and our need for regional integration. The new 2035 Plan must be adopted in late 2009 and you are an integral part of the process.

Please join us in creating the 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan by attending an upcoming public workshop. You’ll learn about the plan development process, growth trends, types of development that drive transportation choices and alternatives for shaping growth and the way we live, work and travel in the future. We need to know how you envision your future, your values and priorities, and what tradeoffs you are willing to make.

Northwest St. Johns County
Tuesday, Jan. 20, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Switzerland Point Middle School
777 Greenbriar Road

St. Augustine
Tuesday. Jan. 27, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
The Meeting Room
Ponce de Leon Mall
2121 US 1 South