Introduction
An extension of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA21) is the current federal legislation that governs transportation planning and provides the federal funds for transportation. TEA21 requires that the transportation plan cover at least a 20-year planning period. The plan is updated every three years because Southeast Michigan, including Washtenaw County, is a Maintenance Area for the one-hour ozone standard set by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In addition to the 3-year update cycle, the plan is amended as priorities, available revenues, or transportation needs change.
Summary of Past Plans
The 2025 Long Range Transportation Plan Update for Washtenaw County was adopted January 2000 and identified capacity deficiencies, segment and intersection safety deficiencies, functionally obsolete and structurally deficient bridge deficiencies, non-motorized deficiencies, and pavement deficiencies. The 2020 Plan was adopted in January 1997 and addressed more deficiencies than the 2015 Plan. The 2020 Plan included capacity, safety, bridge and pavement deficiencies. The 2015 Long Range Transportation Plan for Washtenaw County was adopted in September 1993. It included capacity enhancing and safety improvements. The 2015 Plan was also the first plan that addressed transportation needs in a multi-modal, environmentally sound, fiscally constrained and improvement specific manner.
Current Plan
The 2030 Long Range Transportation
Plan for Washtenaw County is the product of many agencies working together to
provide a guide for future transportation improvements. Local transportation
and planning agencies, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG),
and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) were all active partners
in the development of this plan. The Federal Highway Administration and the
Federal Transit Administration also provided assistance.