WATS Responsibilities
The Washtenaw Area Transportation Study is a multi-jurisdictional agency responsible for transportation planning in Washtenaw County. The agency is mandated by Federal law to provide a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning process, which guides the expenditure of state and federal transportation funds in Washtenaw County. WATS annually establishes project priorities for consideration by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) when programming transportation funds. In addition, WATS continually monitors the current condition of the county's transportation system, including roads, bicycle and pedestrian paths, bridges, and public transit.
WATS Policy Committee
- Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners
- Washtenaw County Road Commission
- Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority
- Ann Arbor Transportation Authority
- The Cities of Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Milan, Saline and Ypsilanti
- Village of Dexter
- Ann Arbor, Dexter, Northfield, Pittsfield, Scio, Superior, and Ypsilanti Townships
- Southwest Washtenaw Council of Governments (Bridgewater, Freedom and Manchester Townships and the Village of Manchester)
- The University of Michigan
- Eastern Michigan University
- Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)
The WATS staff:
- Terri Blackmore - Executive Director
- Ryan Buck - Senior Transportation Planner
- Eric Bombery - Transportation Planner
- Nick Sapkiewicz - Associate Transportation Planner
Bylaws and Rules of Procedure (Dated September 2010) 129 KB pdf
WATS Meetings
WATS Policy Committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. Agendas are available approximately one week prior to the meeting at the WATS office or on the WATS website. The Technical Advisory Subcommittee meets at 9:30 a.m. on the first Wednesday to make recommendations regarding items on the upcoming Policy Committee agenda.
WATS Meeting Location
WATS Committees meet at Western Washtenaw County Service Center (705 North Zeeb Road, 2nd Floor).
WATS Work Products
Long Range Transportation Plan (LRP)
The long range plan identifies transportation projects that will be needed to support projected growth through25 years. The LRP is not a funding plan, but is financially constrained. In addition to funded projects a list of unfunded projects that could not be funded within the estimates of available funding.
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
The TIP lists all capital transportation improvements programmed for the upcoming four years using federal or state funding. The TIP report also includes charts depicting the spending priorities.
Unified Planning Work Program (UWP)
The UWP details the work tasks undertaken during the year. Each task contains a description of the objective, previous work accomplished, work methodology, responsible agency, and funding sources.
FY 2012-2013 pdf 284 KB
FY 2011-2012 pdf 489 KB
FY 2010-2011 pdf 692 KB
FY 2009-2010 pdf 639 KB
FY 2008-2009 pdf 606 KB
The Vehicle
A quarterly newsletter describing the activities and projects of WATS. It includes information on transportation related topics including the county construction projects with a brief description and a supplementary map.
Traffic Counts
Traffic counts taken by the Washtenaw County Road Commission, the Cities of Ann Arbor, Saline and Ypsilanti as well as the Michigan Department of Transportation are available on the Agency's website and the on-line traffic count database is updated once each month.
Profile
WATS prepares a Transportation Profile periodically as the federal requirements schedule allows. The Profile is a snapshot in time of existing demographic statistics and the transportation system.
Benefits of WATS Membership
WATS is made up of elected officials that work together to shape the future of the transportation in the County. They make decisions that include funding road widening, new roads, transit routes and services, the location of sidewalks or trails, and policies regarding landscaping of roadways or other enhancements to the transportation system. Assistance is also provided to local agencies for obtaining project funding.
Annual Financial Statements and Auditors Report
June 30, 2010 and 2009 4.83 MB pdf
June 30, 2008 and 2007 (revised) 571 KB pdf
Additional Information
Contact WATS at:
705 North Zeeb Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan
48103-1560
Phone ~ (734) 994-3127
Fax ~ (734) 994-3129
Website ~ www.miwats.org
E-mail ~ wats@miwats.org