Support Transportation Planning for Rural Communities

Action Needed

Urge your members of Congress to support local transportation planning in rural communities in the next surface transportation reauthorization bill through federal designation, guaranteed federal funding and project selection authority. 

Background

Counties own 53 percent of the nation’s rural roads and 48 percent of its rural bridges and work closely with transportation planning organizations to maintain and expand infrastructure networks.  Known as Regional or Rural Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPOs), these entities play a critical role in coordinating transportation planning for non-metropolitan areas. Working closely with state and local officials, RTPOs help rural counties prioritize projects, develop transportation improvement plans and pursue federal and state funding opportunities. These organizations are especially critical for counties that lack the staff or technical capacity to manage complex federal transportation processes on their own.

However, rural counties face persistent structural disadvantages in transportation planning and project delivery. Under current law, regions with populations over 50,000 are required to establish a federally funded Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to facilitate federal transportation investments. Rural and non-metropolitan areas, by contrast, are not guaranteed similar planning entities or dedicated federal support.

While some states have voluntarily established RTPOs, these organizations rarely receive formal federal designation or direct funding. As a result, rural regions operate with limited resources, creating inequities in technical assistance, staff capacity and access to discretionary grant and formula funding programs. This imbalance hinders rural communities’ ability to plan and deliver infrastructure projects that reflect local priorities and needs.

Investing in RTPOs would level the playing field for rural counties, provide a stronger foundation for long-term infrastructure planning and ensure that federal transportation investments are responsive to the needs of all communities nationwide. The next surface transportation reauthorization gives Congress a critical opportunity to invest in rural transportation planning, empowering these communities to thrive and strengthening our nation’s overall infrastructure network. 

Policy Recommendations

To ensure all communities – regardless of size or population density – can effectively plan, compete for and deliver infrastructure projects with federal funding, counties urge Congress to strengthen the role of Regional and Rural Transportation Planning Organizations in the next surface transportation reauthorization through the following actions:

• Establish dedicated funding for rural and non-metropolitan planning akin to the Metropolitan Planning (PL) program to give rural communities the resources they need to perform comprehensive transportation planning in rural areas
• Expand RTPO authority and participation in project selection and prioritization for suballocated formula funding, ensuring rural regions have a meaningful voice in shaping transportation investments
• Require stronger collaboration in places without RTPOs between state departments of transportation and local governments, including by leveraging the networks and capacity of state county associations to help facilitate outreach
• Strengthen technical assistance and capacity-building resources to help rural counties develop data-driven transportation plans, pursue competitive grant opportunities and deliver federally funded projects

Key Talking Points

• Counties own and maintain 53 percent of the nation’s rural roads and 48 percent of its rural bridges. Rural counties invest more than $14 billion annually in infrastructure and public works.
• RTPOs play a vital role in working with counties as well as state and federal partners to prioritize projects, develop transportation improvement plans and secure funding for rural communities.
• Unlike Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), which receive federal designation and funding, RTPOs often operate at a structural disadvantage with limited resources and support.
• Strengthening RTPOs in the next surface transportation bill would level the playing field for rural communities and bolster the nation’s infrastructure network by expanding planning capacity, supporting coordination between local, state and federal partners, maximizing federal funding and expediting infrastructure deployment.