Southeast Alabama Rural Planning Organization (RPO)
Southeast Alabama Rural Planning Organization (RPO)
The Southeast Alabama Rural Planning Organization is a joint project between the
Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission and the Alabama
Department of Transportation. Presently, the RPO process is advisory in nature.
The RPO serves as the formal link between ALDOT and rural local governments. This link
allows more opportunity for rural communities to communicate with ALDOT. The objectives
of the RPO are:
- To improve communication between the rural areas of Southeast Alabama and
ALDOT - To develop documents and data that will be useful to ALDOT and the local
governments - To improve transportation planning in the rural areas,
- To highlight potential construction of needed highway and bridge projects in the
rural areas - To increase highway safety
Organization
The Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission (SEARP&DC) manages the Southeast Alabama Rural Transportation Planning Process. The RPO is composed of two committees. The Policy Committee is the official decision making body of the process. The Policy Committee is served by an advisory committee: the Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC).
The Policy Committee serves as the official decision-making body for the Southeast Alabama Rural Transportation Planning Process. In this capacity the Policy Committee determines the content of all documents and recommendations that are provided to the Alabama Department of Transportation. The Policy Committee’s responsibilities include providing overall guidance to the planning process, review and approval of all process plans and programs, and appointing TCC members.
The Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC) provides technical support to the Policy Committee. The TCC reviews RPO documents, studies, reports, plans, and programs and provides the Policy Committee with recommendations concerning these items. The TCC members review the planning process products from a technical perspective making certain that all appropriate concerns are addressed, including local planning issues, engineering details, environmental questions, and future growth, among many others. The TCC also has the ability to make alternative recommendations for any of the products.
Study Area
The study area served by the RPO includes all of Barbour, Coffee, and Covington Counties, as well as most of Dale, Geneva, Henry, and Houston Counties. Southeastern Dale County, northeastern Geneva County, southwestern Henry County, and most of northwestern Houston County are part of the Southeast Wiregrass Metropolitan Planning Organization. The Southeast Alabama RPO study area is shown on the map.
Regulations
The amendment to the joint Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration regulations regarding consultation with non-metropolitan local officials as related to transportation planning were issued on January 23, 2003. The regulations require the States to consider the concerns of local elected officials when carrying out statewide transportation planning, to develop a process to consult with non-metropolitan local officials regarding transportation issues, and to consult with non-metropolitan officials when developing the statewide transportation plan and the statewide transportation improvement program (STIP).
Meeting Notification
The Southeast Alabama RPO holds annual meetings, typically in the spring. These meetings include Local Public Forums, Technical Coordinating Committee Meetings and Policy Committee Meetings. The Local Public Forums are hosted in each of the seven Southeast Alabama RPO Counties. Following the Local Public Forums, the Technical Coordinating Committee meets in a centralized location to assess feedback from the local public forums and make recommendations to the Policy Committee. The Policy Committee also meets in a centralized location to make policy decisions. Public participation is welcome and encouraged at all Southeast Alabama RPO forums and meetings. If you wish to receive news releases for upcoming RPO meetings, please send an e-mail with your name and address to evanscyoc@searpdc.org.
