The TIP is an annual document that describes the federally funded projects and activities that are programmed for the RPA-1 region in the next four years. It is a fiscally constrained plan that identifies the use of federal funds in highway, bridge, walking, bicycling, and transit projects. The projects identified within this document may receive federal funding from a number of different sources which are distributed through a variety of methods, some through formula, others are discretionary (earmarked), and some by a competitive granting process.
Once approved, the RPA-1 TIP is included in the Iowa Department of Transportation's Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
The Passenger Transportation Plan is a document that is developed to serve as a mobility management tool to help meet the specific passenger transportation needs of the region and further the development of the local and regional public transportation system. As of previous federal transportation legislation (MAP-21), annual updates will no longer be required. The PTP will undergo a full update every five years.
RPA-1’s Long-Range, Multimodal Transportation Plan, Safe Mobility for Everyone, has a planning horizon year of 2045—25 years counted from the year of adoption and rounded up by one year to reach a decade midpoint. The plan is intended to guide transportation investments and policy in the five-county region in support of a transportation system that is safe for all users and modes, and that facilitates the efficient movement of people and goods. The plan includes a description of the region's existing conditions; identifies current transportation challenges; anticipates potential future needs; and explores various strategies for addressing those challenges and needs. The plan identifies short-term and long-term projects and policy goals and discusses potential funding sources to aid in achieving the goals of the plan. This document also serves as a source of information for local decisionmakers and elected officials of the region.
The RPA-1 Transportation Policy Board adoped Safe Mobility for Everyone as the region’s official, long-range, multimodal transportation plan via resolution on September 19, 2019.
Hard copies of Safe Mobility for Everyone are available for reference at both UERPC office locations, as well as the following public libraries in our region: Waukon, New Albin, Lansing, Elkader, Strawberry Point, Oelwein, Fayette, West Union, Ossian, Calmar, Guttenberg, and Cresco.
Notifying the Public of Rights Under Title VI
UPPER EXPLORERLAND REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION – RPA-1
RPA-1 operates its programs and services without regard to race, color, and national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Any person who believes she or he has been aggrieved by any unlawful discriminatory practice under Title VI may file a complaint with RPA-1.
For more information on RPA-1’s civil rights program, and the procedures to file a complaint, review the “FTA Title VI Program – RPA-1” document below; call 563-382-6171 or 563-382-6311 (for deaf/hard of hearing use Relay Iowa 711); email rhowe@uerpc.org; or visit our administrative offices at 325 Washington Street, Decorah, Iowa or 134 Greene Street, Postville, Iowa.
A complainant may file a complaint directly with the RPA by filing a complaint form with Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission Attention: Title VI Program Coordinator, 325 Washington Street, Decorah, Iowa 52101; or 134 West Greene Street, Postville, Iowa 56162, 563-382-6171 or 563-864-7551, rhowe@uerpc.org.
A complaint may also be filed with the Federal Transit Administration by filing a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights, Attention: Title VI Program Coordinator, East Building, 5th Floor-TCR, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE, Washington, DC 20590; or with Iowa Department of Transportation, Office of Employee Services – Civil Rights, 800 Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010, 515-239-1422, dot.civilrights@dot.iowa.gov.
If information is needed in another language, RPA-1 utilizes Language Services Associates.
The UERPC January 2021 Newsletter is here! https://uerpc.org/newsletters.html
Highlights include:
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The Public Participation Plan (PPP) of the Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) Transportation Policy Board is now available for public review and comment. The document will be available for public review for a minimum of 45 days prior to adoption, and will be considered for adoption at the Board’s March 2021 meeting.
The PPP is developed and used to define a process for providing the public with reasonable opportunities to be involved in the transportation planning process for the five-county region of northeast Iowa consisting of Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek Counties.
For more information and to review the PPP, please follow this link: http://www.uerpc.org/public-comment.html
The Transportation Policy Board of Regional Planning Affiliation 1 (RPA-1) in northeast Iowa is pleased to announce the call for applications for Iowa’s Transportation Alternatives Program (Iowa’s TAP) and Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) funding for diverse transportation projects in our region and communities.
Eligible projects for Iowa’s TAP funding include construction of walking and bicycling infrastructure such as sidewalks, ADA-compliant curb ramps, bicycle facilities, and paved multi-use trails, as well as certain community improvement and environmental mitigation activities. STBG funding can be used for all of the previously mentioned Iowa’s TAP eligible projects, as well as construction and reconstruction of roads, streets, and bridges. Because all projects eligible for Iowa’s TAP funding are also eligible for STBG funding, applicants for Iowa’s TAP eligible projects may apply to both programs for the same project. Applicants may also apply to both programs for a single eligible project that would include funding from both sources if awarded.
Eligible applicants include all public agencies and local governments within RPA-1 that have jurisdiction over public rights-of-way for transportation (including walking and bicycling facilities); public transportation agencies; and agencies with transportation planning responsibilities. The RPA-1 geographic region includes the Counties of Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek.
The current application cycle is for funding in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2025, which begins on October 1, 2024. RPA-1 is expected to have approximately $2.2 million in STBG and $179,000 in Iowa’s TAP funding available for distribution. Applications for both programs will be accepted beginning January 31, 2021 and are due by February 28, 2021.
For full eligibility criteria and information on how to apply, please contact Aaron Detter at adetter@uerpc.org or 563-419-6126.
Are you struggling to find enough money for housing repairs? Find out how you can benefit from local programs that have helped hundreds of Northeast Iowa homeowners make needed repairs to their homes. City of West Union and Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC) invite West Union residents to “Hotline to Housing,” a free event on Wednesday, January 27th at 6:00pm at the Heiserman Room of the West Union Public Library, 210 N. Vine Street in West Union.
UERPC has decades of experience providing assistance to communities and homeowners to preserve housing stock, increase property values, bring investment into communities, and helping people make the repairs they need in order to stay in their homes. The housing department at UERPC manages the Housing Trust Fund, Homeowner Rehabilitation Program, and Owner-Occupied programs, all of which help qualified homeowners in the area make critical repairs to their homes. Roofs, siding, electrical upgrades, windows, and doors are among the most popular repairs.
At “Hotline to Housing,” residents can find out how to qualify for home repair assistance, what types of funding are available, program processes and steps, and more. For additional information, call UERPC at 563-864-7551.
**MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING WILL BE REQUIRED AT THE EVENT.**