Bi-State Regional Commission

April 27, 2016 – Mark Bechtel, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) – Region 7, reported that as  result of the 2016 federal cooperative review of the Quad Cities metropolitan transportation planning process held April 26-27, there would be no corrective actions recommended, meaning staff are meeting expectations.  He also mentioned some commendations, as best practices in FTA-Region 7.

The review is conducted every four years as a requirement of the Metropolitan Planning section of the federal transportation act and as an obligation for receiving federal funds.  The review team included both Illinois and Iowa representatives from Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) as well as FTA.  A public hearing was held Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at the Quad Cities Transportation Policy Committee meeting to receive comments related to the effectiveness of multi-modal transportation planning activities by Bi-State Regional Commission.

April 27, 2016 – Prior to the Bi-State Regional Commission agency budgeting process, staff annually prepare the Transportation Planning Work Programs (TPWP) for the Quad Cities metropolitan planning area (MPA) and Region 9, serving rural Scott County and Muscatine County.  The TPWPs reflect staff work tasks/activities for the upcoming fiscal year, and include budgets for transportation planning short and long-range activities, delineating federal, state, and local planning funds.  Activities include staffing transportation meetings, technical assistance, such as grant writing and traffic or trail studies/analysis, as well as the development of various modal plans and transportation funding programming.

The transportation planning effort for metro transportation planning amounts to $789,630, along with some additional planning studies and transit planning, in the urban area and $62,061 in Region 9.  The Commission approved resolutions to authorize application of the federal planning grants, assurance of match and execution of the respective grant agreements.  The Region 9 program utilizes $10,000 in local Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds to support the planning effort.

April 27, 2016 – Denise Bulat, Executive Director, noted the final draft of the full, five-year Bi-State Region Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) 2016 had been distributed in late March to Commissioners for review and provided to the public on the Bi-State website.  Minor comments were received through the 30-day review regarding economic development related projects completed in FY 2016 and noted in the projects list.  Commissioners approved a resolution to adopt the 2016 CEDS, and the report was submitted to the Economic Development Administration.

April 27, 2016 –National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) named Bi-State Regional Commission the winner of two 2016 Excellence in Regional Transportation Awards for their work on the Bi-State Regional Freight Commodity Study and with the Be Healthy QC Partnership.  These projects will be honored at a special networking reception at the 2016 National Regional Transportation Conference June 13-15 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

April 27, 2016 – On April 13, 2016, Bi-State Regional Commission Executive Director Denise Bulat was elected to the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) 2016-2018 Board of Directors.  This two-year term begins May 1, 2016 and runs through April 30, 2018.  NADO serves 540 regional development organizations by providing advocacy, education, research, and training.  The Board of Directors oversees NADO’s budget and operations and develops policy for its members.

April 27, 2016 – Since its inception in 1966, Bi-State has had two names.  At its first meeting on October 19, 1966, the newly-formed board opened business as the Bi-State Metropolitan Planning Commission.  At that meeting, the first slate of officers was elected: Richard LeBuhn as Chairman, Howard Reisman as Vice Chairman, George Havercamp as Secretary, and N. Layne McGehee as Treasurer.  The first executive director was William Luhman.

At the November 28, 1990 meeting, the board under Executive Director Gary Vallem voted to change Bi-State Metropolitan Planning Commission to Bi-State Regional Commission.  According to the minutes of that meeting, it was felt that the terms “metropolitan” and “planning” were no longer appropriate as Bi-State’s geographical service area was larger than the metropolitan area, and planning contributed to roughly 25% of the agency’s services.  Whatever you call it, Bi-State will celebrate its 50 years of supporting regional cooperation on October 26, 2016 in place of the monthly meeting.  Details on the event will be made available at a later date.

April 25, 2016 – The Illinois Department of Transportation is accepting applications for the 2016 ITEP Cycle from May 2, 2016 through June 17, 2016.  The program is part of the federal transportation bill, the FAST Act, which was signed in December 2015 and is designed to promote and develop alternative transportation, such as bicycle and pedestrian travel.  Any local government in Illinois with taxing authority is eligible to apply.  A total of $26 million is available to award, with a maximum award of $2 million.  A local match of either 20% or 50% of the total project cost, depending on the type of project, is required for awarded projects.  More information, including the program manual, can be found on the Illinois DOT’s webpage.

April 11, 2016 – A public hearing is set for 12:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, 2016 to receive comments on the transportation planning process and activities by Bi-State Regional Commission. The meeting will be hosted by the Quad Cities MPO Transportation Policy Committee and held at 1504 Third Avenue, Room 320, Rock Island, Illinois.  Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) representatives will overview the Certification Review Process and accept comments on the major elements of the Quad Cities Area metropolitan transportation planning process, such as organization and management of the planning process, cooperative process, project selection, transportation improvement programming, long range planning, and other elements.  Written comments can be directed to either Mark Bechtel, Federal Transit Administration – Region VII, 901 Locust Street, Kansas City, MO 64106, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or Betsy Tracy, FHWA-Illinois Division, 3250 Executive Park Drive, Springfield, IL 62703, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Comments will be accepted in writing through May 31, 2016.  Persons requiring special material, presentation format, or other accommodations for the public hearing should contact Brandon Melton at (309)793-6302, ext. 122 by April 21, 2016.

March 23, 2016 – Andrew Barnes, Assistant Chief, Programs and Project Management Division at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) – Rock Island District, spoke on the challenges and opportunities for maintaining and improving the infrastructure on the Mississippi River.  On the 1,200 mile Mississippi River navigation system, there are 37 lock sites predominately built in the 1930s.  The American Society of Civil Engineers recently rated the dam and inland waterway with a D and D-, respectively.

March 23, 2016 – Denise Bulat, Executive Director, presented the final draft sections of the Bi-State Region Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) 2016.  The sections presented included the executive summary, analysis of regional economy, strategic direction and performance measures, and projects lists from the Bi-State Region.