What do you think would make Southwest Michigan an even greater place to live?

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission wants your feedback on this question.  Visit us on Facebook to respond! 

Niles Dial-A-Ride Transit wants your input!

Niles Dial-A-Ride Transit is currently beginning work on a plan for the future development of transit service for Niles.  Public meetings are being held to gain input on the plan:

Wednesday April 27th

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Niles City Council Chambers

Wednesday April 27th

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Niles High School, Room 62 

For more information about the meetings, please contact Laura Brown at lbrown@rlsandassoc.com or 813-482-8828.

Bike to Work Week is May 16th - 20th, 2011

Please join us in celebrating Southwest Michigan Bike to Work week (in recognition of National Bike to Work Week) May 16th - 20th, 2011. Communities throughout Southwest Michigan are passing resolutions supporting Bike to Work Week in their communities. Download a sample resolution at http://swmpc.org/twincats_fy_11.asp.

Southwest Michigan Trails Workshop Series - CANCELLED

The April 14th, April 28th, and May 12th workshops in Kalamazoo will no longer be held due to lack of interest/registrations. For more information, please contact Sharon Nunnelee at director@wmtrails.org or (616) 485-7805. Thanks!

Information from Transportation & Environment workshop, March 22nd

Did you know March 22 was World Water Day? How appropriate that the workshop's 50 participants spent the afternoon learning and discussing how we can have clean water while also ensuring we have the best transportation system infrastructure possible. The information from the workshop is available online at http://www.swmpc.org/trans_water.asp.

U.S. Department of Transportation Seeks Public Comment on Regulations

The U.S. Department of Transportation is seeking comments from the public on its regulations. All comments should include specific reference to the regulation, a description of stakeholders' concerns, as well as supporting information that demonstrates why the comment is being made (such as why a regulation is burdensome or costly). Comments can be submitted at http://dotregreview.ideascale.com.

The bid opening will be held:

Tuesday, February 1, 2011
5:00 PM
Southwest Michigan Planning Commission, conference room
Vincent Place, 7th floor
185 E. Main St.
Benton Harbor, MI 49022

A consultant will be contracted to complete the study from May 2011 through September 2013. The purpose of the Study is:

• To streamline transit service, simplifying and improving access to transit use for riders;
• To achieve service efficiencies and economies;
• To provide a central focus on transit for Berrien County; and
• To create a robust transit system to meet the growing and changing needs of the residents of Berrien County.

For more information about the study please see http://swmpc.org/transit_study.asp.

For more information please contact Anna Rahtz at rahtza@swmpc.org or (269)925-1137 x23.

Next meeting will be February 22, 2011 at the Niles City Council Chambers (fire department). Technical Advisory Committee meets at 1:30 PM, Policy Committee meets at 3:00 PM.

2. How should road projects be funded in Berrien County?
Berrien County Road Millage Steering Committee meeting
Thursday January 20, 2011
3:00 PM
Andrews University, Chan Shun Hall, Berrien Springs, MI

Purpose of meeting: to organize the steering committee and develop ideas for distributing road funding countywide.

3. What type of bridge design should replace a historic bridge in downtown Niles?
MDOT public meeting for historic Niles bridge replacement
Wednesday January 26, 2011
4:00 - 7:00 PM
Niles City Council Chambers (fire department building), Niles, MI

Purpose of meeting: The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will be presenting the preferred alternative for replacing the historic M-139 (formerly US-12 Business Route) bridge over the St. Joseph River in Niles, Berrien County. Who should attend: residents and business owners, and media. For more information see www.michigan.gov/mdotstudies, or call 517-373-9534 with questions.

4. How should a study be conducted for improving countywide public transit service in Berrien County?
Berrien County Transit Consolidation Feasibility Study Steering Committee meeting
Monday February 7, 2011

8:00 AM
Berrien County Administration Building, downtown St. Joseph MI
Room 4C, meet at North door

Purpose of meeting: to explain process for hiring consultant and conducting feasibility study; and to finalize criteria for consultant selection.  For more info about the study see http://swmpc.org/transit_study.asp.

5. What transportation issues exist for Cass County residents and how can they be solved?
Cass County Mobility Forum
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Lewis Cass County Intermediate School District
61682 Dailey Rd, Cassopolis, MI

Purpose of meeting: to help identify specific unmet transportation needs for Cass County residents. Meeting will include a brief overview of existing transit systems and the issues that have been identified, as well as an interactive working session with real-life scenarios culminating in a lively discussion of suggestions and solutions. Please invite others who may be interested. Please RSVP by February 1, 2011 to gallagherk@swmpc.org or 269-925-1137 x 18. For more information see www.gorideshare.org.

Niles Dial-A-Ride Transportation (DART), along with the South Bend Public Transportation Corporation (TRANSPO), is pleased to announce fixed route service to the South Bend area!  Beginning January 3, 2011, DART’s fixed route (known as Route 2) will offer service to Auten Rd. at SR 933. 

Service between South Bend and Niles will be offered by Niles DART between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm weekdays only.  DART buses will be at Auten Rd. at about half past the hour, on even hours.  From Auten Rd., riders can connect to TRANSPO’s Route 5, and then travel almost anywhere within South Bend using the fixed route system offered by TRANSPO.  Riders should expect to pay the regular fares for both DART and TRANSPO.  More information on TRANSPO service and fares is available online at www.sbtranspo.com.  DART information can also be found online at www.nilesdialaride.org.

To find out more about the new Niles DART fixed route stop at Auten Rd. and SR 933, call the DART office at 269.684.5150.

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission is requesting proposals for a Transit Consolidation Feasibility Study for Berrien County.  The RFP can be downloaded at http://swmpc.org/transit_study.asp.  Proposals are due February 1, 2011, and questions can be directed to rahtza@swmpc.org. 

With the end of the federal fiscal year, the following transportation documents are now available on the NATS Transportation Documents page, at http://swmpc.org/nats_docs.asp.

• Annual Report 2010 - a listing of planning activities conducted in fiscal year 2010 (October 1, 2009 - September 30, 2010).
• Unified Work Program 2011 - a listing of planning activities that will be conducted in fiscal year 2011 (October 1, 2010 - September 30, 2011).
• Draft Transportation Improvement Program 2011-2014 - a listing of all road and transit projects that will be conducted in the region in the next four years.
• Draft Transportation Participation Plan - a plan for involving the public in the transportation planning process.  It is available at http://swmpc.org/participation.asp.
• Obligated Federal Funds 2010 - a listing of federal funds that were received for road and transit projects.  (This is available at http://swmpc.org/nats10obligated.asp).

For any questions on these documents, or to request a paper copy, please contact SWMPC transportation planners Anna Rahtz (269-925-1137 x 23, rahtza@swmpc.org) or Trevor Thomas (269-925-1137 x 24, thomast@swmpc.org).

Announcement: Project ideas needed for air quality improvement and congestion relief in Berrien County.  Federal CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program) funding is available for 2012-2014.

A meeting will be held February 3, 2010 at 1:00pm at the Berrien County Road Commission to discuss project ideas and decide to which projects the available funding should be allocated for the County. Individuals and community groups can partner with the Berrien County Road Commission or a transit agency to submit a project application; applications are submitted after the February 3 meeting - please attend and bring your ideas!

Eligible projects include: transit, ride sharing, bicycle and pedestrian projects, alternative fuels projects, education, marketing, and outreach programs, and more.

Under the House bill, Michigan would see a total of $847 million. Half of the projects must be under contract within 90 days of the passage of the Act. Christopher Dingman of the Federal Highway Administration - Michigan Division says that it will likely be at least March before the bill is passed by the Senate.

NATS will be creating a wish list of projects at the Transportation Improvement Program Project Selection Meeting. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 24 at 3:00 pm in the Niles City Council Chambers (fire department building). The public is encouraged to attend.

For the detailed letter from the US Department of Transportation explaining the Jobs for Main Street bill, see http://swmpc.org/fy_10_nats.asp.

What is important to you in transportation? We need to hear from you! Please fill out a short survey online at http://swmpc.org/transportsurveyn.asp by February 1, 2010.

A paper version of the survey will available at the Four Flags Council on Tourism office, as well

 at the following public libraries until February 1, 2010: Buchanan, Edwardsburg, Mason-Union, Howard Branch, Niles, and Southwest Michigan College library.

The survey results will be considered when selecting transportation projects for the Fiscal Year 2011-2014 Transportation Improvement Program for the Niles-Cass-Buchanan Area Transportation Study. The results will be published at http://swmpc.org/transportsurveyn.asp by early February, 2010.

Please spread the word, and help us to get a wide representation of residents from the greater Niles-Buchanan area to fill out the survey ... Because transportation planning can't happen without you!

At the December 15, 2009 meeting of the Niles-Cass-Buchanan Area Transportation Study (NATS), it was announced that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has set a schedule for the statewide redistribution of unused stimulus funds.  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding that hasn't been used by local governments (because their projects were not submitted on time) will be redistributed statewide as of January 15, 2010. 

All of the NATS projects using ARRA funds will be completed on time; this means there is the possibility that the NATS region could be receiving additional stimulus money in January.  There has to be a designated "priority project" in line to receive this money, which is already included in the NATS fiscal year 2008-2001 Transportation Improvement Program and has a total project cost of at least $100,000.

A vote was taken by NATS members (representatives of participating local governments and agencies) at the meeting to designate the resurfacing of Stateline Road from M-51 to Third State and Third Street from Stateline to Fulkerson as the "next-in-line project." This includes minor drainage work.  This project has been postponed in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for three years and is direly needed.

This project was already in the TIP to receive federal Surface Transportation Program (STP) funding in 2010, but the Berrien County Road Commission does not have the $112,000 for the local match.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is a one-time funding opportunity that is 100% federal and does not require a local match.

The Berrien County Community Development Department seeks public input on the draft of the 2009 Berrien County Master Plan. The Master Plan is intended "to provide overall guidance in managing the growth and development of the County," especially related to the land use decisions of local governments.

Berrien County will be proposing 2012, 2013, and 2014 projects to use federal funding for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality. The projects for the county will be selected at a public hearing held on:

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

1:00pm

Berrien County Road Commission

2860 E. Napier Avenue

Benton Harbor, MI

To comment on the projects being selected for Berrien County, please attend the above-named meeting, or view the list of projects that will be available online at http://swmpc.org/cmaq.asp following the meeting. Comments and questions can be directed to transportation planner Nickolas Musson at (269) 925-1137 x24 or mussonn@swmpc.org.

The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) has prepared a list of federally funded transportation projects within the Twin Cities and Niles-Buchanan-Cass Area Transportation Study areas (TwinCATS and NATS) for fiscal year 2009 (October 1, 2008 - September 30, 2009).

The list has been developed in accordance with Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration guidance that requires metropolitan planning organizations to publish a list of projects that received federal authorization for implementation from the previous fiscal year. A federal authorization is a legal commitment from the federal government to pay the federal share of a project cost.

The annual listings of obligated projects for fiscal year 2009 for TwinCATS and NATS are available online at http://swmpc.org/programs23746042.asp. For additional information or for hard copies contact Transportation Planner Nickolas Musson at (269)925-1137x24.

CONTACT: Bill Shreck, MDOT Director of Communications, 517-335-3084

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is seeking public comment on its draft 2010-2014 Five-Year Transportation Program. Comments should be e-mailed to MDOT-Five-Year-Program@michigan.gov before Friday, Dec. 11.

The draft 2010-2014 Five-Year Transportation Program is available on the MDOT Web site at: http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9621_14807_14810---,00.html. The Five-Year Transportation Program, a continuous, interactive dialogue with the department's customers and stakeholders, has become the anchor of MDOT's project development and delivery systems. Each year, a new fifth year is added and program/project adjustments are made to the previous four years. The public comment period for the draft 2010-2014 Five-Year Transportation Program is from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11, 2009.

###

One of the 2009 projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funding was the resurfacing of Range Line Road from Walton Road North to Township Line.  This project, which is now completed, came in $11,465 under estimate.  The extra funds will be used to fund the project which was highest on the Illustrative List (or "wish list" of stimulus projects), the resurfacing of Gumwood Road from State Line to Redfield Street.  This project will be completed in Fiscal Year 2010 (between October 2009 and September 2010).