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Visit the new Black Hawk County MPO website!!

INRCOG provides staffing and direction for the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) of Black Hawk County and the Iowa Northland Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). INRCOG staff assists member communities with transportation planning, programming, and project development. The MPO Policy Board and Technical Committee meetings are scheduled at 10:00 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month, and the RTA Policy Board and Technical Committee meetings are scheduled at 1:00 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Above all, the transportation department is responsible for completing several documents required by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT). Please contact Kyle Durant or Aldina Dautovic with questions about the MPO or RTA.


MPO Required Plans and Programs

MPO Long-Range Transportation Plan, 2018-2045

MPO Transportation Improvement Program, 2023-2026
MPO Transportation Planning Work Program, 2023

MPO Public Participation Plan, 2022

Passenger Transportation Plan, 2021-2025


RTA Required Plans and Programs

RTA Long-Range Transportation Plan, 2020-2045

RTA Transportation Improvement Program, 2023-2026
RTA Transportation Planning Work Program, 2023

RTA Public Participation Plan, 2017

Passenger Transportation Plan, 2021-2025



Transit Planning


INRCOG receives funding through the FTA for transit planning in the MPO and RTA areas. The Transit Advisory Committee (TAC) meets at least twice a year to discuss passenger transportation issues affecting the region. INRCOG staff have also been working with MET Transit to update their fixed bus routes using Remix software.

Passenger Transportation Plan, 2021-2025

TAC Agendas:
2022 | January | 2021 | February | May | 2020 | January | 2019 | March | September | November
TAC Minutes: 2022 | January | 2021 | February | May | 2020 | January | 2019 | March | September | November


Transportation Research


INRCOG has conducted numerous studies to understand transportation needs in the MPO and RTA areas. Most notably, the Black Hawk County MPO was included as an add-on partner for the 2017 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS). Led by FHWA, the NHTS add-on survey gathered input from 1,221 households in the MPO area.

2017 NHTS Travel Profile of INRCOG MPO Area
2017 NHTS Travel Profile of United States
2017 NHTS Memo on Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements

In recent years, INRCOG has taken an active role in researching the needs of underrepresented and vulnerable populations in the region. These studies are conducted in-house by INRCOG staff.

2020 Physical Activity Access Survey of Older Adults in Low-Income Housing
2015 Special Outreach Survey of Non-English Speaking and Homeless Residents

INRCOG staff also gather public input as part of larger planning processes. Please contact Kyle Durant to discuss conducting a public input survey for your community, or to learn about existing data available.

Interactive Trail Count Map
2020 Passenger Transportation Survey of Human Service Agencies

2018 Black Hawk County Water Trails Master Plan Survey

2015 Pedestrian Master Plan Mail-Out Survey

2014 MPO Trail Count Report


Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning

INRCOG is actively involved in local and statewide pedestrian and bicycle planning initiatives. INRCOG staff have extensive experience helping cities with trail and bikeway development, pedestrian planning, trail wayfinding signs, on-road bicycle improvements, and safety improvement projects.

INRCOG has been involved with Healthy Hometown, Blue Zones®, and the development of Complete Streets policies in Waterloo and Cedar Falls. INRCOG staff actively participate on the Waterloo Complete Streets Advisory Committee and Cedar Falls Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

Do you have an idea for improving walking and bicycling in your community? Do you want to know the best practices, safety considerations, and potential funding sources for your next sidewalk, trail, or bikeway project? Contact Kyle Durant or Aldina Dautovic to get started.

MPO Pedestrian Master Plan
Cedar Valley Trails Wayfinding Signage
Rolling Prairie Trail Wayfinding Concept Plan
Pioneer Trail Draft Concept Plan for Grundy County
Wellsburg Bike and Ped Concept Plan
2011 MPO Safe Routes to School Study
Waterloo Complete Streets Policy
Cedar Falls Complete Streets Policy
2021 Waterloo Walkability Assessment Report
Interactive Cedar Valley Trails Map


Data and Modeling

INRCOG is responsible for travel demand modeling for the Black Hawk County MPO, and staff can provide additional data for corridor studies and other scenarios upon request. Contact Kyle Durant with questions about the travel demand model. INRCOG staff can provide information on the following:

Future traffic estimates (flow)
Population and employment projections
Select link analysis


Freight Planning

INRCOG provides technical assistance for freight planning activities in the MPO and RTA planning areas. Most recently, INRCOG worked directly with five jurisdictions to study freight needs in the Northeast Industrial Area in Black Hawk County. INRCOG is also an active participant in the IA Hwy 150 Coalition. Contact Kyle Durant with questions about the Northeast Industrial Access Study or IA Hwy 150 Coalition.

Northeast Industrial Access Study Final Report


Safe Routes to School

INRCOG has partnered with the Iowa Bicycle Coalition and Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission on the Safe Routes to School partnership. The program involves working directly with public and parochial school students and parents throughout the INRCOG region on activities including bike rodeo events and walking school buses. These efforts are geared toward increasing physical activity and encouraging safe walking and bicycling habits for elementary school students. For more information on Safe Routes to School for your school and community, contact Brenda Vavroch.


Safe Routes to School Facebook page


Other Activities

The transportation department is responsible for meeting federal performance measurement requirements in the MPO area. In addition, INRCOG staff work on a variety of transportation-related plans and studies including the Black Hawk County Evacuation Plan.

Black Hawk County Evacuation Plan

Black Hawk County Flood Evacuation Guide


Funding Opportunities

INRCOG administers the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) and Iowa's Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funds for the MPO and RTA planning areas. Contact Kyle Durant with questions about STBG or TAP funds.

MPO STBG Funding Guidelines | MPO STBG Application, applications due April 7, 2023
MPO TAP Requirements | MPO TAP Application | MPO TAP Project Criteria Form, 2023 application cycle TBD

RTA STBG Funding Guidelines | RTA STBG Application, applications due March 10, 2023
RTA TAP Requirements | RTA TAP Application | RTA TAP Project Criteria Form, 2023 application cycle TBD


Grant Funding
INRCOG also has extensive experience securing grant funding for communities throughout the MPO and RTA regions. Please contact Kyle Durant or Aldina Dautovic for more information about grant programs for your community.

Iowa DOT, Revitalize Iowa's Sound Economy (RISE) Program
Iowa DOT, Federal and State Recreational Trails Programs
Iowa DOT, Statewide Iowa's Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP)
Iowa DOT, Iowa Clean Air Attainment Program (ICAAP)
Iowa DOT, Linking Iowa's Freight Transportation System (LIFTS)
Iowa DOT, Railroad Revolving Loan and Grant (RRLG) Program
Wellmark Foundation



Performance-Based Planning and Programming

The foundation of the MPO planning process is built upon performance-based planning and programming. This approach provides a link between short-term management and long-range decisions about policies and investments made for the transportation system. Performance measures are used by the MPO to:

  • Assess how well the transportation system is operating.
  • Provide information to support decisions.
  • Identify and mitigate issues.
  • Demonstrate transparency and accountability.

The federal transportation bill, Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, formalizes the performance-based planning process to ensure that State DOTs and MPOs invest in projects that collectively make progress towards seven National Goals established by Congress. State DOTs, MPOs, and transit providers are required to implement a performance-based planning and programming process by setting performance goals, measures, and targets, and coordinating to the maximum extent practicable to ensure consistency.

The Black Hawk County MPO continues to coordinate with the Iowa DOT and MET Transit to establish performance measure targets for the metropolitan area. The MPO has the option to adopt its own performance targets or support Iowa DOT/MET Transit targets. To date, the MPO has agreed to adopt Iowa DOT and MET Transit targets.

The tables below identify the most recent adoption date for each Performance Measures Target, and the approved targets.

Final Rule Performance Measure Target Adoption Date
PM1 Safety 9/8/2022
PM2 Pavement Condition 10/13/2022
Bridge Condition 10/13/2022
PM3 Travel Time Reliability 10/13/2022
Freight Reliability 10/13/2022
TAM Transit Asset Management 9/29/2022
PTASP Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan 6/30/2022

Safety (Round Six) Baseline
(2017-2021)
Target
(2019-2023)
Number of fatalities 337.2 351.4
Fatality rate* 1.029 1.073
Number of serious injuries 1376.4 1398.2
Serious injury rate* 4.193 4.264
Non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries 130.0 134.4
* Rates are per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT)

Pavement and Bridges Baseline
(2021)
Target
(2025)
Percent of pavement in good condition (Interstate) 58.8% 55.0%
Percent of pavement in poor condition (Interstate) 0.4% 3.0%
Percent of pavement in good condition (non-Interstate NHS) 37.9% 35.0%
Percent of pavement in poor condition (non-Interstate NHS) 3.7% 6.0%
Percent of bridges in good condition (NHS) 48.6% 56.0%
Percent of bridges in poor condition (NHS) 2.4% 6.6%

System and Freight Reliability Baseline
(2021)
Target
(2025)
Percent of person-miles traveled that are reliable (Interstate) 99.9% 98.0%
Percent of person-miles traveled that are reliable (non-Interstate National Highway System) 96.5% 95.0%
Truck Travel Time Reliability (TTTR) Index 1.13 1.25

Transit Asset Management Baseline
(2022)
Target
(2023)
Percent of MET non-revenue vehicles met or exceeded Useful Life Benchmark 80.0% 50.0%
Percent of MET revenue vehicles (buses) met or exceeded Useful Life Benchmark 47.0% 58.0%
Percent of MET revenue vehicles (mini buses) met or exceeded Useful Life Benchmark 38.0% 45.0%
Percent of MET assets with condition rating below 3.0 on FTA TERM Scale 0% 0%

PTASP
(2016-2020)
Fatalities
(Total)
Fatalities
(per 100k VRM)
Injuries
(Total)
Injuries
(per 100k VRM)
Safety Events
(Total)
Safety Events
(per 100k VRM)
System Reliability
(VRM/Failures)
Fixed Route 0 0 7 0.25 4 0.14 13,892
Paratransit 0 0 3 0.18 8 0.47 27,196

The Iowa DOT Systems Planning Bureau provides a federal performance management and asset management website which provides information and links to various resources.

Iowa DOT Systems Planning Bureau Federal Performance Management and Asset Management

MET Transit Asset Management Plan
MET Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan
MPO Performance Report


Additional Resources

Reports and Memos

MPO Representative Handbook
MPO and RTA, "Who We Are" memo
Franklin Street 2045 projected traffic flows
Eastern Iowa Electric Vehicle Readiness Plan

Presentations
2020, Cedar Falls City Council, MET Transit Fixed Route Restructuring
2019, Waterloo City Council, MET Transit Fixed Route Restructuring
2019, Iowa Bicycle Summit, Redesigning an MPO Bikeway Plan
2018, Waterloo Rotary Club, The Future of Transportation 2018-2045
2018, ICOG Staff Training, Using GIS as a Tool in Transportation Planning

Interactive Statewide Maps
Iowa Highway Networks
Iowa Bridges
Iowa Traffic Data
Iowa Crash Analysis Tool (ICAT)
Iowa Infrastructure Condition Evaluation (ICE)
Iowa Pavement Management Program
Iowa Pavement Videolog
IA 511



Contacts

Nick Fratzke, Director of Transportation
Kyle Durant, Transportation Planner II

Aldina Dautovic, Transportation Planner
Brenda Vavroch, Safe Routes to School Coordinator