CYMPO – Planning Today for a Better Tomorrow

The Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planning Organization (CYMPO) is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the City of Prescott, Town of Prescott Valley, Town of Chino Valley, Town of Dewey-Humboldt, Yavapai County and Arizona Department of Transportation. As the regional MPO, CYMPO provides the forum for local elected officials and transportation experts to plan multimodal infrastructure within the CYMPO Planning Boundary area.

The CYMPO Executive Board provides for an inclusive, deliberative process that considers the needs, financial resources and perspectives of all stakeholders. The Board structure also creates a regional forum for single jurisdictions to come together and work toward common goals.

CYMPO committees include, but are not limited to: Multimodal Technical Advisory Committee and Transit Technical Advisory Committee, which provide technical and advisory support to the Executive Board and consist of representatives from each CYMPO member entity.

MISSION

The mission of Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planning Organization (CYMPO) is to provide leadership in planning and promoting a comprehensive multi-modal transportation system that will provide for regional mobility and connectivity that encourages a positive investment climate and fosters development sensitive to the environment.

VISION

The Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planning Organization (CYMPO) envisions planning and implementing a regional, integrated multi-modal transportation system that safely and efficiently allows the movement of people, goods and services to, through, and within the CYMPO Planning Boundary area.

REGIONAL PROFILE

The Prescott Urbanized Area is located in central Arizona in the central basin area of Yavapai County. Yavapai County totals approximately 8,125 square miles, which is about the same size as the State of New Jersey and is much larger than each of the states of Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island. Of the 8,125 square miles in Yavapai County approximately 401 square miles are encompassed within the CYMPO planning boundary.

FUNDING AND BUDGET SUMMARY

CYMPO, as well as any other MPO in the country, is dependent on federal funding for operation of the MPO and to perform any planning activities that is used to deliver a variety of projects for the region. Even though the amount of funding that CYMPO receives is relatively small when compared to the big picture of funding across the country, our region has been extremely successful utilizing the funding we do receive and leveraging it to deliver much needed projects for our community. Below is a detail of the types of funding CYMPO receives and what each funding type is used for.

Metropolitan Planning Funds (PL) and Statewide Planning and Research Funds (SPR)

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is the designated recipient of the Federal-aid Highway funds used for planning and research purposes. ADOT receives Statewide Planning and Research funds (SPR) from FHWA and utilizes some of these funds with planning agencies to conduct transportation planning activities. Metropolitan Planning funds (PL) are apportioned to states on the basis of population in urbanized areas and relative to the amount of highway construction funds the state receives. ADOT maintains multi-year contracts with planning agencies to conduct transportation related planning activities within their region. These multi-year contracts utilize the PL and SPR funds received from FHWA.

SPR funds are discretionary and are typically administered by the state to carry out specific technical activities. Within the Central Yavapai region SPR funds will be used to conduct transportation planning activities and administer the program. SPR funds require a 20% local match and PL funds require a 5.7% local match, which in the case of this region is provided by the local governments.

• Total Estimated PL Funding Annually $ 118,000
• Total Estimated SPR Funding Annually    $ 125,000

Surface Transportation Program Funds (STP)

STP is a federal-aid highway flexible funding program that funds a broad range of surface transportation capital needs including roads, transit, airport access, vanpool, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Transit related planning, research, and development activities are also eligible uses of STP funds. CYMPO programs STP funds for primarily construction projects and has delivered every project that has been programmed with this type of funding since the inception of CYMPO.

• Total Estimated STP Funding Annually    $ 633,000

Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)

The specific purpose of the HSIP is to achieve a significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on public roads. This is to be accomplished through the development and implementation of Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) which is statewide-coordinated safety plan that provides a comprehensive framework for reducing highway fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads.

The CYMPO region has established a plan to utilize these funds for a regional sign and striping program. The proposed scope of the project consists of replacing and installing regulatory, warning, street name, object marker, and roadside delineator signs. It also involves the replacement of existing posts with new ADOT standard crash worthy square tube posts. This will be a systematic annual approach to replace all signs to meet federal standards for retro-reflectivity. It is also anticipated that all procurement and installation work will be completed by a contractor under one regional contract. This would give the region greater buying power and be more efficient than multiple contracts. This is 100% funding.

• Total Estimated HSIP Funding Annually    $ 600,000

Federal Transit Administration Funding (Section 5303)

Section 5303 transit funds will be used for transit planning purposes in the Central Yavapai region. Use of Section 5303 funds is allowed for planning and technical studies related to transit. They are filtered down from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) through ADOT to the regional planning agencies within the State. These funds require a 20% local match.

• Total Estimated 5303 Funding Annually    $ 33,721

Federal Transit Funding (5307)

CYMPO was approved by the Governor as the Designated Recipient on October 15, 2007, which assigns the MPO the authorization to administer/distribute transit funds for FTA Section 5307. Grantee status was given to CYMPO on June 27, 2008, by the FTA Region 9 Administrator.

SUCCESSES AND OPPORTUNITIES

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

Glassford Hill Road was a pavement preservation project for an approximate 4 mile stretch of 4-lane median separated roadway and was actually the first local transportation project to receive obligation and to be completed in the State of Arizona. This project was selected by the CYMPO Executive Board as the Region’s number three ranked ARRA project prior to knowing the final funding amount and was then moved up to top ranking once funding levels were established. This project is unique in that Yavapai County donated its Western Yavapai County (non-MPO) ARRA funding totaling approximately $300,000 to the Town of Prescott Valley, which in combination with the MPO’s $1.2 million of ARRA funds fully funded the project.

Regional Road Projects

Since the inception of the Central Yavapai MPO in 2003 our region has programmed Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds for several construction projects. The following projects have been programmed, designed, constructed or are currently under design or construction:

• SR 69/89 Traffic Interchange (Constructed $23,500,000)
• State Route 89/89A TI Bridge (Constructed $5,000,000)
• Viewpoint TI Bridge (Under Construction $10,000,000)
• SR89A Spur Widening to Fain Road (Under Construction $7,000,000)
• Pioneer Parkway (Under Construction $3,000,000)
• SR 89 Widening Chino Valley to Prescott (In Design, Programmed for Construction FY 12 and FY 13 $25,000,000)
• SR 89 – Road 4 North and Perkinsville Rd intersections (In Design, Programmed for FY 14 and FY 15 $3,000,000

Regional Planning and Cooperation

• Partnering Award for the “Coordinating Transportation and Land Use program” (CT-LU). This is an award that CYMPO received in partnership with Yavapai County, ADOT – Prescott District, Prescott National Forest, and FHWA. The group has since expanded to include AZ Game and Fish and the AZ State Land Department. The purpose is to discuss regional land use and transportation projects and how to best coordinate between agencies.
• Chino Extension – Great Western to SR 89 (Regional Planning Study done by CYMPO)
• Fain Road to SR 169 Extension (Regional Planning Study done by CYMPO)
• Great Western Extension (Design Concept Report done by Yavapai County)
• CYMPO member agencies have received four (4) Planning Assistance for Rural Areas (PARA) grants for transportation studies in Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, and Prescott. CYMPO staff, in addition to other regional jurisdictions staff, participate and coordinate during these studies.

Transportation Enhancements

The CYMPO region has received 15 Transportation Enhancements grants since 2004 totaling approximately $11,000,000 in project funding.

Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP)

CYMPO is pursuing a regional sign project utilizing new HSIP funding that is now being distributed to the local COGs and MPOs annually. Rather than just picking one project per year from each jurisdiction the CYMPO member agencies have agreed to do a regional sign project for sign /post replacements on an annual basis while dividing the money per jurisdiction based on population percentage. This is the first project of this regional approach in Arizona.

Into the Future

CYMPO will continue to provide leadership and promote regional cooperation in planning while promoting a comprehensive multi-modal transportation system that will provide for regional mobility and connectivity that encourages a positive investment climate and fosters development sensitive to the environment.