The committees of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the transportation planning agency of the Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC), met last week to approve the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Work Program and Budget and FY2021 Strategic Plan.  The three committees of the MPO are the Policy Committee, the Technical Advisory Committee, and the Citizens Advisory Committee.

The FY2021 Work Program and Budget includes activities for the year pertaining to the implementation of the forthcoming 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, evaluation of transportation infrastructure susceptible to extreme weather events, and further development of mapping stormwater and other roadway infrastructure. Other work program tasks include development of an infrastructure plan for a yet to be determined neighborhood in Valdosta, and continued collaboration with local governments to implement public transit in the urban area.

Adoption of The FY2021 Strategic Plan was a culmination of efforts that began in September 2019 with the MPO committee members completing a SWOT Analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Based on the results of the SWOT Analysis, the SGRC staff developed an action plan based on each of the comments received during the workshop. This action plan was in turn used in the development of the FY2021 Strategic Plan. Initially the strategic plan will be used to refine and further develop the goals of the 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, scheduled for adoption this summer. Some activities identified in the Strategic Plan will be carried out by SGRC staff in the FY2021 Work Program, such as; an assessment of the community to prepare for connected and autonomous vehicles.

In other actions, the MPO Policy Committee appointed Alan Worley to the Technical Advisory Committee to represent the interests of the bicycling and walking community. Mr. Worley is an avid cyclist and is interested in developing more infrastructure and improving the safety of for bicycling and walking in the community.