Washtenaw Area Transportation Study (WATS)

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Next Steps

Plan Implementation

The 2030 Transportation Plan for Washtenaw County will allow for the orderly development of transportation improvements within the limits of available funds. Improvements generated by the Long Range Plan process will be prioritized and programmed through the Washtenaw County Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). This includes all improvements that utilize federal funds and those that have a regional impact.

Planning Process Improvement

The transportation plan is an ongoing, continually evolving process. Work will begin immediately on the development of the next plan. Continued work with local communities will help them recognize the impact their land use development plans have on the future of our transportation system. The completion of the SEMCOG UrbanSim Model and Washtenaw County pilot project will provide some analysis of the impact of land use on transportation.

The next transportation plan will also continue to refine the Environmental Justice process and will have more detailed analysis of the impact of the Plan on disadvantaged populations.

Public Participation

The public participation process for Washtenaw County has evolved over the past four transportation plans. WATS has continually improved and expanded its outreach efforts and has received and acted on considerable input from the public. The development of a website is a high priority and is viewed as a supplement instead of a replacement of the Agency's current outreach efforts. WATS also hopes to reach disadvantaged groups through minority news media and to present the plan on public access television in more communities.

WATS also plans to develop a citizen's public participation guide that will educate the public on the opportunities for providing comments and impacting transportation improvements at all levels. This will include providing information and meeting times for the local board and commission meetings of its member agencies. This will provide an overview of the decision process for all transportation improvements.

Non-Motorized Plan

In July 2004, WATS will initiate a new non-motorized plan to provide a more comprehensive examination of the existing facilities, needs and current plans in the county. WATS plans to partner with the local governments and agencies in the county to provide a comprehensive plan for future improvements.

Model Improvements

The WATS new calibrated travel model was delivered during the development of this plan. Although the new model provides extensive improvements there is much to be done to improve it. WATS plans to partner with the MDOT and SEMCOG for the collection of new survey data. The model has numerous housekeeping and data verification tasks that also need to be completed.