HEPMPO

An LRTP is a document that presents a balanced plan for preserving, managing, and expanding a region’s multimodal transportation system.

Direction2050, the Hagerstown/Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization (HEPMPO) LRTP, represents a 25-year vision for maintaining and enhancing the regional multi-modal transportation system. In the face of economic uncertainties due to accelerated demographic and commuting changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the plan identifies the region’s critical needs and challenges and provides a framework to guide decision-making for future transportation investments. It will serve as the region’s guiding document to visualize these changes and how these changes impact the transportation system, policies, and investments.

HEPMPO is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Hagerstown, MD-WV-PA urbanized area. The MPO is responsible for developing the regional LRTP and four-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) by allocating federal transportation funding through a comprehensive, cooperative, and continuing transportation planning forum for public decision-makers.

HEPMPO works closely with the Region 9 Planning and Development Council in West Virginia and the Washington County Planning Department in Maryland in efforts towards accomplishing the transportation goals of the region. One of these efforts is the creation and periodical updating of the LRTP.

Federal legislation, coupled with state and local agency direction, is primarily responsible for shaping the regional transportation planning process. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and previous infrastructure legislation (FAST Act and MAP-21) identify ten planning factors that guide the MPO long range transportation planning process. The goals developed for Direction2050 closely resemble the FAST Act Planning Factors, shown to the right.

Understanding the region’s transportation needs and issues serves as the basis for identifying and prioritizing transportation investments, assessing future studies and work plans for the HEPMPO, and informing the coordination between state, regional, and local planning agencies on transportation programs and initiatives.

Multiple topic areas that address the key planning factors required by the metropolitan planning regulations are listed below.

Stakeholder and public participation, required under the FAST Act, played a critical role in the transportation planning process. Throughout the development of Direction2050, input and feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders was solicited and incorporated through a series of Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and public meetings, as well as a thorough web-based survey.

Public Survey

A web-based survey was developed to provide a unique perspective on community needs related to transportation, regional priorities, and potential highway, transit, and pedestrian projects. The survey, which was open from June through June 30, 2021, consisted of ranking the LRTP goals, mapping transportation-related concerns, as well as answering questions focused on understanding the impact of COVID-19 on commuting patterns and behavior.

Intercept Survey

Input from the environmental justice populations was specifically sought out during the LRTP process through a series of intercept surveys. This ensured full and fair participation in the transportation decision-making process by all potentially affected communities. The survey, which was available in both English and Spanish, was conducted in person on June 29, 2021, by persons who were bi-lingual at businesses and other public places in Charles Town, Martinsburg, and Hagerstown. Survey cards were also provided to those who wished to complete the survey later.

Click the link below to check out the project website for more information and to access the survey results.

HEPMPO continues to play an active role in supporting bike and pedestrian improvements within the region. This includes sponsoring a number of recent studies aimed to improve active transportation safety and convenience. Direction2050 builds off these studies and the recommendations provided in each.

Active Transportation Needs and Issues

• Consistent with expectations, crashes are generally aligned with high-demand areas, but fatalities are disproportionately along rural high-speed roads.
• Most of the HEPMPO region crashes involving a person walking or biking occurred within Washington County (74%). Berkley County had 20% and Jefferson had 6% of total crashes from 2016-2020.
• The majority of bicycle and pedestrian crashes occur outside of bicycle facilities and trails.
• While most injury-related crashes occur in more urban areas, fatal crashes more often occur along rural roadways where speeds are much higher and undesignated facilities such as shoulders can be non-existent or less wide.
• Crashes near Martinsburg and Hagerstown highlight areas that contain high numbers of low-income populations and workers.

The BIL is expected to complement other freight funding programs and provide significant increases in funding for the nation’s freight infrastructure. Through Direction2050, the HEPMPO continues to monitor key freight issues and needs to support ongoing coordination with each State DOT as they prioritize funding for future freight initiatives and projects.

Freight Needs and Issues

• It is expected that from 2017 – 2050, the volume of freight moving into, out of, and within the region will grow by nearly 29 million tons.
• Future forecasts by mode show a continued heavy reliance on trucking, rail, and intermodal activity in the region, though the percentage of goods moving via rail stays in line with the overall growth in tonnage.

Truck Freight Needs and Issues

• E-commerce is a major behavioral shift that is changing how households obtain goods. Although e-commerce will continue to reduce household trip making to commercial locations, it will require more trucks on roadways to deliver goods.
• Retail trade activity that is attributable to e-commerce (as represented by non-store retailers) in the HEPMPO region is expected to increase from approximately 8.8% in 2017 to 14.7% by 2050, almost doubling.
• Daily truck traffic on two vital freight corridors is forecasted to grow as follows from 2018 to 2045: I-81 would see an additional 13,800 daily trucks in the region north and west of Martinsburg, with an additional 8,600 daily trucks southwest of Hagerstown; and an additional 7,400 daily trucks would appear by 2045 on the I-70 corridor in western Washington county.
• A regional freight stakeholder survey provided to local businesses and industry representatives highlighted the importance of highway access as being critical to operations. Traffic congestion and reliability was identified as a key concern including the lack of bypass routes during major events.
• With forecast growth in truck volumes, current truck parking issues are also likely to worsen unless mitigating strategies are implemented.

Rail Freight Needs and Issues

• The HEPMPO region is serviced by two class 1 rail corridors (the Crescent Corridor and the National Gateway Initiative) and a short line railroad (Winchester and Western).
• The region itself does not contain any intermodal facilities, however, there are three intermodal facilities just across the border, two in Pennsylvania and one in Virginia.
• There are currently no major rail investments planned within the region.

Aviation Freight Needs and Issues

• The HEPMPO region contains two airports that provide local commercial and general aviation services to the region. These include the Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR) off I-81 and the Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport (MRB) located near Martinsburg.
• Each airport has developable land that can support freight-related development.

The region’s transit service consists of the following agencies and modes:

• Eastern Panhandle Transit Authority (EPTA) fixed-route and demand response
• Washington County Transit (WCT) fixed-route and demand-response
• Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) commuter buses and regional commuter rail (MARC)
• Amtrak Capital Limited Line

Direction2050 included an in-depth review of transit needs within the region based on recent studies, stakeholder and public engagement, and analytical assessments and mapping of the location of transit-dependent populations.

Transit Gap and Needs Assessment

• Based on assessments of transit usage, future population and employment projections, public input, and existing route performance, gaps were identified for the following: Geographic: areas with demonstrated transit need but no transit service Connection: connection with a demonstrated transit need but no direct transit service Service Level: existing route with inadequate transit service levels (headways or span of service)
• Over the years, plans and studies have been published to identify transportation improvements within the HEPMPO region. Direction2050 included a review of these reports to identify transit recommendations that are proposed to increase coverage, access, and connections.
• A number of improvements to the transit network in the HEPMPO region are needed in order to fill gaps and improve the transit experience. The recommendations include new or improved services to fill gaps in the transit network; capital improvements, including new passenger amenities and new infrastructure; coordination strategies; and staffing.
• In Fall 2019, the EPTA acquired 412 W. Race Street in Martinsburg as the anticipated site for a new transfer facility. The planned expansion is expected to include a 5,400 square foot facility for administration/training, a six-bay transfer station, administration parking, and a “kiss-and-ride” area.

Click the blue buttons below to check out the Maryland or West Virginia Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

Safety Needs and Issues

• The HEPMPO safety study conducted in 2019 highlights the top locations of safety concerns in the region for a number of criteria including the total number of crashes, crash rate (per vehicle miles of travel), and the number of fatalities and injuries. For Direction2050, the analysis of top locations by number of crashes was updated using the latest available crash data through 2020.
• Since the 2019 safety study, several new locations have become of safety concern. This includes MD 65 near I-70 and Garland Groh Blvd in Washington County and US 340 near the WV 9 interchange in Charles Town (Jefferson County).
• Both Maryland and West Virginia DOTs have set aggressive long-term safety goals. These include reducing fatalities by 50% by 2030 with the ultimate long-range goal of zero fatalities.
• Since 2012, the HEPMPO region has seen improvements in the number of crashes and injuries; however, in many cases, the region has not met the aggressive targets established by each DOT.
• The HEPMPO continues to work with each DOT to identify safety improvement projects focused on the key corridors of concern identified in the recent safety studies and Direction2050.
• HEPMPO also encourages WVDOT to develop a regional HSIP Implementation Plan describing actions the State will take to meet or make significant progress toward the Eastern Panhandle’s regional safety performance goals.

Asset management plans describe how the State DOT plans for and selects asset improvement projects. Click the links below to read more.

Asset Management Needs and Issues

• WVDOT and MDOT continue efforts to integrate their asset management plans, enhance condition monitoring, and further evaluate their processes for selecting projects.
• Each DOT continues to maintain funding commitments on the National Highway System (NHS) to comply with the national performance measures and established targets.
• The HEPMPO Performance Measures and Targets table, located to the right, shows the current HEPMPO baseline and targets related to the national performance measures for Interstates and non-Interstate roadways on the NHS.

The HEPMPO continues to monitor ongoing changes in the region’s population and employment. With each plan update, the HEPMPO prepares a regional forecast of housing and employment over the next 25 years. The forecasts are allocated to different areas within the region by census tract based on recent development trends and other insights obtained from local planning and economic development staff, shown below. These forecasts are an important input to regional travel models to estimate future travel demand and congestion.

Land Use Needs and Issues

• Over the last decade, all three counties have experienced population and employment growth. Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia have experienced the highest growth, respectively.
• The forecasted growth areas and their projected impacts on travel demand have been incorporated into the prioritization process for highway expansion projects.

Direction2050 relied on local input as well as a robust prioritization process to identify the most important projects that will maximize benefits and are within fiscal constraint.

Direction2050 prioritization process utilized a set of evaluation criteria and planning tools to evaluate and score each transportation improvement project within the region to identify the most beneficial projects. The process summarized in the figure below, relied on jurisdiction and stakeholder input to identify local and high-priority projects. The evaluation tools included the HEPMPO travel demand model to measure the traffic volume and congestion impacts as well as GIS analysis techniques utilizing a data-driven approach to estimate potential benefits.

Projects were scored individually on a scale of 0-1 for each category based on the evaluation criteria, shown to the right, with several criteria, highlighted in the table, receiving additional weight or influence based on feedback from the public survey. The categories represented a variety of measures, including traffic, safety related to high crash areas, growth management that supports economic centers and serves underprivileged areas, resiliency, multi-modal service routes, and freight corridors. The project scores were then aggregated to calculate total scores for each project with a higher total score indicating a higher prioritization ranking.

Fiscal constraint is an essential federal requirement for HEPMPO’s metropolitan planning program. Fiscal constraint requires the identification of projects that are reasonably expected to receive funding during the timeframe of the LRTP (Direction2050). Not all of the region’s project needs can be included in the Fiscal Constraint Plan as a result of the funding gap between project costs and anticipated funding. Therefore, the prioritization results and Year-of-Expenditure (YOE) project cost estimates are critical in determining the constraint portion of the plan. This Fiscal Constraint Plan includes different state funding streams from Maryland and West Virginia, meaning Washington County projects do not compete with Berkeley and Jefferson Counties projects for project funding and vice versa. To demonstrate compliance, the 2021 project costs are adjusted to YOE based on the expected timeframe the project would be implemented.

Washington County Fiscal Constraint Projects

Berkeley and Jefferson Counties Fiscal Constraint Projects

The remaining projects identified as region needs, but unconstrained due to insufficient funding are included below. The project costs for the larger capital improvements like widening projects on the Interstates I-81 and I-70 along with US Routes 40, 11, and 340 exceed our available funding forecast and will need supplemental funding sources for implementation.

Washington County Unconstrained Projects

Berkeley and Jefferson Counties Unconstrained Projects

The issues, priorities, and opportunities related to the transportation system continue to evolve, in some cases very quickly. As such, the HEPMPO will need to consider the impacts of a variety of changing factors in future updates to the region’s TIP and LRTP. This section highlights some of those changes and how they might ultimately impact planned investments and strategies moving forward.

In addition to providing regional priorities for highway expansion projects, Direction2050 also highlights HEPMPO’s future activities to address the needs and issues provided in the plan. These activities are linked to the regional goals, objectives, and strategies (identified below) that help inform HEPMPO’s Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), a federally required document that guides the agency’s work tasks and priorities. Many of these actions require coordination with state and local partners and may include additional studies with continued public involvement. Moving forward, HEPMPO will continue to share performance on each of these activities on their website.

HEPMPO planning studies exemplify HEPMPO’s collaboration efforts through interagency coordination with their planning partners. By providing financial and technical planning support to meet the needs of the region, the HEPMPO Special Studies have been extremely successful in implementing needed improvements across the region.

HEPMPO Regional Freight Plan. The regional freight plan and economic impact analysis (EIA) for the HEPMPO region will build upon the Maryland Strategic Goods Movement Plan and the West Virginia State Freight Plan.

HEPMPO Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. The regional bicycle and pedestrian plan will build upon the success of the HEPMPO Regional Bicycle Plan developed in 2016 with updates and evaluation of the bike and pedestrian network in the region.

Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) for I-81 in West Virginia. TSMO strategies identify traffic flow improvements with a focus on innovative technologies and low-cost strategies to benefit traffic operations and safety.

Congestion Management Process (CMP). The CMP evaluates regional congestion trends using selected travel time performance measures, defining priority corridors, monitoring other modes of travel, assessing potential corridor strategies, and evaluating the impacts of recently completed projects.

Road/Pedestrian Safety Audits. Building upon the success of the HEPMPO Regional Traffic Safety and Improvement Study and US40 Dual Highway Pedestrian Safety Study, corridors that experience high traffic incidents, pedestrian and bicycle accidents, or unsafe conditions can be evaluated for potential safety improvements.

Corridor Studies. Planning activities to increase safety and accessibility options for multimodal improvements are part of the BIL 2.5 percent set-aside.

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan. As part of the BIL, additional funding support for Electric Vehicles (EV) infrastructure through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program.

Environmental Linkage (PEL) Studies. PEL studies like the Route 9 PEL in Berkeley County, identify planning considerations and environmental features in the project study area prior to the project entering the Preliminary Design and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) phase of the project development process.

Intercity Transit Service Improvements. Based on the high level of support for EPTA’s Commuter Bus Service to Ashburn, VA, this study would evaluate the feasibility of expanding EPTA/WCT service areas by providing connections to meet the intercity travel needs of residents in the region.

Regional Resiliency Improvement Plan. A study to utilize historical weather impacts to address vulnerabilities and risks within the HEPMPO region’s asset management system by conducting more extensive stakeholder outreach, assessing historic and future climate impacts, identifying vulnerabilities and risks with a focus on flooding, and identifying general strategies and implementation issues.

Regional Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. A study aimed at preventing transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries in the region that is eligible under the BIL/IIJA Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program.

The BIL continues the requirements established in Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act for performance management. These requirements aim to promote the most efficient investment of federal transportation funds. Performance-based planning ensures that MDOT, WVDOT, and the MPOs collectively invest federal transportation funds efficiently towards achieving national goals. For HEPMPO, addressing national performance in the LRTP must:

• Describe the performance measures and targets used in assessing the performance of the transportation system,
• Include a System Performance Report that evaluated the condition and performance of the transportation system and documents the progress achieved, and
• Integrate the goals, objectives, performance measures, and targets in all plans.

Transportation Performance Management (TPM) is a strategic approach that uses data to make investment and policy decisions to achieve national performance goals. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires specific performance measures for the system that address these national goal areas.

Want to learn more? Click the button below to see the full plan.