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Rural Consultation Practices
RPCs Strengthen Rural Voice in NH Planning Process

Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) are proving to be effective partners in the rural consultation process for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT).

In addition to facilitating the involvement of rural officials in the statewide planning process, the state’s nine RPCs are providing valuable technical assistance to the NHDOT and local communities, especially in rural regions.

Six years ago, the NHDOT established contractual agreements with the RPCs, five of which are rural, to assist in the development of the state’s ten-year transportation improvement plan.

Biennially, the state updates the ten-year plan using an extensive consultation process. According to Ram Maddali, NHDOT Supervisor of Systems Analysis, "The process takes two years to complete because community consulting is important, especially in rural areas."

The two-year process is initiated with a series of RPC-hosted community meetings, followed by the RPC’s collection of project proposals from communities.

Michael King, Executive Director of North Country Council, a rural RPC, describes hosting community meetings in his region, "We’re the most rural region in the state. Over the past eight years, it’s been a challenge keeping in contact with rural communities. But, the end results are really worth the extra effort."

The RPCs evaluate and score the collected proposals to determine project priority. Scoring is based on criteria such as pavement condition, accident rates, user surveys, bridge ratings, congestion levels and intermodal capacity.

Each RPC’s Transportation Advisory Committee is tasked with reviewing the initial input. King explains the importance of the committee review, "Our advisory committee consists of several elected officials who know what their communities’ transportation needs are in terms of economic development." RPCs then submit their revised priority list to NHDOT.

The NHDOT uses the RPC priority lists to develop the ten-year plan for submission to the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Intermodal Transportation (GACIT). GACIT, using the priority list, hosts a series of public hearings before sending a recommendation to the Governor. Ansel Sanborn, Administrator at the NHDOT Bureau of Planning, stated that consultations have been an important part of GACIT’s public hearings, “It has enabled them to hold public hearings that are in tune with local needs, as well as financial needs.

Following the Governor’s approval, the ten-year plan is forwarded to the state legislature for consideration, who also holds public hearings and solicits input. Once the state legislature adopts the plan, the RPCs incorporate the approved projects into their regional transportation improvement programs (TIPs).

Additionally, the first three years of the approved plan act as the statewide transportation improvement program (STIP). Maddali states, "The STIP concludes the process and is the basis for federal funding."


Technical Assistance

Two years ago, the NHDOT expanded the RPC workload to include technical assistance such as traffic data collection, physical road inventory, geographical information system (GIS) mapping, and community transportation planning.

The planning commission’s GIS mapping and data collection have helped with traffic corridor studies. According to Sanborn, "GIS services have been more readily available than expected and useful for land use issues."

In rural regions, like the areas served by the North Country Council, planning commissions also act as a staff supplement to NHDOT. They perform many important, but labor-intensive and time-consuming tasks, that would otherwise remain unfinished. King cited an example, "Road inventory needs have expanded and we had to purchase a vehicle to keep up with demand."

The RPCs also assist in developing community projects, such as master plans and bike paths, and help the state on projects such as corridor studies and land use issues.


Future of Transportation Consulting

The rural RPCs in New Hampshire are scheduled to submit their priority lists to the state DOT on April 1. They are also preparing to renew their consulting contracts this summer, which King expects to follow past processes. Bob Greer, Director of Project Development at NHDOT, agreed, "While the process will start all over again, we are satisfied. It’s proven to be an opportunity to keep revising according to need."

For more information contact: Michael King at North Country Council, (603) 444-6303; Ansel Sanborn, Bob Greer or Ram Maddali at NHDOT (603) 271-3734.


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