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Kentucky

The Rural Context For Transportation Consultations

Kentucky is the 14th smallest state in the U.S. in land area, 24th largest in population, and 22nd most densely populated. However, approximately 65 percent of Kentucky's population and jobs, and 98 percent of the land is non-urban. Approximately 91 percent of Kentucky's roads are rural. Federally owned lands are 4 percent of the state's land area.

Kentucky is a slowly growing state, as measured by population, with a moderately growing rate of employment. The portion of the state's jobs that are in the uniquely rural agriculture and mining sectors is fairly small (5 and 4 percent, respectively). Most jobs in Kentucky's rural areas are in sectors also common in urban areas: construction, transportation & utilities (14 percent); manufacturing (21 percent); business & trade (24 percent); and services & government (32 percent).

Demographically, Kentucky's non-urban population is predominately white (95 percent). The proportion of Kentucky's non-urban adult population did not graduate from high school is the highest of all states and the proportion who did graduate from college is the third lowest. The 21 percent of Kentucky's non-urban population who are poor is higher than in almost all other states. About 41 percent of the state's non-urban population is in non-working age groups (28 percent 18 years or younger, and 12 percent 65 years or older).

Governmentally, Kentucky has 120 counties, a fairly large number compared to many other states. The state also has 431 municipalities, but no towns or townships. Kentucky ranks near the middle in terms of the number of sub-county governments. Kentucky does not have any federally recognized Indian tribes.

In addition, the 1997 U.S. Census of Governments has identified 6 independent, special-purpose governments in Kentucky that have transportation responsibilities. This number is larger than in many other states. These special-purpose governments include 3 for highways and 3 for transit. Kentucky also has 21 other public transit providers serving rural areas and an additional 19 organizations that provide specialized transit services to elderly and disabled populations in those same areas.

Kentucky has 15 regional councils that cover the whole state, and 7 MPOs. These regional units help to coordinate the other local governments and play a role in rural transportation programs as described below.

Of Kentucky's 73,033 miles of roads, approximately 38 percent are state-controlled, while less than one percent are federal. Of the total miles of non-federal rural roads, approximately 41 percent are state, 57 percent are county, none are township, and 3 percent are municipal and other.

Processes For Consultation And Cooperation With Local Officials In Non-Metropolitan Areas

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) oversees the statewide planning and programming process. KYTC prepares a 20-year long-range plan, a 6-year Cabinet's Short Term Highway Element of the long-range plan (Six Year Highway Plan) and the STIP. The consultation process covers planning for highways and transit, as well as for ferry, bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Beginning in 1995, Kentucky established a statewide planning process for non-metropolitan areas. This process focuses on 15 Area Development Districts (ADDs). The ADDs work under contract with KYTC and receive state funds to support transportation planning activities. No planning funds are given to city and county governments in non-metropolitan areas.

The ADD Transportation Committees include local and county officials, representatives of other interest groups, and private citizens. These ADD committees provide input and direction for all the regional planning activities relevant to the statewide transportation planning process, including the planning and selection of highway projects for inclusion in the long-range plan, six-year plan, and STIP. ADD activities include the formulation of regional goals and objectives by regional transportation committees, development of regional concept plans, corridor needs studies, and assistance to the KYTC on intermediate planning studies/meetings and small urban studies. The ADDs' primary activity is participation in the identification, analysis, prioritization and ranking of unscheduled needs projects.

Local officials and private citizens are involved in the planning and selection of highway projects for inclusion in the plans and programs through identification and prioritization of unscheduled needs. During update of the plans and programs, an effort is made, through the ADDs, to identify these previously unscheduled needs. Newly identified needs are submitted to the ADD (or identified by the ADD). The ADD develops a description of the project, including purpose and need; the KYTC highway district reviews the project, providing information such as estimated cost. Once this information is available, the project is prioritized at four levels. First the ADD solicits a local priority from either a local official or a local committee for each project in the area. The ADD committees then assign regional priorities and rank the top ten projects in order of importance to the region. The KYTC highway district then assigns district priorities. Finally the KYTC's Central Cabinet Office assigns statewide priorities. While local and regional priorities do not dictate final decisions in this process, all priorities are considered at the Cabinet level and local and regional priorities are a key factor in decisions. To keep the programs fiscally constrained, priorities are set at high, medium and low at each level, with approximately one-third of the total cost in each category. Once completed, the long-range plan is made available for a 60-day public review period and the STIP for a 45-day review period.

The ADD regional planning element of the statewide transportation process is primarily aimed at highway project development, although projects in other modes, such as air, bicycle and pedestrian, rail, and ITS projects, may be submitted through the transportation committees of the ADDs. The regional ADDs also coordinate with, and often are members of, various boards and committees within their region that address other modes of transportation. Additionally, other modal or inter-modal projects may be identified or suggested by the KYTC's Intermodal Advisory Panel (IAP), which is a panel-composed of industry representatives, local and regional government representatives, university staff members, and federal and state transportation officials-that provides a vision and recommendations for intermodal transportation in Kentucky. Some ADDs are represented on this panel.

The planning process also considers issues other than transportation. The long-range plan considers such things as environmental objectives, environmental justice concerns, and state economic goals. Specific highway corridors are selected and an attempt is made to balance service to areas showing current growth and those with little growth where economic development is needed. The consultative process involves federal land management agencies, as needed, on a project-by-project basis.

The consultative process also covers all public transportation planning, including public and specialized transportation services in rural areas. The governing bodies and authorizing boards of the transit/specialized systems are comprised of local officials and citizens. Letters of support from local officials are required with each public transit grant application. Public hearings are held for all capital purchases and service modifications. Area providers and interested parties are notified of coordination meetings held annually during the application process. All FTA-funded projects are included in the STIP. The Coordinated Human Service Transportation Delivery Program brings together four state Cabinets (Transportation, Health Services, Families and Children, and Workforce Development) to provide human service transportation delivery services in a coordinated manner.

The ADDs adjacent to MPO areas coordinate their efforts with those of the MPOs as part of their Annual Work Programs in the statewide transportation planning process. They attend MPO meetings, review MPO materials, consider MPO plans in identifying and prioritizing needs, and providing input into the MPO process as needed. Some ADDs function as MPOs. Some rural counties adjacent to some MPOs, have become members of the MPO and have representation on its policy and technical advisory committees.

Transportation is funded with federal and state funds. No federal funds are allocated to the city and county governments in non-metropolitan areas for construction, operation, and maintenance activities. Two main implementation funds are available to the counties/cities for highway improvements. The County Road Aid Program distributes a 5-cent gas tax revenue to counties, based on a formula considering population, rural road miles, rural land area, and equal shares. The Rural and Municipal Aid Program requires an annual contract on behalf of the county judge or executive, who distributes the funds at his or her discretion. The rural public transportation program is funded through federal capital and operation grants from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); state funding is also provided.

Kentucky uses these practices:

State Processes to Compile Transportation Needs: As part of plan and program updates, the state makes an effort, through ADDs, to identify previously unscheduled needs.
State Hearings: The long-range plan and STIP are made available for formal review and comment before they are finalized.
Roles of RPOs: ADDs carry out many of the planning functions of RPOs.
Roles of MPOs Outside their Metropolitan Planning Boundaries: ADDs adjacent to MPO areas coordinate their efforts with those of the MPOs as part of their Annual Work Programs in the statewide transportation planning process.
State Policy-Making and Advisory Boards: Intermodal Advisory Panel.

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