The project descriptions of the Excellence in Rural Transportation Award winners from 2008 and 2009 are posted in this section. Use the navigation bar to the left to find projects by category or year.

Through the creation of regional Human Services Coordinated Transportation Plans, the 12 members of the Alabama Association of Regional Councils provided a resource that benefits residents across the state.

Mobility and access to natural resources have made the U.S. 72 Corridor in Northwest Alabama a popular destination for industry and tourism.

Rehabilitation of a historic structure and community development were the motivations behind the Dixie Depot project.

To create awareness about the impacts of freight movement, routes and volume, the Southwest Transportation Planning Region (TPR), administered by the Region 9 Economic Development District of Southwest Colorado, developed the Southwest Transportation Planning Region Freight Profile as a comprehensive freight manual for regional decision makers.

The Bi-State Regional Commission(BSRC) initiated the regional Aware of Air Program to improve local knowledge of air quality issues using Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) funding.

For the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission, safety was the primary motivation behind the Louisa County Traffic Study.

Through its regional Southeast Iowa Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS), the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission has worked with multiple communities and school districts to implement local SRTS programs, with four local SRTS plans completed and two additional SRTS plans in development.

The East Michigan Council of Governments established a Transportation, Land Use and GIS Committee (TLAG).

Administered by the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments and Traverse City Transportation and Land Use Study (TC-TALUS), the Grand Vision is a citizen-led land use and transportation study that provides a framework for the next 50 years of development.

The Northern Minnesota/Northwest Wisconsin Freight Plan was developed by the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission and Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council to analzye current and projected freight trends.

The East Central Regional Development Commission (RDC) planned long-term public transit solutions to meet rural transportation needs through the Transit Collaboration in East Central Minnesota project.

The Tanglefoot Trail project preserves the abandoned railroad and its right of way as a rail banked corridor.

Using Google Maps and Google Earth as low-cost and user-friendly software, the Piedmont Triad Rural Planning Organization developed the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Priority List Interactive Map to provide greater access to information and public participation opportunities through interactive online maps of projects and programs.

To implement the statewide Land Use, Transportation and Economic Development (LUTED) program, North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission conducted the Operationalizing Plans for Project Prioritization initiative.

Providing affordable and dependable transportation to employees was the goal of the Regional Rural Rideshare Program initiated by the Santee-Lynches Council of Governments (COG) in partnership with a local transit authority and regional public and private employers.

Since its launch in 2008, TriCounty Link’s new Commuter Solution routes have provided over 17,000 rides in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties.

Funded by the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Multimodal and Land Use Grant, the New River Valley Planning District Commission’s Employment Mobility Study analyzed commuter patterns and regional transportation solutions.

In order to create a unified alliance on transportation issues, Arizona’s Councils of Governments spearheaded the statewide Rural Transportation Advocacy Council (RTAC) and its Rural Arizona Transportation Lobbying Program.

The Lee Russell Council of Governments has embarked on a project to create a coordinated transportation system that can be duplicated across Alabama.

The Regional Aviation Working Group developed by the Southern Tier East Regional Planning and Development Board coordinates activities and developments at three commercial service airports and six publicly-owned general aviation airports in New York’s southern tier.

The East Central Michigan Planning and Development Region (ECMPDR) teamed up with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to produce the Bay Region Road and Trail Bicycling Map.

In an effort to promote bike safety and reduce bicycle related injuries, the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC) has championed the HelmetHero Bicycle Education program.

Using state rural transportation funds with a match from local governments, the Piedmont Triad Rural Planning Organization developed the PedPower Project.

Linking communities and encouraging a healthy lifestyle was the motivation behind the Central Ohio Greenways Initiative championed by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission.

The Rutland Creek Path project promotes non-motorized transportation to connect schools, neighborhoods and parks, and helps restore neglected areas while fostering a sense of community.

In order to encourage the use of bicycles as a form of commuter transportation, the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission (RVARC) created the RIDE Solutions Interactive Bicycle Map.

The Navajo Department of Transportation’s U.S. 491 Project will enhance safety and sustain a high quality of socio-economic development and growth to the Navajo Nation and residents throughout the region once it is completed.

The First District Association of Local Governments in South Dakota is performing an Economic Impact Study along the region’s Highway 34 corridor to determine the effects of widening the roadway from two to four lanes.

Using a model focused on increasing tourism while preserving historic landmarks, the Lowcountry Council of Governments has set out to connect sites of renowned Revolutionary War skirmishes across southern South Carolina using Transportation Enhancement funds, donations, membership in the trail foundation and in-kind staff time.

The Southwest Regional Development Commission (SRDC) attempted to increase awareness of wind development impacts on public infrastructure (primarily road networks) with their Wind Development, Roads, Bridges and Land Use Initiative.

In an effort to educate RPO planners, the North Carolina Association of RPOs (NCARPO) offered a Rural Transportation Planning Techniques Course.

The Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development Board created the Southern Tier Extension Railroad to save a dormant mainline railroad extension and spur economic growth in New York State.

Wisconsin’s Freight Rail Transit Commission project is a public-private partnership that works to preserve and maintain freight rail service and fund acquisition and rehabilitation of the system.

Through publicly held meetings, the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission (SEIRPC) generated the support it needed from local stakeholders to launch a regional Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiative to help communities encourage and enable their students to safely walk and bike to school.

Providing a safe and affordable alternative to drinking and driving, the East Central Regional Development Commission (ECRDC) in Minnesota has worked with a variety of partners including local bars, courts, community groups and other stakeholders to develop the Isanti County Safe Cab program.

Busing Northwest Missouri to Safety enhances communication between local schools and the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).

The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety and Missouri Association of Councils of Government combined efforts to establish a Blueprint for Safer Roadways to reduce traffic fatalities to 1,000 or fewer by 2008—a decrease of nearly 19 percent from the 2003 benchmark.

In order to evaluate traffic patterns and county-wide safety issues, the Kerr-Tar Regional Planning Commission performed the Granville County Intersection Report.

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission has set in motion an initiative called Improving Crash Data for Central Ohio Communities.

Consisting of a broad coalition of business, community and government leaders, the Focus 81 Committee works to enhance safety and reduce congestion along Interstate 81.

Designed to meet the region’s expectations for day-to-day business processes, the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission (NCPRPDC) developed a robust and scalable Web portal for mapping, managing, modeling and maintaining its transportation-related infrastructure.

What began as a question raised by Wasatch County and Heber City elected officials about how to evaluate a proposed bypass project eventually became the Wasatch County RPO Travel Demand Model project.

Using ridership dispatch logs, the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission used GIS technology to geo-reference and visually summarize transportation services for its Elderly and Disabled Transportation Services Mapping Initiative.

The Bel-O-Mar Regional Council, a bi-state organization in Ohio and West Virginia, conducted the Travel-Time Study Using GPS Initiative.

Member governments that comprise the McIntosh Trail Regional Development Center (MTRDC) all participated in establishing the first rural public transit service area within the state of Georgia.

Western Transportation Institute performed an Assessment of Campus Transit Program to evaluate the efficiency of Auburn University’s campus transit in Auburn and Opelika, Alabama.

In 2007, Texoma Council of Governments embarked on the When You Hear TAPS (Texoma Area Paratransit System) Initiative to salvage the only public sector transportation within a six county area—an essential link to medical services for a significant elderly population.

The Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) provides vital transportation services to low-income workers and suburban and urban commuters with rural jobs through its Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) Program.

The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) pooled resources from state and local entities to embark on a Transportation Extreme Makeover Program.

In southern Washington State, the Benton-Franklin Council of Governments has updated 20-year old data through a comprehensive review of the metropolitan area Park and Ride system to assess current usage, unmet demand and possible locations for new facilities.

A three-state show of cooperation between the KYOVA Interstate Planning Commission, the Lawrence County Port Authority in Ohio, and the Transit Authority, a provider in West Virginia, resulted in the development of the Lawrence County Public Transit System.