BACKGROUND.
The Orange County Transportation Council (“OCTC”), the Dutchess County Transportation Council (“DCTC”), the Ulster County Transportation Council (“UCTC”), and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (“NJTPA”) serve as the designated Metropolitan Planning Organizations (“MPOs”) for the census-defined Poughkeepsie-Newburgh NY-NJ Urbanized Area. With a combined urbanized population of almost 424,000 (2010 Census), the Federal Highway Administration (“FHWA”) and the Federal Transit Administration (“FTA”) have classified the area as a Transportation Management Area (“TMA”). The New York portion of the TMA is referred to as the Mid-Hudson Valley TMA (“MHVTMA”).
In accordance with the provisions set forth in 23 U.S.C. 134 and 49 U.S.C. 5303, the OCTC, DCTC, UCTC, and NJTPA are tasked with carrying out a comprehensive, multimodal transportation planning process for their respective MPOs. This includes the development of transportation plans and programs that promote the safe, efficient, and sustainable movement of people and goods by all modes. The MPOs of the MHVTMA routinely leverage federal funds to assist communities with their local transportation planning needs. The MPOs also participate in a collaborative planning relationship that addresses regional transportation issues, while also meeting federal planning requirements for a TMA. Examples of this collaboration include completion of a joint Congestion Management Process and the annual sub-allocation of FTA funds to transit operators. The MHVTMA also undergoes an in-person Federal Certification Review every four (4) years. During the most recent certification review, the FTA recommended that the MHVTMA complete a regional transit plan. To address that recommendation, the County of Orange, on behalf of the MHVTMA, seeks proposals pursuant to this solicitation from qualified firms or teams of firms to complete a strategic, regional transit study that results in a written regional transit plan (“Plan”) for the tri-county area of Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster counties (collectively, the “Project”).
