Staff recommends the Planning Board approve the Final Draft 2023 LRTP. The Board will make a formal recommendation of the document to the PCC at this meeting.

The Billings Urban Area Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is a fiscally constrained plan and framework to guide the continued development and implementation of multimodal transportation system projects for the Billings urban area. The LRTP is updated every five years, and the previous iteration was completed in 2018. This LRTP assesses today's (2023) land use and transportation conditions to forecast the future (year 2045) conditions, which aids in identifying and strategizing transportation improvements for the region.This Draft 2023 LRTP includes updates to current transportation conditions, forecasts future population impact on the transportation system, models future traffic volumes to 2045, and includes transportation project priorities. The Plan also complies with the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) requirements to ensure the community qualifies for Federal Transportation funds. The Billings MPO is required to update this plan every five years. In addition to being compliant with federal regulations it must also meet state and local requirements.

For this LRTP, a Project Oversight Committee (POC) was formed to assist staff and the consultant with transportation project review and consultations with stakeholder organizations. The POC included local representation from the Board of County Commissioners, City Council, City Engineering Division, Planning Division, MET Transit, and County Public Works. In addition, extensive coordination with the Montana Department of Transportation, Billings Department of Aviation and Transit, Bike/Pedestrian Advisory Committee, The Federal Highway Administration and City and County Public Works was conducted to ensure the most up-to-date information was included in the plan. Attached to this report are the final draft plan itself and also an executive summary which provides an overview of the purpose and intent of the document and generalizes outcomes. This can be used as a quick reference for the plan. 

The Planning Board will make a formal recommendation to the Billings PCC for formal adoption of the Plan at this meeting tonight.  The adoption schedule is as follows: TAC - June 8; Yellowstone County Board of Planning - June 27; Billings City Council - June 26 (City Council reviewed the LRTP at its Work Session on June 19); Yellowstone County Commissioners - June 27; Policy Coordinating Committee - July 18.

At the June 13th meeting the Planning Board received a presentation from staff and Andy Delaiden of Kittleson presented an overview of the document. There was limited discussion from the Planning Board. The public hearing was held and no public comment was received. The Planning Board will act on this item at this meeting and forward its recommendation to the Policy Coordinating Committee for consideration and adoption in mid-July.

The Planning Board may:

• Approve the 2023 Billings Long Range Transportation Plan and send a recommendation of approval to the Policy Coordinating Committee, or;
• Disapprove the 2023 Billings Long Range Transportation Plan and send a recommendation of disapproval to the Policy Coordinating Committee. Local, State and Federal approval of the 2023 Billings Long Range Transportation Plan is critical to ensure the community receives its share of federal transportation planning funds annually.

There will be no direct financial impact with review and adoption of the 2023 LRTP Update.  This plan acts as a guide to the development and implementation of multi-modal transportation system projects for the Billings Urban Area.  The projects within the plan are prioritized through community engagement and City/County review.