Part of my job as your county commissioner is to serve on the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) board, of which I am Vice-Chairman.  The MPO is mandated by the Federal Highway Act to provide a cooperative, comprehensive, and continuing transportation planning and decision-making process.  Its board is composed of 19 elected officials from county and municipal government, and the Port of Palm Beach.

The MPO serves to guide long-range and short-term transportation planning for all of Palm Beach County, and projects the needs, recommends, and prioritizes transportation system maintenance and improvements to be funded with Federal and State Transportation dollars.

The Palm Beach County MPO is part of the Southeast Florida Region and coordinates regional transportation issues with MPOs in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

All modes of transportation benefit from the work of the MPO.  Aside from highways and major roadways, projects considered include pedestrian-safe sidewalks and greenways; multi-use recreational trails for hikers, equestrians and bicyclists; transit bus and commuter rail services; and, freight and passenger rail.  Additionally, MPO planning benefits facilities for air transportation, seaports, public docks, and infrastructure for water taxi service.

Along with dollars allocated to transportation projects through the MPO, other sources through the State and Federal governments and local user fees provide transportation system support for Florida’s Turnpike; Palm Beach International Airport and local airports; the Port of Palm Beach; Tri-Rail; and the county’s Palm Tran fixed route bus service and Palm Tran Connection van service for disabled and transportation-disadvantaged residents.

To give you an idea of the kinds of transportation projects that fall under the purview of the MPO, here is an abbreviated list of some of the projects from our current planning schedule that specifically pertain to northern Palm Beach County and are slated to be initiated in FY 2016 and 2017:

The public is encouraged to attend all MPO Board meetings where they will be given an opportunity to comment.  Meetings are typically held the third Thursday of the month at 9:00 a.m.  Visit www.palmbeachmpo.org to view the meeting schedule and to learn more about the organization, its programs and advisory committees, and how you can become involved.

As always, if I can be of assistance to you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (561) 355-2201 or by email at hvaleche@pbcgov.org.