Thanks for your interest in Reaching Resilience 2050, our Q&A series fleshing out the people and processes behind our latest long-range transportation plan. To read the plan in full, explore potential projects near you and learn how to share your feedback, please visit publicinput.com/Resilience2050.

Regina Aris is Assistant Director of Transportation for Baltimore Metropolitan Council.

Hi Regina! To start off, tell us a little about your work at BMC.

I manage our team of subject matter experts to facilitate the planning processes for short- and long-term investments in our region’s transportation system. These investments support operations, system preservation and expansion of road, transit and bicycle/pedestrian facilities. At every stage, we follow federal rules for adopting plan goals and strategies, project prioritization, financial forecasting and public engagement to ensure that projects align with regional and local priorities. The plans prepared by our staff lay the foundation for funding, design and construction of new projects.

And how does this work fit into the preparation of Resilience 2050?

We develop a new long-range transportation plan (LRTP) every four years, and Resilience 2050 is our latest. This is where it all starts. MDOT and local jurisdictions submit candidate projects for inclusion in the LRTP, which we score on metrics such as priority, mobility and accessibility, safety and the environment. For Resilience 2050, we received 98 candidate projects and included 92 in the plan. We draw from projects in the LRTP to develop a short-range Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). When the TIP is approved, funding starts to flow.

Good stuff. Who are the key partners supporting this process?

The Baltimore Regional Transportation Board, which includes members representing the local jurisdictions and state agencies supporting our region’s transportation system, guides and approves our planning work. We work closely with these partners to develop and implement planned projects. We also work with expert consultants to tackle project-specific challenges. Additionally, local businesses, nonprofits and members of the public are important stakeholders to engage. We collect and consider feedback at every stage of planning, and we’re grateful to everyone who engages with our work.

Preach! And what key highlights do you hope folks take away?

In our outreach around previous short- and long-range plans, we heard clear calls to prioritize transit investments. For Resilience 2050, we altered our project scoring methodology to make transit projects eligible for more points than roadway projects. As a result, the plan includes all 36 of the transit projects submitted, and 56 of the 62 roadway projects submitted. We also increased the number of points for safety in response to the tragic uptick in deaths and serious injuries our transportation system has seen in recent years. We want to reverse this trend.

How can folks learn more and stay involved?

By following our social media channels, subscribing to our newsletters and checking our website now and then is a great start. This is where we’ll share more detailed plans for specific projects and the associated public involvement opportunities. When you see us asking for comments on a reconstructed bus facility, a trail extension or a bridge replacement, please take a few minutes to learn more and let us know your thoughts. Join our public meetings if you can. We’d love to have you.

That's all from Regina, but check out our other Reaching Resilience 2050 entries on Air Quality, Climate Resilience and Safety. To learn more about our Resilience 2050 long-range transportation plan, please visit publicinput.com/Resilience2050.