073: Understanding the MPO with Pat Martin, Senior Transportation Planner
Episode description
How do city road projects get funded? Oftentimes, they're a mix of local, state and (a lot of) federal dollars/ If you've ever wondered why road projects take a long time to come to fruition, today we explore the filter through which those federal dollars flow.
Bloomington is the center of a metropolitan area. Metropolitan areas, especially ones that cross state lines, get special consideration from the federal government for highway, road, public transit and other federal transportation money. A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is an interjurisdictional body created by federal mandate to oversee the spending of federal dollars on local transportation projects.
Our guest today is Pat Martin. He's the Senior Transportation Planner for the City of Bloomington, but really, his main job is to lead, guide and direct the local MPO. He guides us through this motley entity -- an unelected body made up entirely of people elected or appointed by others -- and helps us understand the vagaries of transportation planning.
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