Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program

- Peer Exchange Report -

Border Crossings and Bi-National Transportation Planning and Coordination

El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization and the San Diego Council of Governments
Peer-to-Peer Exchange

I. Need for the El Paso Peer Exchange

The El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) requested FHWA assistance in providing best practices and planning practices, especially for unique regions that serve a binational population and have busy international border crossings. El Paso shares a border, culture, and airshed with its sister city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Much like El Paso, the San Diego, California MPO and region share a similar situation with Tijuana Mexico. It was agreed that both MPOs would benefit from conversing and sharing their concerns and strategies to address the vexing problem of providing quality transportation and mobility when faced with the added complication of coordinating across international borders and state lines. The meeting was held in El Paso, Texas on September 23-24, 2003. In particular, the MPOs were interested in learning of successes in the following areas:

• Development of Plans and Programs
• Cooperative Decisionmaking and Conflict Resolution
• Binational Transportation Planning
• Interagency Coordination
• Transit Operator Participation in the Transportation Planning Process
• MPO Roles and Responsibilities
• Congestion Management System Requirements
• Environmental Justice Requirements

II. The MPO Perspective

1. Overview of the El Paso MPO and SANDAG

a. Area/Date designated
b. Special Considerations
c. Organization

1. Geographic Jurisdictional Boundaries and Date Designated

   The El Paso MPO was designated as an MPO in 1973 and is responsible for regional transportation planning and programming for all of El Paso County, which includes six cities as well as the City of Sunland Park in New Mexico.

   Designated as an MPO in 1970, the Comprehensive Planning Organization (CPO) in San Diego was renamed the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) in 1980. SANDAG is the regional planning agency for all of San Diego County. SANDAG's geographical area covers 18 cities and the entire county of San Diego.

2. Special Considerations of Urban Border Areas

   Texas
   In Texas, there are several MPOs that serve urban areas along the U.S.-Mexico Border. These MPOs are Brownsville, El Paso, Harlingen-San Benito, Laredo and Hidalgo County. MPOs along the border face special challenges and their relationships with local governments on the Mexican side of the border are very important given the international nature of their metropolitan areas; their regional economies cross not only local government boundaries but also an international border.

   Air Quality
   Traffic congestion along the El Paso - Ciudad Juarez region of the border has become a challenge and is a contributor to the region's air quality. Both cities, divided by the Rio Grande River, are surrounded by mountains and share a common air shed basin. Reducing the pollution of the region requires both cities to work cooperatively. El Paso County is the only MPO in Texas classified as being both non-attainment for ozone and portions are also non-attainment for carbon monoxide and PM-10 (the City of Sunland Park, New Mexico, part of the El Paso MPO, is classified as non-attainment for ozone). Environmental standards in Mexico are generally less stringent than in the United States and, as such, the air pollution generated in Juarez contributes significantly to the air quality issues of El Paso. A study undertaken by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) indicated that the El Paso region could meet the air quality standards if it were not for the emissions generated by Juarez. Taking this into consideration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies the El Paso region as "serious" rather than "severe" and EPA is more lenient with regard to deadlines and penalties under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

   The EPA Environmental Monitoring for Public Access and Community Tracking (EMPACT) program funded a grant to the El Paso region to support an air-monitoring project called the Paso Del Norte Environmental Monitor. This project uses the monitoring of ozone, carbon monoxide, and particulates combined with the local weather, current traffic conditions, and international bridge crossing delays to compile data into a traffic model to be broadcast to the public in order to encourage alternative modes of transportation.

   El Paso applied for the EMPACT grant in order to:

   1. Provide real-time air quality and transportation data splits between the University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) and IMIP
   2. Install cameras to show public traffic waits at border
   3. Develop a system that shows users:
         If I choose transit, how will I help the environment?
         If I choose transit, how much time will I save?

   El Paso Rail
   Burlington Northern and Union Pacific control most of the tracks coming into the El Paso region. The El Paso MPO will be assisting the Mayor of El Paso in depressing rail lines through El Paso (75 miles) and the MPO is trying to convince the City of Juarez to do the same. Construction work would occur between 2 am and 6 am. The Juarez trains go through downtown Juarez. Both rail and port of entry improvements are part of the border improvement program.

   California
   In California, the border crossings in the San Diego-Tijuana region are the busiest in the world with approximately five to six million northbound crossings made each month. San Diego and Tijuana have the largest population of any twin cities along the entire U.S and Mexican border. The region has two border crossings, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro. A third border crossing and new port of entry at East Otay Mesa is planned and will provide an alternative entry for vehicles and commercial trucks. It is scheduled to open in 2007.

   Air Quality
   Currently, the San Diego region is designated non-attainment for the ozone standard and is operating under a State Implementation Plan (SIP). The SIP outlines efforts that are being made to reduce ozone precursor emissions and bring the area into attainment.

   To develop strategies to better manage congestion and to monitor transportation system performance, Proposition 111 was passed in 1990 to establish a Congestion Management Program (CMP) for the San Diego region. The purpose of the CMP is to monitor roadway congestion and assess the overall performance of the region's transportation system. Based upon this assessment, the CMP is to propose specific strategies and improvements to reduce traffic congestion and improve the performance of a multi-modal transportation system. Examples of strategies include increasing emphasis on public transportation and rideshare programs, mitigating the impacts of new development, and better coordinating land use and transportation planning decisions. SANDAG is the designated Congestion Management Agency (CMA) for the region. SANDAG is currently updating the Congestion Management Program (CMP) for the San Diego region.

   As required under federal law, Long Range Transportation Plans must be updated every three years in an air quality non-attainment and/or maintenance area and every five years in an attainment area. SANDAG feels that the requirement to update the LRTP every three years in non-attainment and/or maintenance areas should be revised to every five years. According to SANDAG, a three year periodic update does not allow for a quality job in the update, public involvement is less adequate and there is both a financial and a time burden with amendments in between the current three year requirement to update.

3. Organization

   El Paso MPO
   Originally located in City Hall in downtown El Paso, the MPO was often perceived as being oriented more toward the transportation interests of the City of El Paso than those of the region until a decision was made a few years back to relocate to the suburbs in an effort to achieve a regional approach. For administrative purposes, the City of El Paso is the fiscal agency for the El Paso MPO. The MPO is typically staffed with about twelve employees, consisting of about half being planners and half engineers. The MPO does experience a high rate of staff turnover. The El Paso MPO Director has a three-year contract and serves at the pleasure of the Board. There is a both a policy and a technical committee. On average, board meetings have an attendance of about 16 members. Members who miss three meetings lose the right to vote for a specified period of time. Elected members are not compensated for attending the meetings.

   In addition to a Transportation Policy Board and a Transportation Technical Board, a Project Selection Committee (PSC), a subcommittee of the Transportation Policy Board, utilizes a Project Selection Process to program funds for the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ), Surface Transportation Program (STP) and the Urban Streets Program (USP) in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The PSC is composed of elected officials; state, county and city governmental agencies; the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC); and the City of Sunland Park, NM. The PSC presents its selected projects to the Transportation Policy Board. El Paso MPO Transportation Policy Board (TPB)

   The TPB provides the MPO overall transportation policy guidance in the transportation planning process and helps coordinate the various transportation modes; establishes transportation needs; and proposes transportation projects for programming and implementation.

   The El Paso Transportation Policy Board has 24 voting members, including a county judge, six state delegates, a state senator, the mayors of El Paso and smaller towns surrounding El Paso, the City Public Works Director, the airport manager and a representative of the local transit agency - Sun Metro. Of the 28 members, 23 of the voting members are elected and include judges, mayors, state representatives and state senators. It is a highly political process.

   El Paso MPO Technical Committee
   The El Paso Technical Committee is composed of 23 non-elected members who represent various local governments, transit, universities, the private sector, and the Tigua Tribal government. A member of the Instituto Municipal de Investigacion y Planeacion (IMIP) and a representative of Fort Bliss also sits on the El Paso MPO Advisory Board..

    Sun Metro Transit is El Paso's citywide mass transit system. Its mission is to provide safe, efficient and reliable transportation to a culturally diverse and growing community that is public transit dependent, while maintaining responsible fiscal management of the resources. Included in its strategic plan is a proposed a bus line between the international bridges in the downtown El Paso area that may serve as a future route for a cross-border trolley line. The proposal to establish the first municipally owned and operated international bus service utilizing a lane on the El Paso Staunton Bridge with a new Federal inspection facility is hoped to ease congestion at the bridge which is usually about an hour and has grown longer since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. There are privately owned Mexican companies that provide transit services across the border. Currently, Sun Metro operates 159 fixed routes and carries approximately 13 million passengers annually. Sun Metro relies heavily on the El Paso MPO to do the planning for them but El Paso outsources most of the planning work. The Texas DOT has a higher percentage of staff available to assist with planning activities.

    The San Diego Council of Governments (SANDAG) is the regional planning forum for San Diego County and is governed by a Board of Directors composed of mayors, council members, and the county supervisor. In addition, non-voting members include representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense, California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS), the San Diego Unified Port District, the San Diego Water Authority and the City of Tijuana in Mexico. SANDAG builds consensus, makes strategic plans and allocates resources on a broad range of topics pertinent to the region's quality of life. These topics include significant regional issues such as growth, transportation, the environment, housing, economic development and criminal justice. SANDAG keeps all crime statistics for the jurisdictional area and works closely with law enforcement. The agency serves as the research arm for the San Diego region and provides demographics. SANDAG has approximately 90 staff members and its expertise includes engineering, urban planning, research, mathematics, computer modeling, administration, demographics, accounting, transport, public involvement, economics and environment. An International Planning Committee meets as needed. Each elected official on the SANDAG Board gets paid $100 per meeting. With 24 members on the board, only 8 members present will make up a quorum.

   SANDAG's Mission
   

   • Forum for regional decision making
   • Build consensus
   • Make strategic plans
   • Obtain and allocate resources
   • Provide information and technical assistance

   SANDAG's Board of Directors is composed of Mayors, council members, and a county supervisor from each of the region's 19 local governments.

   These governments are:
   Oceanside, Vista, San Marcos, Escondido, Poway, San Diego, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Coronado, Imperial Beach, Chula Vista, National City, Lemon Grove, Le Mesa, El Cajon, Santee and San Diego County.

   To supplement these voting members, SANDAG has an Advisory Board composed of representatives from California's Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and appointed officials who represent the US Department of Defense, the San Diego Unified Port District, the San Diego County Water Authority, the Metro Transit Development Board, the Northern County Transit Development Board and Baja/California Mexico. Caltrans plays a key advisory role and works closely with SANDAG in partnership. The US Department of Defense has a representative as an advisory member and this has provided information on issues related to housing, traffic and bases generated from the carriers which can bring in up to 5,000 sailors. Recently, SANDAG added the County Water Authority. As SANDAG makes population projections for the region, they certify that the region can meet the demands. When plans are submitted to the board, they must be approved as a whole.

2.  Roles and Responsibilities

SANDAG's Policy Committees Board of Directors        Executive     Transportation Committee      Committee            Borders     Regional Planning Committee     Committee

SANDAG Responsibilities Council of Government Metropolitan Planning Organization Regional Transportation Planning Agency Regional Transportation Commission Housing Allocation Agency Congestion Management Agency Freeway Service Patrol Toll Authority

The regional transportation committee was created in the late 1980s to help address the issue of congestion. Proposition A, passed by the county voters in 1987 is the local one half-cent sales tax measure to finance transportation projects over a twenty year period. The regional transportation committee allocated approximately $4 billion to be distributed in equal thirds among transit, highway and local road projects.

SANDAG Priorities

• Develop the 2030 Regional Transportation Plan
• Create a Regional Comprehensive Plan
• Extend the Transnet sales tax program
• Strengthen Regional Governance
• Enhance border planning with Mexico and with Riverside, Imperial and Orange Counties
• Improve agency's image and relationships

SANDAG will use bonds to pay for projects using a federal grant anticipation revenue vehicle known as a garvey bond to back up the bonds. It is anticipated that approximately $150 to $200 million will be used for transportation projects. SANDAG plans and programs debt service into the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Monthly status reports go the Board showing the progress of every project.

Transit

There are two Transit Development Boards in SANDAG. To the north of San Diego is the North County Transit Development Board (NCTD) and to the southwest of San Diego is the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB).

A major emphasis at SANDAG is to provide technical assistance and data to the region's transit operators. Data include geographic analysis, data collection and management, survey research, and transportation modeling.

The MTDB serves as the policy-setting and overall coordinating agency for public transportation in the San Diego metropolitan area. MTDB is the single recipient for California's Transportation Development Act (TDA). TDA provides funding on behalf of all operators in its service area. TDA funds are pooled with other local state and federal dollars to pay for all operations and capital requirements for these operators. In a policy role, the MTDB coordinates the MTS fares, transfers, and services cooperatively with the operators. All of the transit funding for the region is pooled together to pay for the region's transit services including the bus system and the trolley. Authority over the pooled funding is the responsibility of the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB). The MTDB is a 15-member decision-making body made up of elected officials from all of the jurisdictions that are served by the bus and trolley network. The board generally meets twice a month.

To address the priority of strengthening regional governance, SANDAG has consolidated the two transit agencies and has become an implementer of transportation projects.

SANDAG Key Partnerships

• California State Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
• Metro Transit Development Board (MTDB)
• North County Transit Development Board (NCTD)
• Collaboration with Mexico
     - IMPlan Tijuana
     - Bi-State Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (BTTAC)

The California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) has been a key partner with SANDAG since 1968. The Caltrans mission is to improve mobility across California. There are twelve districts, two counties (San Diego and Imperial) and 25 cities. Caltrans has been supporting staff to SANDAG with up to 25 employees. As an advisory member, Caltrans serves on SANDAG's Board of Directors, the Policy Board, the Transportation Committee, the Regional Planning Committee, the Boarders Committee and various working committees. District 11 is involved with planning at the state, system and regional level as well as information technology. Caltrans has state representation on national, international and bi-state coordination with Mexico. In District 11, which borders Mexico, there are two MPOs- SANDAG and the Southern California Association of Governments (Imperial Valley Association of Governments). It is responsible for maintaining the system, functions as a permitting agency, provides locals assistance and serves as an implementer of various programs. Caltrans participates in the Border Training and Technology Exchange Program and hired some engineers through NAFTA. They work under one year renewable contracts. The core planning areas for Caltrans include statewide, regional, systems and information technology.

Congestion Management Models
Non-attainment areas must produce a congestion management plan that shows how air quality may be improved for a region. In the past, Juarez treated El Paso as a 'black box' regarding trip destinations. Both Juarez and El Paso have similar growth rates.

The El Paso MPO Models:
   1.  El Paso internal
   2.  Juarez internal
   3  Transborder

The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) provides the Mobile 6 data. The El Paso MPO is also using TDM modeling. Emissions estimates are calculated separately for each model. Because of the lack of ability to control the pollution that occurs over the border in Juarez, the El Paso MPO has been granted a waiver under 179B, which allows the pollution budget to be set higher, and also prevents the region from being bumped up to the next higher level of non-attainment classification. Fifty-five percent of the roads in Juarez are unpaved and this is a contributing factor to particulate matter. Monitors show that air is now cleaner.

The El Paso region is surrounded by mountains, shares a common air shed with Mexico, and as the only MPO in Texas to be in non-attainment for both ozone and carbon monoxide, requires a coordinated planning effort between the two cities. El Paso has developed an international travel demand model with significant help and cooperation from staff members of IMIP in Ciudad Juarez. Although El Paso and Juarez have similar growth rates, Juarez has twice the population of El Paso and ¼ of the vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Emissions in Juarez are impacted by fleet sizes and lower road speeds. Transit is not regional in Juarez and ridership has declined from 25% in 1998 to 21% in 2001. Factors contributing to this decline include rising income levels, poor transit service with regard to the vehicles, and a lack of information about transit and services.

3. Bi-National representation, Border Crossings, and Coordination Activities

Both the El Paso MPO and SANDAG coordinate planning activities across the border with Mexico. The El Paso MPO currently includes Mexican border cities in its list of stakeholders. Under TEA-21, MPO membership is limited to local elected officials, officials of local public transportation agencies, and certain state officials. Currently there are no Federal requirements to include foreign representation. SANDAG has the Consul General of Mexico sit on the Board as an advisory member. The El Paso MPO has a planner under contract who works for it on a regular basis and also works for Mexico. A member of the Instituto Municipal de Investigacion y Planeacion (IMIP) also sits on the El Paso MPO Advisory Board. Caltrans provides state representation between California and Mexico with representation on binational committees, participation in the Border Training and Technology Exchange Program and other binational studies.

The border crossings in El Paso and San Diego are old and pose challenges to redesign with modern technology. In both California and Texas, there are many areas that are prime for redevelopment. State of the art facilities would enhance homeland securities. At this time however, master planning on border crossing does not seem to be the focus of the GSA and Customs and Inspections.

SANDAG's binational coordination and planning efforts include transportation infrastructure planning, forecasting, and data collection. Construction will begin soon on State Route 905 to connect Interstates 805 and 5 to the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, providing a critical transportation link to the binational economies. SANDAG is managing environmental studies for State Route 11 and the proposed new border crossing East Otay Mesa Port of Entry. The new port will help to relieve traffic congestion at the two existing entries at San Ysidro and Otay Mesa, which are the busiest ground border crossings in the world. San Diego and Tijuana combined constitute the tenth-largest urban area within the three North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) countries.

Transportation and goods movement in the border region is of critical importance to Mexico and the United States. Since NAFTA's implementation in 1994, commercial traffic the entire U.S - Mexican border has increased 170 percent.

Environment
SANDAG is working with agencies on both sides of the border to protect the marine environment through the Bight of the Californias project, which extends from Encinitas in California to Ensenada in Baja California. The project encourages local stakeholders from both countries to address issues of land-based pollution in the coastal environment.

Instituto Municipal de Investigacion y Planeacion (IMIP)
The Planning agency in Juarez, Mexico was created in 1995 as a public agency and is a unique organization in the sense that the role of planning and research is downplayed and is not considered essential to providing quality of life to citizens. Getting qualified personnel is a challenge. There is some level of independence from the city and IMIP works as their consultant by providing technical expertise and preparing the comprehensive plan for them. The IMIP board is composed of top level non-government members. Out of the 12 members, 10 are colleges, chambers of commerce, and professional architects. However, the agency is only able to have a short-term vision as funding for long-term activities is scarce due to an alarming level of deficits over the years. IMIP also provides all of the GIS needs for the city and encourages grass roots public participation to involve the community in the planning process as required by law.

The Municipal Planning Institute (IMPlan)
IMPlan is in the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan, &auot;Programa de desarollo Urbano del Centro de Poblacion Tijuana&auot; (PDUCPT). One of the major goals of this plan is to establish a balance between land use, the transportation system, the environment and economic development. For example, Toyota Enterprises is locating in the eastern section of Tijuana and will result in regional economic and transportation impacts on Tijuana, Tecate and San Diego.

Congestion Management

El Paso MPO
Performance measures are used to identify critical areas for congestion mitigation. The performance measures used in the El Paso CMS are Level-of-Service (LOS) to analyze existing traffic congestion and Volume-to-Capacity (V/C) ratios for projected traffic volumes on the existing road network. Roads which exhibit portions with volumes exceeding LOS "D", a measure of delay, identify a potential congested location and further analysis is required using the MPO's Highway Capacity Software (HCS). TRANPLAN, the MPO's traffic model, is used to run 2015 demographics on the current road network to identify future congestion. Because V/C ratios were so high throughout the entire network, a ratio of 1.5 was used to identify critical areas of congestion.

SANDAG

Congestion Management Plan
As part of the Congestion Management Program (CMP), SANDAG looks for innovative congestion mitigation strategies that are low-cost and that can be implemented in the short-term. In addition, the CMP recognizes that changes in land use patterns and policies require a re-evaluation of the techniques currently used to evaluate the transportation impacts of new development. Strategies for congestion management which may be used for preparing Deficiency Plans, mitigating new development impacts have been grouped in the following areas: transportation demand management (rideshare programs, transit pass subsidies, flexible work hours, teleworking, etc), transportation system management (signal synchronization, peak period parking restrictions, bicycle paths, etc), land use (mixed use developments, smart growth strategies), and design guidelines (pedestrian, transit oriented, bicycle etc).

Cross Border Travel Forecasting Model
SANDAG's study of traffic crossing the U.S./Mexico international border resulted in the development of the Cross Border Travel Forecasting Model. The Model assists in transportation infrastructure planning on both sides of the border as officials in the Southern California/Baja California region work together to develop integrated highways, border crossings, trucking, and railroad systems.

The purpose of the study was to develop a system wide approach for evaluating and forecasting vehicular travel across the border, with major consideration given to the possible interaction among existing and proposed ports of entry. The model development process included representatives of transportation planning agencies of Baja California, Mexico, and the San Diego region.

The Cross-Border Travel Forecasting Model includes population and employment growth forecasts for U.S./Mexico border citiesand transportation demand forecasts.

Public Involvement Strategies

Student Population Outreach
The El Paso MPO has provided outreach to high schools. First, the El Paso MPO director sends a letter to superintendents requesting a convenient time and place to present the planning profession and the MPO. Students are asked about what they see as transportation problems and they show surprise at all of the information in the MTP. Part of the MPO's population lives in Sunland City, New Mexico (pop. 13,000) and the El Paso MPO receives a lot of input from New Mexico during sessions at Sunland Park Mall, located 2 miles from the state line. The lack of transit has been identified as a key issue.

SANDAG has not done as much with high schools as the El Paso MPO but has focused more on colleges (i.e. student transit passes). On the website, an elementary school program is available with a downloadable coloring book.

Public meetings- advertised by:


• Giving fliers to school children
• Posting information at City Hall

As experienced by many MPOs, it is often a challenge attracting people. One very successful form of outreach has been having a stand in a mall with cookies to give away.

SANDAG evaluates the feedback from public involvement by using surveys as a main tool. This is an expensive option but provides information within 95% accuracy. To get information out to people, direct mailings are used to target to specific demographic audiences. Political mailers using this tool may have up to six versions tailored to recipients

III. Peer Exchange Recommendations/Highlights/Lessons Learned

• According to El Paso, SANDAG has certain advantages in having more state legislation directed to transportation in California. Texas doesn't even have zoning in the county.
• The City of El Paso, which represents 85% of the MPO area, has a sustainable development element in their land use plan and the El Paso MPO should consider incorporating this as an element as well. A land use element with a sustainable development section such as in SANDAG's should be adapted to the 2030 plan of the El Paso MPO.
• The San Diego experience: You have the best chance for success with a slow evolution versus a dramatic revolution.
• Advantages of Good Partnering as illustrated by Caltrans and SANDAG include:
  • Synergy
  • Smarter planning
  • Increase revenue for the region
  • Grant programs
  • Mixed funding- joint matching
  • Co-sponsoring
  • Great prospective - more input
  • Multidisciplinary expertise
  • Sharing of staff and resources

IV. For More Information