Time and Areas
The 2035 Regional Long Range Transportation Plan (RLRTP) looks ahead 25 years to determine transportation needs and options. The Regional Long Range Transportation Plan is an update to the 2030 plan and includes two planning areas: Martin and St. Lucie counties. The federal government requires Regional Long Range Transportation Plans to be updated every five years.

Modes of Travel
Transportation of freight, services, and people are considered. All modes of transportation are addressed including airports, seaports, roads, rail, walking, cycling, mass transit, and private motor vehicles.

Inputs
The Regional Long Range Transportation Plan will consider changes that have occurred since the 2030 plan was conducted. Changes in population projections, land use patterns, urban form, the most recent technical assumptions, climate change and energy conservation issues, and the availability of transportation funding will be considered.

Outputs
From the inputs of the study, a future transportation needs assessment will be determined by forecasting travel demand, evaluating system alternatives, projecting population and job growth, and land use patterns. Based on these factors, transportation options are suggested that best meet the needs of the two-county region. The plan also considers financial, environmental, and social constraints. The plan will also make recommendations on transportation projects and programs that can be implemented through 2035.

Updates to the Regional Long Range Transportation Plan involve the participation of a diverse number of people:

• the public including residents and business owners
• public and private transit providers
• rail, port, and airport service providers
• health and human service agencies
• education providers
• freight providers
• commercial vehicle operators
• representatives from economic development, conservation, and other civic and community organizations
• Florida Department of Transportation
• Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council
• local governments
• Martin Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
• St. Lucie Transportation Planning Organization (TPO)
• Indian River County
• Palm Beach County
• Okeechobee County

Transportation facilities, mobility, and travel options affect every facet of life: school, employment, shopping, and leisure. Time spent traveling, the cost of travel, the safety of travel, and the level of aggravation while traveling directly affect how one views his/her quality of life. The Regional Long Range Transportation Plan will include long-term recommendations and strategies that will affect your travel and mobility options.

By participating in the update of the Regional Long Range Transportation Plan, you are given the opportunity to share your thoughts, concerns, and recommendations with decision makers. This will guide them on how to prioritize projects and provide them a greater understanding of public needs and expectations. The Regional Long Range Transportation Plan will include long-term recommendations and strategies affecting your future transportation system and mobility and travel options.

Comments and input may be submitted at any time during the study by writing, faxing, emailing or telephoning the project team and by attending the public workshops. We encourage you to participate in the online survey. Survey results will be part if the public record and will help determine transportation and land use options.

Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council
421 SW Camden Avenue
Stuart, FL 34994
772-221-4060 phone 772-221-4067 fax
rlrtp@tcrpc.org

Martin MPO
2401 SE Monterey Road
Stuart, FL 34994
772-288-5927
www.martinmpo.com

St. Lucie TPO
2300 Virginia Avenue
Fort Pierce, FL 34982
772-462-1593
www.stlucietpo.org

There are several ways to stay informed about the Plan.

Visit this website
Participate in upcoming public meetings
Contact the project team
Register your email address for automatic updates

The 2035 Regional Long Range Transportation Plan will conclude January 2011.

Transportation includes various modes of moving people, goods, and services around and in and out of the area. Along with automobiles, trucks, airports, and seaports, it is important to plan for pedestrians, bicycles, bus, rail, and other forms of public transportation.

The two are really the same except that the Regional Long Range Transportation Plan encompasses the two-county region of Martin and St. Lucie counties. Combining areas allows regional coordination of efforts and strategies.

Many factors are considered during the Regional Long Range Transportation Plan:

•		land use patterns (how people travel because of the location of employment, shopping, services, and schools, etc.)
•		maintenance and preservation of the existing system
•		economic vitality
•		safety and comfort of the transportation system
•		security of the transportation system
•		access and mobility for people and goods
•		protection of the environment
•		promotion of energy conservation (sustainability)
•		integration and connectivity across and between modes
•		efficient and affordable system management and operation
•		financial feasibility

Martin MPO meeting schedule can be found here.

St. Lucie TPO meeting schedule can be found here.

Tri-Rail is a commuter rail service that currently operates in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade County along the South Florida Rail Corridor (also referred to as the CSX corridor), which is a rail corridor that lies mostly west of I-95. Overseen by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Tri-Rail serves eighteen stations along its 72-mile service corridor, with connections to the three international airports, seaports, and major destinations across southeastern Florida. At its northern end, Tri-Rail's terminus station is in the Town of Mangonia Park, just north of 45th Street. Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization, and others have been evaluating ways by which Tri-Rail could be extended north into northern Palm Beach County, with a likely terminus in Jupiter. North of Palm Beach County, both Martin and St. Lucie county have expressed interest in Tri-Rail being extended north into those counties, and the desire of a northern extension into these two northern counties is acknowledged by the South Florida Transportation Authority and remains a potential project in the future of the agency. The Martin and St. Lucie transportation organizations are conducting the SR 710 Project Development and Environment Study to look at moving freight and people along the SR 710 corridor. Rail is an option being considered for the SR 710 corridor.

In October 2009, the Florida Department of Transportation submitted a Federal funding application to re-establish passenger service, in the form of Amtrak, on the Florida East Coast (FEC) rail corridor from Jacksonville south to West Palm Beach. Eight new stations are proposed, including St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Titusville, Cocoa, Melbourne, Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, and Stuart. South of Stuart, the service would join with existing Amtrak service at the West Palm Beach station and continue south on the South Florida Rail Corridor (also referred to as CSX), serving stations in Delray Beach, Deerfield Beach, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami. This project is also included in the State of Florida's Rail Plan as a long-range transportation improvement. If funding is awarded, project construction is expected to begin in 2010 and be completed in 2012, with service beginning in late 2012.