The Unified Transportation Planning Work Program and Budget (UPWP) shows how federal transportation planning funds are being used by the MIC to meet metropolitan planning requirements for the current calendar year. It indicates who will perform the work, the schedule for completing the work, the resulting work products, the proposed funding by activity/task, and a summary of the amounts and sources of federal and matching funding.
The UPWP is updated annually and is developed by MIC staff in consultation with partner jurisdictions and agencies and approved by the Policy Board.
It may be amended to account for changes in funding or projects.
Public notice posted 7/19/23: Public comments will be taken about this proposed amendment when it is presented for approval at the July 26, 2023 special meeting of the Policy Board.
Proposed Amendment #1 to the 2023 MIC Work Program and Budget (Opportunity for Public Comment)
We are seeking MIC Board approval to amend our current Work Program and Budget (aka the 2023 UPWP), to transfer selected tasks from the short-range Safety Action Plan project, as well as a portion of its budget ($50,000), to the long-range planning element of the UPWP. (In-kind staff time to assist remains in place.)
Due to being short-staffed after the loss of our lead planner, we have been unable to conduct the second phase of the MIC’s area-wide, multi-modal Safety Action Plan. We are therefore proposing to amend the contract with AECOM, our current consultant for the 2050 update of the MIC’s long-range Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), to use these funds for AECOM to conduct a technical assessment that will augment the safety component of the MTP. This work would utilize the rich MIC-area crash history database that was produced during phase one of the Safety Action Plan to identify high-risk locations and related safety improvements.
A key goal of the project is to ascertain how well the identified corridors or intersections would fit within or score against the federal Safe Streets for All (SS4A) guidelines. This, in turn, will enable MIC-area jurisdictions to apply for implementation grants within the SS4A program to fund safety mitigation projects in targeted high risk/high priority locations.
Board approval is required as the first step in amending the MIC’s Work Program and Budget, before we can move forward in seeking the necessary state and federal approvals to make this change.
Public Notice: Administrative Modification #1 to the MIC’s 2023 UPWP
Additional Scope of Work and Funding for the Duluth Area I-35 Corridor Plan
Summary of Change: An additional task has been identified for the Duluth Area I-35 Corridor Plan to further evaluate the Thompson Hill area from Boundary Avenue to Central Avenue. The MIC’s consultant has provided a detailed scope of work and MnDOT has agreed to provide additional funds in the amount of $94,956.84, thereby increasing its share of the 2023 project budget from $80,000.00 to $174,956.84. No additional state or federal planning funds will be used.
Reason: Initial work on the I-35 Plan identified the need for a more detailed analysis of the Thompson Hill segment of the I-35 study area to better understand and document environmental concerns to aid in project scoping; and to further refine design concepts which may include a truck climbing lane for Thompson Hill, the I-35/Grand/Central Avenue interchange, and improved pedestrian/bike connections under I-35 in the West Duluth/Spirit Valley neighborhoods.
The additional work, involving technical analyses, agency coordination and public engagement, will be completed within the original project timeline. A technical memorandum documenting the analysis, findings, and agency input will be included in the final Plan.
New planning projects proposed for inclusion in the MIC’s 2023 work program were presented and discussed at the August TAC and MIC meetings.
What is included in the MIC’s UPWP?
The MIC work program is an annual publication that describes the planning activities the MIC will undertake and be involved in during the following two years, summarizes MIC’s recent planning activities and accomplishments, and identifies how federal, state, and local transportation funding will be spent on the different planning activities.
Each UPWP satisfies the requirements of 23 United States Code (USC) Section 134, 49 USC Section 5303, 23 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 420 and 450, and 2 CFR Part 200. The UPWPs identify and outline transportation planning activities for the period of January 1 through December 31 each year.
The publication of an MPO work program is required by federal law as a condition of receiving federal transportation funding.
MIC includes a Statement of Non-discrimination as part of the UPWP as well as a self-certification summary that details how the MIC complies with the applicable federal laws, including Title VI.
Funding Sources
The MIC’s work activities as described in the UPWP are supported by funding from the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation, the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission and the Northwest Regional Planning Commission.
Draft 2024-2025 MIC Work Program and Budget (Open for comment through 9/6/23)
DRAFT-2024-25-MIC-Work-Program-Budget-RW-1.pdf