The purpose of the 2055 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is to identify how the Birmingham metropolitan region intends to invest in the transportation system for the next 20+ years to accommodate current travel demands and future growth. It is the latest update to our region’s long-range transportation plan. The RTP is updated every four years in order to reassess investment priorities, update the analysis of trends and projections in the region, and plan for new transportation investments over a 25 year horizon.

The RTP includes all modes of surface transportation including roadways, public transportation, bicycles, pedestrians and freight. It identifies and analyzes transportation needs within the metropolitan region, articulates a vision for how the transportation system will be organized and function, identifies broad goals and project priorities, and considers the reality of future funding availability.

The RTP is federally required to ensure that transportation projects are coordinated between the various levels of government (local, county, state and federal). The RTP will ensure eligibility of projects for federal transportation funding as the plan serves as the framework for guiding federally funded transportation investments.

Following the adoption of the plan by the Birmingham MPO, projects, further studies, and strategies/actions are implemented by local and state entities responsible for maintaining and improving the transportation system. The Birmingham MPO approves projects through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP is a subset of the RTP, and provides a short-term (four-year) work program that accomplishes the objectives of the RTP, and essentially is the first four years of the 25-year RTP. For more information about the TIP visit www.rpcgb.org