NEPA RURAL PLANNING ORGANIZATION (RPO)

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA) serves as the coordinating agency for rural transportation planning in the rural region that includes Carbon, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill and Wayne counties. Designated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) as the RPO for these counties, NEPA is contracted to engage in various transportation planning and programming activities including the administration of the RPO's Transportation Improvement Program. As a result of the agreement with the PennDOT, NEPA convenes the Northeastern Pennsylvania Rural Transportation Planning Organization (NPRTPO) Committee, who assists and advises NEPA with assessing and evaluating the transportation needs and priorities in the region.

The NPRTPO Committee is comprised of 14 voting members which includes one primary representative from each county, transportation professionals from PennDOT District 4-0, District 5-0 and the Central Office, a representative from NEPA and five at-large members, each appointed from the five rural counties of carbon, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill and Wayne. The NPRTPO Committee is guided by Operational Procedures, which were adopted in August 2002.

NPRTPO Committee members are faced with various decisions and tasks which include, analyzing alternatives for various transportation projects in the region; assuring safety concerns are addressed when the roadways and corridors are expanded or re-designed; evaluating and recommending Transportation Enhancement projects (trails, transportation museums, streetscape pedestrian/bicycle facilities projects, etc.); evaluating and recommending Hometown Street/Safe Route to School projects and prioritizing highway and bridge projects.