Transportation Planning

Transportation planning is the process of identifying transportation problems and looking for solutions to those problems. The Regional Planning Commission’s (RPCs) of Missouri work with federal and local governments, state departments of transportation, transit agencies, area stakeholders and the public to ensure that the plans and projects developed help move the region toward the goal of achieving a rising quality of life for everyone. Transportation planners look at different transportation alternatives and work with the public to select those that make the most sense based on the long-term goals for the region.

Transportation Advisory Committee | Agendas/Minutes

Without the public's input and ideas, state and local planners cannot have a true understanding of a community’s needs. The goal of the RPC is to have significant and ongoing public involvement in the transportation planning process. A period for public comment is provided for the updates and major amendments to all of the primary transportation planning projects for which the RPC’s are responsible.

The Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission (OFRPC) plays a vital role in determining the transportation needs that are of significant importance to the five-county region. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has developed a process that utilizes the planning skills of the RPC as well as their experience working with federal grant monies for localized tailoring of transportation planning.

This planning process includes compiling an annual prioritized listing of maintenance and construction projects that consists of suggestions submitted on behalf of local citizens and elected officials via members of a Transportation Advisory Committee or TAC. These suggestions are then prioritized by an agreed upon method outlined in the MoDOT Practitioners Manual and ranked according to their financial and structural feasibility.

The Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission formed the Ozark Foothills Transportation Advisory Committee in Fiscal Year 1995 with the help of the Missouri Department of Transportation and MoDOT’s two District Engineers who oversaw the region. Until July 2011, the Ozark Foothills region was split with two counties belonging in MoDOT District 10 and three in District 9. After restructuring, the entire region now belongs in the Southeast District. Membership on the TAC covers the five-county region and includes five members from each county that act as representatives from the business, industrial, educational, financial, health care, and government fields. 

The process also entails the compilation of a regional transportation plan that serves as a guideline for annual transportation over a prolonged period of time. A Link to the 2023 Regional Transportation Plan is available below.

OFRPC and its regional partners have developed a Coordinated Public Transit–Human Services Transportation Plan for the Ozark Foothills region, as required by SAFETEA-LU federal legislation. The plan outlines how transit agencies, social service agencies, municipalities and other transportation providers can most efficiently and effectively work together to improve regional mobility for individuals with special transportation needs. The plan is available below. 

Please contact Andrew Murphy, Ozark Foothills Transportation Planning Coordinator, with any questions at (573) 785-6402 or andrew@ofrpc.org. Copies of Transportation Advisory Committee Agendas and Minutes can be found by clicking Agendas/Minutes at the top of the page. 

General PDFs