San Antonio-Bexar County Urban Transportation Study: Unified Planning Work Program, Fiscal Year 1997 Page: 6 of 120

                                
SAN ANTONIO - BEXAR COUNTY MPO
A.   PURPOSE
This document presents the FY 1997 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for the San
Antonio-Bexar County area. It delineates the activities to be accomplished during the period October
1, 1996 through September 30, 1997, the funding requirements, and the agency responsible for
accomplishing the tasks. It is organized in four sections. The first section describes the background
and history of transportation planning in the area and the physical planning area within which planning
activities will be concentrated. The second section describes briefly the organizational structure of the
transportation planning process and the functional responsibilities of the planning agencies. The third
section presents an overview of private sector involvement , planning issues, and National Emphasis
areas, including the sixteen factors to be considered when developing plans and programs under the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). The fourth section details the work
elements of the FY 1997 UPWP.
Appendix A contains the composition of the various committees involved in the planning
process, including the policy board. Appendix B includes the Texas Transportation Commission
approved Metropolitan Area Boundary Map. Appendix C is the MPO's Debarment Certification.
Appendix D contains the Lobbying Certification. Appendix E holds the Drug-Free Work Place Act
Certification for A Public Or Private Entity. The Adopted Policies of the San Antonio-Bexar County
MPO are in Appendix F and Appendix G includes the Continuing Phase Agreement.
B.   DEFINITION OF AREA
Planning activities within the transportation program will be concentrated within Bexar County.
Appendix B shows the study area which encompasses over 1,200 square miles. Nearly 80 percent of
the population resides within the incorporated limits of San Antonio which encompasses over 368
square miles. San Antonio is the third largest city in Texas. Like many large urban areas, rapid
growth and development have contributed to ever-increasing needs in transportation. Consequently,
the majority of planning activities will be aimed at meeting those needs within San Antonio.
C.   ORGANIZATION
The transportation planning process in San Antonio and Bexar County has two basic
organizational units - policy and technical. Both utilize a committee structure to provide a cooperative
process for planning. These are described in the following sections.
Policy Organization
The policy organizational unit is composed of the San Antonio-Bexar County Urban
Transportation Study (SABCUTS) Steering Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Steering
Committee). The Steering Committee, the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for
San Antonio and Bexar County, is composed of elected and appointed City, County, State,
Metropolitan Transit Authority officials, and Suburban Cities. Its responsibilities are as follows:
" Provide a forum for cooperative decision-making by principal elected officials of general
purpose local government;
- Carry out the urban transportation planning process as required by law for urbanized areas in
conformity with applicable federal regulations and guidelines;

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