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24 <br /> There are several steps involved in the MTP Process (Attachment 2), and the current focus <br /> is on the Alternatives Analysis. Goals and objectives were identified previously, and the <br /> Deficiency Analysis and Needs Assessment were completed in May 2021. An Alternative is <br /> a combination of improvements to a transportation network. This includes a set of highway, <br /> transit, other transportation improvements (such as bicycle and pedestrian improvements), <br /> and a land use scenario that depicts the distribution of population and employment for the <br /> year 2050. These Alternatives are then analyzed using the Triangle Regional Model (TRM), <br /> which forecasts future travel statistics based on assumptions concerning the highway <br /> network, transit service and other transportation facilities. It is very unlikely that one of the <br /> Alternatives in its entirety would be advanced as the Preferred Option. Most likely, the final <br /> MTP will be a combination of the various Alternatives. <br /> Attachment 3 provides the full schedule of MTP Local Input meetings on the Alternatives <br /> Analysis. Press releases and public engagement events have been posted on the county's <br /> website throughout the planning process. More information on the 2050 MTP can be found <br /> on DCHC MPO 2050 MTP website. <br /> MPO Next Steps <br /> Over the next few months, the DCHC MPO Board will use comments collected from the <br /> public and local governments to direct the development of a Preferred Option. The Preferred <br /> Option becomes the Draft 2050 MTP, which is anticipated to be released in October 2021. <br /> The Final 2050 MTP is tentatively scheduled to be adopted by the MPO Board in December <br /> 2021. <br /> Staff Involvement <br /> Orange County Transportation Planning staff attends bi-weekly meetings at Triangle J <br /> Council of Government (TJCOG) where TJCOG, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill <br /> Institute of Transportation Research and Education (UNC ITRE), the Federal Highway <br /> Administration (FHWA), the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the <br /> Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), DCHC MPO, and local technical <br /> staff discuss every aspect and detail of the Community Viz model and the Triangle Regional <br /> Model (TRM). Both programs analyze the transportation network in a comprehensive and <br /> multimodal manner. The TRM is vetted by multiple agencies including UNC's ITRE (ITRE), <br /> TJCOG, CAMPO, and DCHC MPO technical staff. Throughout the planning process, Orange <br /> and Durham County staffs worked with local jurisdictions and regional agencies in multi-step <br /> data review including: <br /> • Community Viz— Current and Future Land Use parcels, including Certificate of <br /> Occupancy <br /> • Network Analysis — Road network data review, including lane and shoulder width <br /> • Employment Analysis — Point data for all places of employment <br /> Attachment 4 is a list of Orange County (including municipal) major highway projects in the <br /> Alternatives Analysis. Any specific comments on the list are welcome at this time and may <br /> assist with the selection of highway projects to be included in the Preferred Option (Draft <br /> 2050 Plan). Transit, bicycle and pedestrian project lists are not yet available from the MPO. <br /> However, it is expected that the Orange County transit projects will be initially taken from the <br /> Orange County Transit Plan (2017) and any new or different projects resulting from the <br /> Transit Plan Update (2021) will be incorporated at a later date. <br /> Key highlight in Draft 2050 MTP highway projects: <br />