What is ATRC?

The Androscoggin Transportation Resource Center (ATRC) is responsible for planning the transportation system for the Greater Lewiston-Auburn Area. Known as a Metropolitan Planning Organization, ATRC was established by federal requirement of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1962 and designated to serve the urbanized area of Lewiston, Auburn, Lisbon, and a portion of Sabattus. As a regional hub for businesses, services and community life, the ATRC Region is home to 70,000 residents and 37,000 jobs.
 
Who is ATRC?
 
ATRC is comprised of a Policy Committee of elected and appointed officials from the Cities of Lewiston and Auburn, the Towns of Lisbon and Sabattus, the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments (AVCOG), as well as the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce, the Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA), Western Maine Transportation Services, the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT), and the federal funding agencies of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT). A Technical Committee made up of transportation planners, engineers, advocates and service providers make recommendations to the Policy Committee on technical matters. Members of the Policy and Technical Committees are appointed by their respective municipalities.
 
The Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments (AVCOG) provides professional staffing to the ATRC Policy Committee.
 
What is ATRC responsible for?
 
ATRC is responsible for planning the surface transportation network, including principal and minor arterials, collector roads, bridges, rail, public transit, and facilities for biking and walking. Short and long-range improvements are outlined in the following documents:
     
Long-Range Transportation Plan - The current plan is being updated and will define what the region's transportation system will look like in 20 years - 2025. The plan considers projected growth in population, employment, and residential and commercial development as the basis for new policies and projects to facilitate all modes of transportation, including roads and highways, rail, public transit, and biking and walking.
 
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a capital improvement program developed every two years in cooperation with the Maine Department of Transportation. This program results in a prioritized list of transportation projects that are submitted for federal, state and local funding, such as road resurfacing and reconstruction.
 
ATRC also provides a Unified Planning Work Programon a biennial basis, which identifies the work to be accomplished by the staff and planning studies requested by member communities. In the past, the work program has included studies of major highway corridors, parking demand and supply, truck routes, traffic signal coordination, and traffic impact on new development as well as local assistance in traffic reviews and studies.
 
As a general rule of thumb, ATRC is not directly responsible for design and construction of transportation projects or in the operation and maintenance of the region's existing transportation infrastructure. Local municipalities and the Maine Department of Transportation perform those functions. Also, funding decisions for improvements on local streets and townways, such as resurfacing or stop signs, are made at the municipal level, not by ATRC.
 
How do projects get selected for funding?
 
Transportation projects are proposed by communities through their elected or administrative officials and forwarded to ATRC. The ATRC Technical Committee reviews proposals and, in cooperation with the MaineDOT, develops cost estimates. Next, ATRC staff ranks the proposals based on technical criteria, including traffic volume, safety, pavement condition, cost per lane mile, and inclusion of improvements for biking and walking. The Technical Committee then reviews the rankings and recommends a list of projects to the Policy Committee. The ATRC Policy Committee reviews the recommendations and approves a final list that considers the rankings as well as other factors, such as the potential of the project to promote economic development, reduce air pollution and support transportation alternatives. The final list is submitted to the Maine Department of Transportation. This planning cycle occurs every two years for the next two-year budget cycle. For example, projects to be constructed in the years 2004 and 2005 are submitted for consideration in 2002.
 
How much is the ATRC budget?
 
Approximately $5.7 million dollars in federal dollars are allocated to ATRC every two years. Other transportation dollars outside of this allocation may flow in on a project basis, such as funds for the construction of bike lanes, bridges, or work on the Maine Turnpike, including exits.
 
What's new?
 

A Traffic Signal Management System to better control the signals and improve traffic flow in and through the cities.

Examining Access Management along Route 196 in Lewiston and Lisbon to aid the communities in developing standards that enhance growth while not restricting traffic flow along Route 196. 
The continuing efforts to determine the the possibility of and where a new Maine Turnpike interchange or interchanges might be located to facilitate better access to the Lewiston and Auburn Downtowns.

 
How can I get involved?
 
ATRC places a high priority on public involvement. There are many opportunities to participate in the development of the region's transportation network:
 
Attend monthly Policy and Technical Committee meetings, which are open to the public
Participate on two independent transportation committees - Lewiston-Auburn Transit Committee and the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport Board
Express transportation problems and project ideas to your municipal officials every project submitted to ATRC must ultimately be endorsed by the municipal councils
Comment on proposed transportation projects. The list is available at municipal offices and libraries, printed in the Sun Journal and posted on the ATRC Web site (www.atrcmpo.org)
Attend design meetings in your community to shape the development of funded projects
 
Policy Committee*
              Voting Members
Auburn - Laurie Smith, Acting City Manager
Auburn - Eric LaBelle, Community Services Director
Auburn - Mayor John Jenkins (Alt.)
Lewiston - James Bennett, City Administrator
Lewiston - David Jones, Director, Public Services Department
Lewiston - Phil Nadeau, Assistant City Administrator (Alt.)
AVCOG - Robert Thompson, Director (Chairman)
AVCOG - Jim Collins, President
Lisbon - Steve Eldridge, Town Manager
Lisbon - Layne Curtis, Councilor
Lisbon - Dale Crafts, Councilor (Alt.)
Sabattus - Gregory Gill, Town Manager
MaineDOT - Duane Scott
Maine Turnpike Authority - Conrad Welzel
 
Technical Committee*
      Voting Members
            Auburn - Robert Belz, Director, Public Works Department
            Auburn - Eric LaBelle, Community Services Director
            Auburn - Sid Hazelton, Asst. Public Works Director (Alt.)
            Lewiston - Paul Boudreau, Director, Public Works Department (Chair)
            Lewiston - Richard Burnham, City Engineer, Public Services Department
            Lewiston - David Hediger, Deputy Director, Department of Planning & Code Enforcement (Alt.)
            Lisbon - Ryan Leighton, Town Engineer, Department of Public Works
            Lisbon - Elwood Beal, (Alt)
            Sabattus - John Hyde, Public Works
            MaineDOT - Mike Laberge, Bureau of Planning
            AVCOG - Joan Walton, Transportation Planner
            AVCOG - John Maloney, Senior Land Use Planner (Alt.)
            Maine Turnpike Authority - Jonathan LaBonte
 
*Technical Committee and Policy Committee—Non-Voting Members
            Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce
            Lewiston - Auburn Transit Committee
            Federal Highway Administration
            Federal Transit Administration
            Federal Railroad Administration
            Federal Aviation Administration