As the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Whatcom Metropolitan Planning Area, WCOG is required to annually describe the activities it will undertake to complete its planning responsibilities and how federal (and other) funds will be allocated to support specific work items. The resulting document is the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). WCOG develops the region’s UPWP in consultation with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), the Whatcom Transportation Authority, and the other member entities represented on the Whatcom Transportation Policy Board.
The UPWP’s focus is derived from the region’s long-range transportation plan, Way to go, Whatcom, as well as the planning emphasis areas specified in federal regulations and in the Revised Code of Washington.
The UPWP is developed annually. It describes all transportation planning activities anticipated within the Washington State fiscal year and indicates which of those activities will receive federal funding. Its acceptance each year by WSDOT and the Federal Highway Administration ensures that federal funding will be available to WCOG to support its various planning activities.
For more information on the Unified Planning Work Program, please contact Hugh Conroy, WCOG Director, at hugh@wcog.org or by calling (360) 685-8384.