The Boone County Transportation Study – What's It About?

The Boone County Transportation Study has been initiated to develop a new comprehensive transportation plan for Boone County . The project will update a previous plan that was developed in 1996. This plan update is needed in response to rapid growth and development in Boone County and their impact on the transportation system. Going through this comprehensive planning process will enable the County to be proactive in dealing with continued future growth and development.  

The goals of the study are:

•  Develop a transportation system plan that is compatible with existing and future land use Improve the existing system through safety and operational improvements Identify funding shortfalls and develop strategies to address these shortfalls

•  Recommend policy changes that will better enable the County to respond to development pressures

  The study began on April 1, 2004 and is scheduled to be completed by July 31, 2005 . The following major activities are being undertaken:   •  Data Collection •  Existing Conditions Analysis •  Future Conditions Analysis •  Identification of Environmental Constraints •  Development of Recommended Improvements •  Financial Assessment   The Recommended Transportation Plan will be comprised of two components: 1) a short-term Operational Improvement Plan that involves relatively low-cost, easily-implemented safety and operational improvements; and 2) a prioritized long-range transportation plan consisting of major projects and strategies.   The project is being administered by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana (OKI) Regional Council of Governments on behalf of the Boone County Fiscal Court and the Boone County Planning Commission. A consultant, Balke American, has been contracted to perform the study. The consultant's efforts are being guided by a Project Management Team that includes the Boone County Judge/Executive, County Administrator, County Engineer , Planning Commission Director and OKI.  

A stakeholder group has been identified that will provide coordination and additional input to the study. The stakeholder group includes representatives from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet; the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport; Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK); Cities of Florence, Union and Walton; the Sierra Club; citizens; and others. Three stakeholder group meetings will be held. – The first was held on August 23, 2004 and the second on May 2, 2005 . A final stakeholder meeting will be held in early summer. A May 2 public meeting also was held after the stakeholder meeting.