Preparing for the Greater Syracuse Metropolitan Area’s transportation future involves careful planning. How does transportation affect our air quality? What is the condition of our roads and bridges? What kinds of facilities and services are needed to support planned growth or improve the safety of our transportation system? These are just some of the questions that were addressed as the Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council (SMTC) worked on the 2007 Update to its 2020 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The 2007 update was approved by the SMTC's Policy Committee on June 12, 2007. The SMTC is now working on the next update, to be completed in mid-2011.

In January 1995, the SMTC published the 2020 Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The LRTP serves as a blueprint that guides the Syracuse Metropolitan Area's transportation development over a 25-year period. Updated approximately every three years (1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007) to reflect changing conditions and new planning principles, the LRTP Update specifically looks at major urban transportation planning concerns as environmental/air quality; complete access to transportation; alternative transportation modes (e.g., air, rail, water, bicycle, pedestrian); the impact of land development on the transportation system; highway congestion; and maintenance of the existing infrastructure.

Throughout the production of the LRTP 2011 Update, the SMTC will be reaching out to the community-at-large in an effort to gather the informed views of the public regarding preferences for future development and transportation needs. The SMTC invites YOU to participate in the LRTP 2011 Update process, and play a vital role in creating a vision for the area’s transportation system.