Sep 30, 2015 2 min read

In an effort to facilitate a discussion about the future of transportation in our region, a new public-private partnership, the Regional Transportation Alliance of Southwestern Pennsylvania, was launched Wednesday.

RTA will be directed by a 22-person steering committee that includes public- and private-sector leaders from 10 counties and the City of Pittsburgh. Washington County is included in the partnership.

“Transportation is fundamental to economic development and vibrant communities,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, a member of the RTA steering committee. “As a region, it’s critical that we take a visionary approach toward determining our transportation needs.”

The group’s first activity is an “Imagine Transportation” crowdsourcing initiative, which will be used to identify transportation priorities through community feedback. Over the next eight weeks, more than 700 regional stakeholder groups will be contacted and asked to identify their most critical transportation problems and their ideas to address them.

Community responses will be collected in November and will be reviewed and used in ongoing discussions.

“Improving connectivity and mobility throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania is a crucial issue facing our region,” said Steve Craig, RTA co-chairman and Lawrence County commissioner. “The launch of the RTA and its crowdsourcing initiative is just the first step in a journey to redefine how the region’s transportation network functions.”

For more information about the RTA, including guidance for groups that wish to participate in the crowdsourcing exercise, visit RegionalTransportationAlliance.org.