Lesson Learned: Planning Agency (MPO) Leads Regional TIM Program

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) serving Pittsburgh and the 10 counties of the western and southwestern area of Pennsylvania, facilitates the operation of a regional TIM steering committee and localized TIM teams for the purpose of advancing preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts associated with TIM in the region. In the absence of an established, coordinated program, SPC (in 2011) organized a regional TIM steering committee and a localized TIM team in an area where the PA Turnpike meets Interstate 79, a major north-south roadway serving the western Pennsylvania region. Currently, several teams have been formed. All promotion, facilitation, and program specifics are organized by SPC, with consultant assistance. This has united the concerns and talents of the multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional area, as outlined in this Lesson Learned.