Proceso de priorización de proyectos 2025

La Lista de proyectos priorizados contiene una lista de proyectos de carreteras, transporte público, bicicletas y peatones que no cuentan con financiación y que han sido priorizados para su financiación. La lista se actualiza anualmente, lo que permite a los gobiernos locales planificar la financiación y la implementación de proyectos en sus respectivas comunidades. Las prioridades se basan en criterios establecidos, como los volúmenes de tráfico, los impactos ambientales y los fondos locales de contrapartida disponibles.

The Heartland Regional Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) coordinates transportation plans for the Heartland region of Florida, including the six counties of DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee, and the urbanized area of Highlands County, including the cities of Sebring and Avon Park. The HRTPO provides the forum for local elected officials, their staff, and industry experts, and the public to work together to improve transportation in the Heartland Region. As the metropolitan planning organization for the Heartland of Florida, the HRTPO is preparing the region’s third Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) with the horizon year of 2050.

The 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is a multimodal transportation plan that will identify current and anticipated transportation needs in the Heartland Region for the next 20+ years. It considers all modes of transportation, including motorized vehicles, public transportation, bicycles, walking, freight and goods movement, and air travel.

Download Draft 2050 LRTP

What we heard

Safety concerns on major corridors and within town centers

Across the Heartland Region, comments often referenced concerns about high speeds, frequent crashes, and stressful travel conditions on major corridors that also function as local main streets in some communities. In towns, people also expressed concern about safe crossings and conditions for walking and bicycling.

The LRTP is the adopted, performance based, financially constrained blueprint that connects goals to measurable outcomes and provides the required basis for programming projects, demonstrating fiscal constraint, coordinating with state and transit performance plans, and maintaining eligibility for federal transportation funding.

People & Places

The counties of the Heartland share a rich cultural history and unique natural resources that provide dynamic opportunities and challenges in the coming decades. The six HRTPO counties are within the South-Central Rural Area of Opportunity (RAO), which is defined as a region composed of rural communities that have been adversely affected by extraordinary economic events or natural disasters and designated as such by the State of Florida.

Across the Heartland counties, residents consistently describe transportation as a key factor in quality of life, and they show a clear desire to strengthen mobility options in practical, community-centered ways. People value the region’s connected small towns and rural character, but they also emphasize that daily life is highly car-dependent and that many households, especially older adults, people with disabilities, and residents without reliable vehicles, face real barriers reaching jobs, healthcare, groceries, and community activities.

Population Growth

Trends

1 Vision & Goals

Identifying a clear vision and meaningful goals for the 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is essential for shaping future transportation decisions and investments across Florida's Heartland Region, encompassing DeSoto, Hardee, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties. The LRTP vision and goals are developed in alignment with federal requirements such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, state guidelines outlined in the Florida Transportation Plan 2055, and the regional priorities established in Heartland 2060. Additionally, local government comprehensive plans and the successful objectives from the region's previous LRTPs (2040 and 2045) significantly inform this planning effort.

Goal: Significantly reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads while increasing security for all users.

Address High-Crash Locations: Prioritize projects that improve safety in high crash locations and corridors.
Emergency Preparedness: Provide safe and reliable transportation options during emergencies.
System Security: Increase the security of the transportation system for both motorized and non-motorized users.
Safety Education: Support and promote driver, bicycle, and pedestrian safety education.

Goal: Enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system—across and between modes—for people and freight.

Multimodal Accessibility: Plan and design multimodal transportation systems that are accessible to all users.
Goods Movement: Improve connections to ports, rail, airports, and intermodal logistics facilities for efficient freight movement.
Regional Connectivity: Strengthen connections between major activity centers within the Heartland Region
Travel & Tourism: Enhance travel and tourism by improving the user experience and promoting regional attractions.

Goal: Maintain and develop transportation options that are in good repair, user-friendly, and supportive of healthy, active lifestyles.

Public Involvement: Encourage early and proactive public engagement, offering diverse opportunities for participation.
Congestion Reduction & Reliability: Reduce congestion and promote system reliability.
Land Use Coordination: Coordinate land use and transportation planning to support multiple modes.
Efficient Operations: Promote efficient system management and operations.

Goal: Improve the resiliency and reliability of the transportation system—today and in the future—while protecting the environment and supporting economic vitality.

Optimize Existing Facilities: Maximize the use of current transportation infrastructure.
Stormwater Management: Reduce or mitigate stormwater impacts from surface transportation.
Economic Competitiveness: Support the region’s economic vitality by enabling competitiveness, productivity, and access to national/international trade markets.
Environmental Stewardship: Minimize and mitigate air and water quality impacts, and protect and preserve the environment.
Regional Consistency: Align with the Heartland 2060: Building a Resilient Region Plan and other relevant regional plans.