The Northwest Indiana Regional Plan Commission (NIRPC) will be hosting a series of public workshops to iron out its new Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Application. This will build on the present Transportation Enhancement (TE) Application which has been in circulation for several years.

Anyone interested in trail development in Porter County is encouraged to attend one of the workshops.

The goal for these workshops is to have a draft TAP Application ready for the Ped, Pedal and Paddle Committee to review at their Dec. 13 meeting. If approved, it will move on to the TPC and Full Commission at their January meetings. The Indiana Department of Transportation has not yet set a date for the application cycle.

The scheduled dates for the workshops are Monday, Nov. 19 and Tuesday, Nov. 27, both at 1:30 p.m. Additional workshops may be scheduled if necessary throughout December. NIRPC plans on holding workshops until the new TAP draft application is finalized for review.

Major topics of importance include: Inclusion of Safe Routes to School program, Eligible projects, Updates to the Priority Corridor Map, Target percentages for proposed funding, and the Review process for the application.

All meetings will take place at the NIRPC offices located at 6100 Southport Road in Portage.

Posted 11/15/2012