What is the Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization?
YMPO is a transportation policy-making organization made up of representatives from local government and transportation
authorities - the City of San Luis, the City of Somerton, the Town of Wellton, the City of Yuma, the Cocopah
Indian Tribe, Yuma County, and the Arizona Department of Transportation. Our mission is to establish a comprehensive, coordinated,
continuing transportation planning process for all of Yuma County. We rely on the member agencies and consultants
for support, research, and data collection.
When does the YMPO meet?
The Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization meets on the last
Thursday of each month.
Who decides when and where a road gets built?
Generally, elected bodies such as City Councils, the Board of Supervisors, and the Arizona Department of Transportation adopt programs to fund specific projects. Projects and State
routes that are funded with federal money must be included in the YMPO 5-year program of projects. The YMPO Executive Board acts on projects included in the program.
How can I find out if my street is slated for improvements?
You can download or request a copy of the Regional
Transportation Plan for details.
Do you perform zone planning?
No. You must contact your local city, town, or county government.
Do you manage the Railroad system?
No. We are currently working with the City of Yuma to help incorporate a Multi-Modal Transportation Center.
The MMTC incorporates rail, bus, and taxi within one central location. The MMTC's goal is to improve mobility
of the Yuma region, stimulate economic development, enhance local historic and architectural heritage, and raise
the image of transportation services in Yuma.
Where can I find information on employment with YMPO?
We are a small agency and therefore rarely have job openings. If you are interested in employment with us,
you can check our job openings page which includes local Federal and Private links. Or visit any of our local government
entities' websites. For their websites and more information, go to our Local
Government page.
Do you offer internships?
No. As mentioned above, if you are interested in government employment, we suggest that you contact the local
jurisdictions. Please see our Local Government page.
General Public Transportation.
When will Yuma have a complete
Public Transit System?
The YMPO is doing a Regional Transportation
Plan that has a short term Transit Element and a long term Transit
Element. YCAT, (Yuma County Area Transit) is a fixed route Public
Transit bus system currently in service in our area and is growing
very quickly. As of May 05, YCAT passengers enjoy the option of
utilizing five different synchronized sector routes including transfer
locations. These routes operate 6 days a week excluding Sundays
and holidays, an average of 12 hours a day, and arrive at each designated
stop only 1:05 min. apart. See route map for stop locations, time
schedules and fare information. (Click
Here) Yuma is in the planning stage. Increased fixed route growth
and extended service hours are coming soon. In the meantime, please
learn more about Dial-A-Ride
and YCAT.
Dial-A-Ride
¿Quién se puede beneficiar de Dial-A-Ride?
Anyone who needs transportation within the Yuma/Urban and outlying areas
and is 60 years of age and older or, any age but disabled.
Cualquier
persona que necesite transporte para viajar dentro de la área urbana
de Yuma y los poblado cercanos.
Anyone who needs to commute on a regular basis to medical and dental appointments, shopping, job interviews,
school, sports activities, just to name a few.
Cualquier persona que necesite viajar con regularidad a sus citas
con el médico o dentista, de compras, a entrevistas de trabajo
y actividades escolares o deportivas, sólo para mencionar
algunos casos.
When can children use Dial-A-Ride?
Beginning with the fourth grade (age 9) if disabled, the children must
be accompanied by an adult. At the fifth grade and sixth grade level (age
10-11), children can ride by themselves.
Service is available in Yuma, San Luis, Gadsden, Somerton, Foothills, and
the town of Wellton. If it is convenient for you, it will pick you up at
your house.
Do I need an I.D. Card?
An identification Card I.D. is required that contains an individual service
number. Proof of age or disability is required to obtain the I.D. card.
A card can be obtained at the YMPO offices during normal working hours at
502 S Orange Ave , Yuma. When calling for a ride the number must be used.
When should I have to call Dial-A-Ride
to reserve a pick-up?
Although we advertise 24-hour advance notice for DAR reservations, we recommend
that you call 48 hours in advance. With the overwhelming popularity in DAR,
reservations are booked within 24-hours. To be sure that you get the pick-up
and drop-off time you desire, be sure to call 24 to 48-hours in advance.
Be sure to call before 3 p.m.
No. DAR can only be used by those 60 years old or older and those of any
age with a disability. Children with disabilities can ride, see above.
How much does it cost to ride?
Within the Yuma urban area, it is $3 per trip anywhere outside
this area is $4 per trip. View the area map for more details.
When is the service available?
The DAR service is available Monday through Saturday, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
and YCAT 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
YCAT - YUMA COUNTY AREA TRANSIT
Where are the YCAT Bus Stops?
For bus stop locations, you can call 928 783 2235 for locations
or view the YCAT Transit map at www.ycat.org
What is the bus schedule?
YCAT's bus schedule is an easy to read list of routes, times, and
locations for your convenience. It allows you to plan an excursion
by location and time. On the reverse side of the schedule you will
also see a map for geographical reference. www.ycat.org
How much does it cost to ride YCAT?
Simply, the fare is $3 each San Luis to the City of Yuma and $1
within the Yuma area including a transfer. View the fare
matrix.
When will it will be expanded to
include more of the City of Yuma, the Foothills, and extend it hours?
Additional routes and extended hours needs are continually evaluated.
As the use of YCAT continues to grow so too will it's services.
www.ycat.org
Traffic Counts
Traffic counts record the number of vehicles using a roadway. YMPO performs quarterly counts (February, May,
September, and November) with annual counts performed along I-8. These counts are for a 24-hour period. If you
are interested, you can learn more at our Traffic Count page.
What is the traffic count
on a specific roadway or count station?
Begin with the year you are interested. To locate a specific count, first find the location on the traffic
count map showing each count station. Once you have the count station number, go to the traffic counts spreadsheet
for that year to locate the quarterly and annual average for that station.
How can I pick up a printed copy of the most recent Traffic
Counts?
You can either call us at 520.783.8911, come by our office at 520 S. Orange
Ave., or go to our Traffic Count website.
Annual traffic counts are published by the end of February of the following year.
The Area Service Highway)
The Area Service Highway is a planned high-speed truck route that
will link San Luis, Arizona to Interstate 8 and US95 east of the
City of Yuma. With local traffic consistently increasing by an average
of 2.3% annually, the local jurisdictions including Yuma County,
the City of Yuma, the Cocopah Indian Tribe, the Town of Wellton,
and the City of San Luis developed an alternate route for vehicles.
The Area Service Highway is expected to play a major role in servicing
economic development and growth.
Coupled with a proposed new commercial vehicle port-of-entry at
the U.S./Mexico border at Avenue E, the Area Service Highway will
constitute a major linkage to serve international trade. It will
add roadway capacity in the border area to serve increased industrial
activity on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border.
How can I find out if the Area Service
Highway(SR 195) will affect my property?
Please call YMPO at 520.783.8911 or you can e-mail us ympo@ympo.org.
Please provide your address and cross-streets. You can also look
at our Area Service Highway.
Estimated cost of the Area Service Highway is $ 86.7 million. On
January 7, 1999, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT)
signed an Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Yuma, Yuma
County, the City of San Luis, AZ., the Cocopah Indian Tribe, and
the Town of Wellton, defining the cost allocation among the participating
entities. These local governments have agreed to bear $ 28 million
of the actual cost, upon completion. $14.1 million will be in the
form of turnback credits from ADOT, $ 750,000 in TEA-21 Project
appropriated funds and $13,150,000 local contribution. ADOT will
bear the remaining costs (approx. 60%).
In September 2000, Yuma County voters approved a half-cent increase
in sales tax to fund capital improvement projects, on of which is
the local contribution for the Area Service Highway.
San Luis East Port-of-Entry
Who is in charge of building the new Port?
Currently, that responsibility lies with the Greater Yuma Port Authority
(GYPA). The GYPA is an intergovernmental entity made up of the City of Somerton, the City of San Luis, the
Cocopah Indian Tribe, and the County of Yuma. GYPA has hired a financial consultant that will assist them in identifying
funding sources for the project.
The GYPA will facilitate the construction of the crossing, ensuring that all local land use plans are met and
stimulate economic development by acquiring enough land for future expansion.
Why are we building the new port?
An average of 360 trucks cross the border in San Luis daily right now and that number is projected to grow
to 1,200 by the year 2015. It is simply untenable to keep that number of heavy vehicles in the downtown areas of
the two sister cities of San Luis, Rio Colorado and San Luis, Arizona. Efficiency, health, and safety argue for
establishment of a crossing for commercial vehicles only. According to US Government data, in 1998 Arizona ranked
4th among US states in exports to Mexico. Exports will continue to grow and we need to be ready to handle them,
as well as the increasing amounts of goods imported from Mexico.
Where is the new port to be located?
The San Luis East Port-Of-Entry will be located on Avenue E just at the border, approximately five miles east
of the current port in San Luis. It will be strategically connected to the new Area Service Highway.
Population
Where can I get information on local Census population counts?
YMPO is a great resource for population figures. Go to our Population
Page for more detailed information.
We will post Census 2000 counts as they become available. In the meantime, you can learn more at our Census page
or go to other population resources:
National Census - http://www.census.gov/
Factfinder: http://factfinder.census.gov/
Arizona Department of Economic Security - http://www.de.state.az.us/links/economic/webpage/page2.html
When will the Census 2000 counts be ready for public distribution?
Census 2000 counts are slowly being released. So far, we have
population counts by location and tract and demographics (age,
race, households, and gender) by location.
Where can I get Census Tract numbers?
We can provide that service on our website at http://www.ympo.org/population_tracts.htm.
Publications
What publications does YMPO provide the public?
You can go to our Publications
page for this information.
What is the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP)?
Formerly the Countywide Transportation Plan, the RTP is a twenty-year plan guiding future projects as they
relate to projected land development and the transportation infrastructure needed to serve the development of Yuma
County. As the plan is a collective effort and proposes a balanced transportation system, all viable modes of transportation
(auto, truck, rail, air, bicycle, and pedestrian) are considered, thus making the plan intermodal. The policy places
efficiency and energy conservation at the center as it defines and initiates management systems. In addition, it
includes Short and Long Range Plan recommendations and is financially constrained.
Learn more.
What is the Transportation Improvement Plan?
The TIP is an area-wide transportation system-planning program and includes Yuma's regional transportation
system plan and short-range transportation improvement program. It is central program management tool for prioritizing
metropolitan transportation programs. Each of the projects proposed for implementation in the TIP are consistent
with the Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization's 2000-2023 Regional Transportation Plan.
Learn more.
What are Traffic Count Reports?
YMPO annually publishes a report that provides the prior year's traffic counts within the greater Yuma area.
Learn more.
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