Butler County will be identifying transportation needs and prioritizing projects to meet those needs.

The county commissioners on Wednesday hired the engineering firm Whitman, Requardt & Associates of Evans City to develop the first phase of a mobility plan at a cost not to exceed $16,748.

The scope of work under the first phase, which is to be completed within a few months, is to prioritize multimodal (multiple methods) transportation projects, policies and programs for the county.

Funding sources also would be identified.

County Commissioner Leslie Osche said transportation projects have languished in the past.

“It was time to move forward,” she said.

Osche said in an interview one such project is long-awaited improvements to Route 228.

“(Route) 228 has been a long time coming,” she said.

Commissioner Kim Geyer said the mobility plan is part of the county’s emphasis on transportation.

“We are very focused on transportation throughout the county and advocating for funding,” Geyer said.

Osche explained the plan does not entail conducting a new study, but rather collecting information from existing studies, such as one done by the Butler Transit Authority.

“We don’t want to do another study,” she said.

Geyer agreed.

“It’s not going to reinvent anything,” she said.

Commissioner Kevin Boozel echoed his colleagues’ comments.

“It’s just pulling the pieces together,” Boozel said.

Osche said the mobility plan also would establish a planning process to address future needs.

She said the plan should encompass such issues as transporting workers between Butler and Cranberry Township.

According to Osche, the impact of not meeting transportation needs extends to other areas.

“We don’t want a business development held up by something a transportation project could handle,” said.

Boozel said the plan should look at what services the county provides, such as the Butler Area Rural Transit (BART) buses, and the impact of more recent modes of private transportation, such as Uber, the riding service in which the drivers use their own vehicles.

“My ultimate goal is to develop a short-range plan and a long-range plan.

The first phase of the mobility plan includes reviewing comprehensive plans, which are guides on how to best use all resources, and economic development plans.

The engineering firm would then use the plan reviews, geographic information system data and planning tools to determine the county’s transportation needs.

The plan’s initial phase also would create a process for setting priorities and locating funding opportunities.

The contract cost covers up to 148 hours of work from two staff members from the firm.