Even though many transportation projects are planned at the scale of a region or a state, they have important impacts for local Main Streets. If your Main Street has an idea bubbling up that relates to transportation — from enhancing walkability to building a new bike trail — this article will help you find an entry point to partners in the transportation planning landscape. This topic is explored in greater detail in Main Street America’s new Thriving Communities Transportation Toolkit.

Valuable Transportation Perspectives on Main Street

About 75% of accredited Main Streets are located on the state and federal highway system. Regional planners may view these routes as a network of corridors that accommodate the movement of traffic and freight across larger distances, but Main Streeters have another perspective. Our downtown blocks do more than facilitate movement — they play a fundamental role in community transformation and are part of our civic infrastructure.

Find Your Way to the Transportation Planning Landscape

Despite their valuable perspectives, Main Street directors and boards are not the final decision-makers when it comes to infrastructure, but they can be critical conveners and partners. The transportation planning landscape is layered across federal, tribal, state, regional, and local entities that plan, fund, maintain, regulate, and own these facilities. It is a web of policymakers, consultants, engineers, and other specialists that can create a fog of technical complexity — making it intimidating to engage.

One of the best ways to get started is to understand the landscape of people and organizations that directly shape transportation in your community. The Main Street network is full of stories that show how powerful it can be when local programs work with their cities and states to leverage transportation initiatives. 

Louisiana Main Street is part of a team that received $1.9 million from the USDOT Thriving Communities Regional Pilot Program (TCP‑R) to accelerate infrastructure development in six Main Streets. They’re working with Main Streets that face a common challenge and opportunity — a state highway runs through their districts. The partnership is strengthening Louisiana Main Street’s relationship with state agencies like the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). In Main Street Homer, for example, heavy logging trucks pass through the courthouse square, raising concerns about safety, noise, and vibrations that can damage buildings. Through TCP‑R, Main Street Homer is playing a role in convening stakeholders and defining a vision for success in collaboration with its local DOTD district office. By working across all six Main Streets, leadership at Louisiana Main Street and the DOTD is gaining a clearer view of common opportunities and transportation approaches that could benefit Main Streets statewide. Main Streets in this initiative include Franklin Main Street, Main Street Homer, New Roads Main Street, Opelousas Main Street, St. Martinville Main Street, and Winnsboro Main Street. 

For another example, check out how the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe established meaningful partnerships across agencies to advance its projects. 

Know Your Transportation Players

Like Main Street Homer and the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, you might make inroads by getting familiar with transportation players at the local, regional, and state levels. As you get to know this landscape, you can use a Partner Map Template from the Thriving Communities Transportation Toolkit to fill in details about individuals, organizations, and ways they can help.

Local Government: Your city government is an essential partner in influencing transportation, focused on local issues. County governments can also be great partners. Your city and county may have staff members or departments focused on transportation.

• Try this: Make a list of staff members or departments that play a role in transportation in your local government. Look for titles with words like Public Works, Roads, Engineer, Community Development, or Planner. Get together with them to talk about the responsibilities they have when it comes to infrastructure in your Main Street district. What makes them proud of their work? What are their biggest challenges? What do they wish they could do better?

Regional Planning Organizations: These entities plan for cross-regional issues, including transportation. They can have a role in establishing priorities, providing technical or grant writing support, and even allocating funding. They may be referred to as ​“Metropolitan Planning Organizations” (MPOs) in urban and suburban areas, or ​“Rural Transportation Planning Organizations” (RTPOs) in rural areas. Their names may also include terms like ​“Regional Planning Commission” or ​“Association of Governments.”

• Try this: Does your community fall under an MPO or RTPO? You can ask a local official about this or do your own research. If you’re in a metropolitan area, check out this map of MPOs by USDOT. You may look into this map of members of the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), or this list of state associations of regional councils. Find out what kind of activities your regional planning organization leads. Are there opportunities for an elected official or someone from your Main Street to get involved with a planning committee?

State Departments of Transportation (DOTs): State DOTs are focused on statewide mobility, safety, and efficiency — especially for the state-owned highway network. State DOTs have larger budgets, including funds allocated from the federal level, and larger staff with specialized transportation professionals. They create Statewide Transportation Improvement Programs (STIPs) that incorporate planned projects across multi-year periods. State DOTs divide their states into Districts or Field Offices, and each district may have a dedicated representative who is an important contact for your area.

• Try this: Do you know which DOT-defined region your community falls under? Use your State DOT’s website to find out your district and contact for a title like ​“District Engineer” or ​“District Administrator.” Invite them to meet and take a walk around your Main Street, where you can ask about their knowledge and responsibilities when it comes to infrastructure in your district. For this kind of meeting, your contacts from your local government might want to join you.

Once you establish relationships with transportation players, you can explore ways to keep them engaged with your district. If there are major ongoing projects, you may need to meet more frequently. Or, consider inviting them as a guest speaker for a board meeting to provide updates on planning. 

Transportation Resources

Main Street America is a resource for Coordinating Programs and Main Streets who are navigating transportation initiatives. In 2025, MSA published the Thriving Communities Transportation Toolkit, which outlines practical approaches for identifying, developing, and funding transportation projects. Since 2023, MSA’s GM on Main Street Grant Program has funded $700,000 toward transformative and innovative road safety initiatives in communities near GM facilities. In 2019, MSA and Project for Public Spaces published Navigating Main Streets as Places, which focused on using design to balance transportation needs with place-based goals. 

Main Streets have an important role to play in transportation projects. We hope these resources give you the skills and confidence to engage with transportation planning and projects in your community.

Downtown Decorations, a Main Street America Allied Member, is this quarter’s Main Spotlight advertiser. For more information about what they do to support Main Street organizations, click here.