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Stateline Area Transportation Study (SLATS) Metropolitan Planning Organization

SLATS Active Transportation Plan Update

The Draft SLATS Active Transportation Plan is available for public review now until May 4, 2026.  The SLATS Policy Board is scheduled to review and take action on the Plan at a meeting scheduled for May 4, 2026 at 10AM in the first floor conference room of Beloit City Hall, 100 State Street, Beloit, WI. Members of the public are welcome to attend and provide feedback on the Plan.  Feedback can also be submitted to neet@beloitwi.gov ahead of the SLATS meeting.


The Draft Plan can be viewed here.


The purpose of the Active Transportation Plan is to connect residents with local and regional destinations by walking or bicycling. This necessitates planning for an active transportation network that is:

1.    Regional in scale, to provide access across the Stateline area

2.    Comprehensive, so that anyone can reach any part of the network no matter where they start

Such a network will facilitate more transportation choice for the region’s residents. The network should also connect to broader networks outside the region in both states which are likely to be used more for recreation than for transportation.

This network is the centerpiece of this plan, and recommendations for new or modified programs and policies to implement and support the network are included. Together, these recommendations and the network are designed to promote a higher quality of life and to support thriving residents in a thriving region. 

 

About SLATS

 

The Stateline Area Transportation Study (SLATS) established in 1974, is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Beloit urbanized area (as defined by the US Census Bureau).  SLATS spans the state line and includes portions of Wisconsin and Illinois.  The purpose of an MPO is to conduct a federally mandated, 3-C (continuing, cooperative and comprehensive) intergovernmental transportation planning process for all urbanized areas over 50,000 in population. Based in the 2020 Census, the SLATS Urban Area has a total population just over 63,000, with approximately 70% of the population in Wisconsin and 30% in Illinois.

 

The SLATS MPO is directed and governed by a Policy Board that includes representation from:

  • City of Beloit
  • Town of Beloit
  • Town of Turtle
  • Rock County, Wisconsin
  • City of South Beloit
  • Village of Rockton
  • Rockton Township
  • Winnebago County, Illinois
  • Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT)
  • Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)

 

The SLATS MPO is required to develop and update a Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) every five years, a Unified Work Program every year, and a four-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which SLATS updates every year. All federally-funded transportation projects in the MPA must be included in the TIP.  The TIP must also include all regionally significant transportation improvements funded by the States and local governments.  The TIP must be approved by the MPO Policy Board and approved by both the State of Wisconsin and State of Illinois Departments of Transportation prior to receiving the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) acceptance.

 
The MPO’s planning process must consider the safe and efficient movement of people, services and freight by all modes of travel including streets and highways, public transportation, commuter railways, bicycle and pedestrian as well as intermodal connections for freight and passengers between ground transportation, waterways and airports as applicable, and railroads.  An overarching goal of the transportation system is to encourage harmonious community interaction while protecting the aesthetic and ecological features of the physical environment. 
 
A Technical Advisory Committee that includes public works officials, engineers, planners and administrators from the member municipalities and counties, as well as local public transit representatives (Beloit Transit System and Stateline Mass Transit District (SMTD)) advise the Policy Board on transportation issues of a regional nature.   Additional non-voting members include FHWA, FTA, WisDOT, IDOT, adjacent MPOs (Janesville and Rockford) and non-member municipalities with lands included in the SLATS MPA.
 
The City of Beloit is the fiscal agent for SLATS.  SLATS is funded by annual grants from FHWA, FTA, the States of Illinois and Wisconsin (through IDOT and WisDOT) and funding from municipal governments represented on the Policy Board. The City of Beloit provides the staff support for the administration of the MPO. 
 
The SLATS Policy Board and Technical Advisory Committee include the following chief elected officials/members (or duly appointed representatives).  

 

Policy Board:

  • City of Beloit Councilor Nancy V. Forbeck (Chair)
  • Town of Beloit, Diane Greenlee (Vice-Chair)
  • City of South Beloit, Sonya Hoppes
  • Village of Rockton, John Peterson
  • Rockton Township, Trent Kehoe
  • Town of Turtle Chair, Roger Anclam
  • Rock County, Philip Gorman
  • Winnebago County Board Chair, Joseph Chiarelli
  • SW Region Planning Chief Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation (WisDOT), Michelle Ellias
  • Region 2 Engineer Illinois Dept. of Transportation (IDOT), Trisha Thompson   

 

Technical Advisory Committee:

  • City of Beloit Public Works Department, William Frisbee
  • City of Beloit Engineering Division, Scot Prindiville
  • City of Beloit Community Development Department, Julie Christensen
  • City of South Beloit, Brandon Boggs
  • Village of Rockton, Dan Barber
  • Town of Beloit, Frank McKearn
  • Town of Turtle Highway Department
  • Beloit Transit System (BTS), Teri Downing
  • Stateline Mass Transit District (SMTD), Sharon Hecox
  • Rock County Highway Department, Duane Jorgenson
  • Rock County Planning Department, Andrew Baker
  • Winnebago County Highway Department, Carlos Molina
  • Winnebago County Planning Department
  • SW Region WisDOT, Matt Schreiber
  • District 2 IDOT, Katie Smith

 

Non-voting Members:

  • Central Planning Office for WisDOT, Sydney Turner
  • District 2 Bureau of Urban Program Planning IDOT, Doug Delille
  • Federal Highway Administration (WI), Jason Nordberg
  • Federal Highway Administration (IL), Jon Paul Diipla
  • FTA Region 5 Chicago, Mark Kane (WI/IL)
  • Janesville MPO, Ahnaray Bizjak
  • Rockford MPO (R1PC), Tim Verbeke
  • Village of Roscoe, Josef Kurlinkus
  • Roscoe Township
  • Town of Rock