Access To Work Interagency Cooperative (ATWIC)

Three key local organizations, with funding assistance from The Pittsburgh Foundation, have formally agreed to coordinate their efforts to produce integrated and effective public transportation solutions for the region’s workforce. The organizations are the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Port Authority of Allegheny County, and the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board.

The initiative is called the Access-To-Work Interagency Cooperative (ATWIC) and expands the work of the Access-To-Work Task Force (ATWTF), a committee that provided informal but highly effective coordination of work-related transportation efforts for past ten years.

An Oversight Committee has been formed and consists of the CEOs of the partner agencies and one member from the ATWTF Coordinating Committee. The overall purpose of the ATWIC is to build a foundation of support in the region for a more focused regional approach and process for development and implementation of integrated transportation and workforce development strategies that will support economic development and employment growth in this region. The Access to Work Task Force (ATWTF) activity to date and the projects funded through the federal Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) program have demonstrated the need for a more focused, integrated and coordinated approach to transportation strategies that will address “access to work” challenges and produce long-term sustainable results.

The ATWIC will coordinate the development, implementation and oversight of access to work activity in the region by working more closely to do the following:

• assist in the prioritizing of ATW transportation needs in region
• outreach to community leaders and business
• development of project selection process and regional program priorities
• design and implement standardization of reporting procedures
• coordinate activity with other related transportation programs