MOBILE, Alabama -- A decision on whether to reconstruct Airport Boulevard, add lanes to Grelot Road, or to do neither project and instead have federal money appropriated elsewhere is part of a process that kicks off Tuesday at the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission's office.

The commission is hosting two public meetings for its long-range transportation plan called "Destination 2040." The first meeting will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the GM&O building at 110 Beauregard St., followed with a second meeting from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Mobile Botanical Gardens, 5151 Museum Drive.

The meetings are aimed at giving the public a chance to provide their input into what projects they want to see the Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization prioritize for the next 25 years.

"It's a year-long process we try to do to get the public's input into what goes into the plan," Kevin Harrison, director of transportation for the commission, said. "We've done a lot of looking at growth projections and (developing) models and telling us where we think traffic will be the next 25 years. We want the public input for developing the plan."

The plan, which won't be officially developed until next year, outlines the development of Mobile County's transportation system for the next 25 years.

It will consider existing conditions, local needs and anticipated growth areas to provide the best transportation system for users.

It will not only consider roads, but also bicycle/pedestrian access areas that were included in a comprehensive plan the organization did for Mobile County in 2012. Also, the Destination 2040 project will also include public transit, congestion management, and socio-economic projections.

Harrison, who will give a 20-minute presentation before the public comment period, said people attending will be able to not only weigh-in on where they think federal money should be invested for road expansions and development, but also where bike paths should be focused.

The plan is part of a federal requirement to have a 25-year projection of transportation priorities every five years. The last time the commission developed a plan was in 2010.

Harrison said since the last time the organization completed its plan, its implemented cell phone technology to "validate the accuracy" of travel demand models. The study, in November, analyzed the type of trips taken on the Bayway. During the Nov. 13 analysis, a substantial amount of traffic was linked to Pacific Coast travelers.

The planning process comes at a time of dwindling funding for transportation projects. Harrison said state funding has decreased in recent years, although federal funding has remained about the same.

Prioritizing the funding will be determined by the MPO's 16-member board which consists of city officials in Mobile County, local and state transportation officials and is headed up by Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, who recently took over the chairmanship role from former Mayor Sam Jones.