Author(s):
C.L. Simek, T.S. Geiselbrecht
Publication Date
April 2017
Abstract
A metropolitan planning organization (MPO) has authority and responsibility for regional transportation planning in urbanized areas where the population is at least 50,000 and surrounding areas meet size/density criteria determined by the U.S. Census Bureau. MPOs have a local government-based organizational structure. Growth pressures resulting from post-World Wr II suburbanization led to the development of MPOs, which were established through provisions of federal planning grant funding in 1954 and 1962. These included Section 701 of the 1954 Federal Housing Act providing federal grants for MPOs, followed in 1962 by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962, which required the "establishment of a continuing and comprehensive transportation planning process carried out cooperatively by state and local communities." The 1973 Highway Act used the Highway Trust Fund to set aside a dedicated portion of transportation funding for MPOs in areas over 50,000 in population.
Within three years of the 1973 Highway Act, seven of Texas's current 25 MPOs were established, including Austin, Dallas, El Paso, and Houston. In Texas, state law addressing MPOs is found primarily in the Texas Transportation Code (Sections 472 [D] and 201), which describes the roles of local governments in planning processes; defines relationships with other entities; and enumerates voting rules, ethics guidelines, and other procedural details. This TTI Final Report gives the most recent overview and profiles of MPOs in Texas.
Report Number:
PRC 17-87 F
Link(s):
Document/Product
https://tti.tamu.edu/publications/catalog/record/?id=44683
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