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. Growth pressures resulting from post-World War II suburbanization led to the development of MPOs, which were established through provisions of federal planning grant funding in 1954 and 1962. These include 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.” This research outlines the roles and responsibilities of MPOs, and provides individual profiles for each of the state’s 25 MPOs.
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