About Regional Transportation Planning
Main_Content
Federal law mandates urbanized areas with a population greater than 50,000 establish a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Each MPO, including those in Maryland, develops a 20-year long-range transportation plan and a short-term (usually 2-6 year) program called the
Transportation Improvement Program. MPOs review federally funded transportation projects and programs. Congress authorized the creation of MPOs to ensure continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive planning for existing and future federally funded transportation projects.
MPO long-range plans and transportation improvements should consider improvements local Maryland installations may require to ensure adequate regional transportation infrastructure that supports continued military operations. Conversely, military installation development plans should also be developed in cooperation with the MPO to ensure military transportation needs are integrated into regional transportation planning (e.g., new access gates).