About Transportation
The Transportation Department of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) serves as staff for the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Dallas-Fort Worth planning region which is one of the largest in the nation.
Regional transportation planning in North Central Texas is a process that combines the efforts of the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) and several technical committees. Areas served include the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Denton-Lewisville, and McKinney-Frisco urbanized areas and surroundings. The complex makeup of North Texas requires a coordinated effort to plan and administer programs that will ensure the quality-of-life residents expect as the area continues to grow and develop.
Federal law requires a metropolitan area with 50,000 or more people to have a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). In 1974, five years after the creation of the Transportation Department, Governor Dolph Briscoe designated NCTCOG as the MPO with the provision that the RTC serve as the MPO policy-making body for the 12-county Dallas-Fort Worth area.
NCTCOG's Executive Board serves as the MPO's Fiscal Agent. The RTC serves as the MPO policy-making body, responsible for transportation policy decisions. The MPO planning agreement between TxDOT, RTC, and NCTCOG outlines each entity's respective role in the MPO process. As laws have changed over the years, NCTCOG has adapted and expanded its role in the planning process. The MPO works closely with regional, state and federal partners to plan and recommend transportation projects that will improve mobility and encourage more efficient land use.
Major products produced by the MPO include a long-range Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), a shorter-term Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a Congestion Management Process (CMP), and a Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP).
