The Dallas-Fort Worth area is one of the largest regions in the nation. The complex makeup of North Texas requires a coordinated effort to plan and administer programs that will ensure the quality of life residents expect will be preserved and even improve as the area continues to 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 the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) as the region’s metropolitan planning organization. RTC serves as the transportation policy body for the 12-county Dallas-Fort Worth area. 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.

Regional transportation planning in North Central Texas is conducted by the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), comprised of the NCTCOG Transportation Department, NCTCOG Executive Board, Regional Transportation Council (RTC), and several technical committees. Areas served include the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Denton-Lewisville, and McKinney urbanized areas and surroundings.

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).