| What is the MPO? |
- The Hidalgo County MPO (HCMPO) is a federally funded program that addresses the mobility goals of the communities within the urbanized area of Hidalgo County.
- HCMPO works with Hidalgo County, cities within the county, transit providers, and the Texas Department of Transportation to plan for the future transportation needs of this metropolitan area.
- Every metropolitan area with a population of 50,000 or more must have a designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).
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| How does the MPO affect me? |
- Decisions made by the MPO subcommittees, TAC and the Policy Committee are reflected by views of various cities and their residents.
- MPO Committee members are ultimately responsible to the residents of the region for the quality of transportation services and for the impact of transportation on their overall quality of life.
- Public input provides transportation planners with information required to address the needs and concerns of communities within the region.
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| What does the MPO do? |
- HCMPO is responsible for the regional planning process for all modes of transportation.
- HCMPO provides technical support and staff assistance to the MPO Policy Committee and its technical subcommittees, which compose the MPO policy-making structure.
- HCMPO provides technical assistance to the local governments of Hidalgo County in planning, coordinating, and implementing transportation decisions.
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| What area does HCMPO cover? |
- The Hidalgo County urbanized area currently includes its planning partners which are the cities of: Alamo, Alton, Donna, Edcouch, Edinburg, Elsa, Granjeno, Hidalgo, La Joya, La Villa, McAllen, Mercedes, Mission, Palmhurst, Palmview, Peņitas, Pharr, Progreso, Progreso Lakes, San Juan, and Weslaco.
- In addition, HCMPO's boundary includes Sullivan City as well as the unurbanized areas of Hidalgo County.
- After the 2000 census was conducted, the urbanized area was updated to include 743.21 square miles and a population of almost 570,000, making it the 6th largest Transportation Management Area (TMA) in Texas.
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| How is the MPO organized? |
- HCMPO provides TAC and Policy Committee members with technical information, prepares documents required by federal regulations (such as the Metropolitan Transportation Plan), and promotes and facilitates interaction between agencies and entities.
- HCMPO administers all information regarding urban transportation planning directly to the public by informing and educating the general public on issues related to the MPO transportation planning process.
- The Hidalgo County MPO contains subcommittees, which deal with specialized issues and make recommendations regarding these issues to the Technical Advisory Committee. The subcommittees perform various tasks, as deemed necessary, and the subcommittee exists until the project it was created for is completed.
- The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) takes the recommendations from the subcommittees and approves their requests. The TAC was created for the purpose of making planning recommendations to the Policy Committee regarding issues such as: MPO-generated documents, project selection criteria, special transportation planning studies and other issues for immediate action.
- TAC Committee's membership consists of local officials, planners and engineers from the county and cities within the MPO boundary.
- The Transportation Policy Committee (TPC) was created for the purpose of serving as spokespersons for the citizens of the county as well as each respective city in the metropolitan area.
- The TPC is comprised of elected officials from each city of the MPO, as well as Hidalgo County representatives. The TPC is responsible for creating policies regarding transportation planning issues.
- TPC meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. The meetings are held at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Conference Center at 600 West US 83 Expressway, in Pharr, Texas. [Map]
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| The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)?
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- The TAC takes the recommendations from the subcommittees and approves their requests.
- The TAC was created for the purpose of making planning recommendations to the Policy Committee regarding issues such as: MPO-generated documents, project selection criteria, special transportation planning studies and other issues for immediate action.
- The TAC Committee's membership consists of local officials, planners and engineers from the county and cities within the MPO boundary.
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| The Transportation Policy Committee (TPC)?
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- The TPC was created for the purpose of serving as spokespersons for the citizens of the county as well as each respective city in the metropolitan area.
- The TPC is comprised of elected officials from each city of the MPO, as well as Hidalgo County representatives. The TPC is responsible for creating policies regarding transportation planning issues.
- TPC meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m. The meetings are held at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Conference Center at 600 West US 83 Expressway, in Pharr, Texas. [Map]
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| Transportation Issues the MPO is NOT Involved In?
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- Making road repairs
- Adjusting traffic signals
- Enforcing traffic laws
- Designing roads
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| How can I get involved?
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- Citizens are crucial to the success of a transportation system.
- As the MPO strives to meet the transportation needs of a growing area, citizens are encouraged to participate in the planning process through the MPO's public involvement process.
- By getting involved with the MPO, your city, and by attending the monthly meetings of the TPC, you will be at the forefront of key decisions as they are being made in the community, and will provide valuable input in shaping the future of transportation in the Rio Grande Valley.
- If you would like more information on how to get involved with the MPO, contact us via email.
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