The Metropolitan Planning Organization

The history of contemporary metropolitan transportation planning dates back more than 40 years to the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962. The Act mandated that all urbanized areas with a population greater than 50,000 establish a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive (3-C) planning process in order to be eligible to receive U. S. Department of Transportation funding. The Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 contained similar requirements and included public transportation in the transportation planning process.

The 1974 Federal-Aid Highway Act further formalized the process by mandating the creation of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs). It also required governors of each state to formally designate the local government entities to make up an MPO in each urbanized area with a population of 50,000 or more. The 1974 Act further reinforced the process by providing grants to the MPOs for transportation planning.

In December 1991, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) was signed into law. ISTEA was landmark legislation that introduced a comprehensive approach to transportation problems by emphasizing innovation, intermodalism and flexibility. It also expanded the responsibilities of local governments, giving them a greater role. The approach begun under ISTEA was continued in 1998 with the adoption of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21 st Century (TEA-21). For more information about what MPOs are and what MPOs do, please click here.

The local MPO (CUTS) was established by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 1963, and has grown and evolved to keep pace with federal transportation regulations. The MOU was subsequently updated in 1972 and 1996. CUTS’ first long range transportation plan was adopted in 1969, and has been maintained continuously through project amendments and periodic comprehensive updates.

With the 2000 Census, the Savannah Urbanized Area population surpassed 200,000 for the first time, making the MPO a Transportation Management Area (TMA). As a TMA, the MPO has taken on greater responsibilities in the areas of congestion management and project selection. For more information about the MPO and its advisory committees, click here