About El Paso MPO (EPMPO)
Federal regulations require the creation and management of a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for every urban area having a population of more than 50,000. The MPO is responsible for the preparation of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), and other documents as required by federal regulations.
Since 1988, the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization (EPMPO) is the organization designated by the Governor of Texas as being responsible, together with the State, for carrying out the provisions of federal regulations regarding Metropolitan Transportation Planning and Programming. The MPO coordinates urban area-wide multi-modal transportation plans, which involve the study of present transportation regional patterns in relation to current and projected development. The MPO is the forum for cooperative decision making by principal elected officials of general-purpose local governments, in the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA).
The MPO’s planning area is El Paso County, Texas, southern Dona Ana County, New Mexico, and a small portion of Otero County, New Mexico. By federal definition EPMPO’s planning area must at least include the urbanized area (as defined by the U.S. Bureau of the Census) and the contiguous area that may reasonably be expected to become urbanized in the next 20 years. The planning area includes the following 12 governmental jurisdictions:
Texas
- City of El Paso
- City of Socorro
- County of El Paso
- Town of Anthony
- Town of Clint
- Town of Horizon City
- Town of San Elizario
- Village of Vinton
New Mexico
Transportation Policy Board (TPB)
The TPB is responsible for creating and implementing regional transportation policy for the MPO. The TPB oversees the MPO’s regional transportation planning and programming process and ensures proper coordination of transportation modes; cooperatively establishes transportation needs; and proposes projects from all transportation modes for recommendation to those governmental units responsible for program development and project implementation.
Executive Committee (EC)
The Executive Committee’s roles and responsibilities will include review of the business aspect of the MPO, review of the Executive Director, review of contracts and other documents, and other assignments for recommendations to the TPB.
Transportation Project Advisory Committee (TPAC)
The TPAC develops and makes recommendations to the Transportation Policy Board on projects with regard to the MTP and TIP, project selection process criteria, and special transportation planning studies.