About Us Next

Imagine all the ways we travel every day: driving, taking the bus or train, riding bikes, or even walking.

How do we make sure there are enough roads, sidewalks, and ways to get around  our Dallas-Fort Worth planning area, and all the towns nearby? That's where the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) comes in!

Think of us as your public servants who help plan how we all get around now and in the future. 

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.
 

NCTCOG Transportation Department serves as staff to works with a special group called the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) and works with all our partners to make these plans. We think about places grouped by size (called urban areas)  like the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Denton-Lewisville, McKinney-Frisco.

Why is this so important?
Because our area is always growing!

Dallas-Fort Worth has a population of more than 8.5 million and is expected to be home to more than 12 million people by 2050. The work of NCTCOG as  the Metropolitan Planning Organization helps here and we want to make sure everyone can get where they need to go safely and efficientlyasily, and that our cities and towns and cities remainare still great places to live.
 

Federal law requires a metropolitan area with 50,000 or more people to have a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). In 1974, Governor Dolph Briscoe designated NCTCOG as the MPO with the provision that the Regional Transportation Council serve as the MPO policy-making body for the 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 outline each entity's respective roles 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.

 

NCTCOG has an Executive Board that helps manage the money for these plans. The RTC group makes all the big decisions about how we get around now and as we move forward. We work closely with other important groups, like TxDOT (who build and take care of roads), to make sure everyone is on the same page.

The MPO also  makes some important "products" which are our plans to help us all get around:

• A Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP): This is a long-term map for how transportation will look 20-25 years into the future.

• A Transportation Improvement Program (TIP): This is a list of projects with committed funding to be implemented within a four-year period.

• A Congestion Management Process (CMP): This is required for Dallas-Fort Worth because its population exceeds 200,000. The CMP outlines effective management and available resources and how to maximize those benefits. 

• A Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP): This is our to-do list for all the planning work we believe will improve our system and processes. The UPWP provides detailed descriptions of transportation and air quality tasks, a summary of funding sources and a detailed list of how that funding will be spent on planning activities.
   

Need somebody?

Our staff directory is open and full of experts in many areas.

Check out our public meetings- and call our hotline 817-695-9240!

Look inside our meetings and see what we are up to- act now as tickets free today only!

We would love your feedback!