Metropolitan Planning Organizations Boundaries

Federal law requires the formation of an MPO for any urbanized area (UZA) with a population greater than 50,000. Federal funding for transportation projects and programs are channeled through this planning process. Congress created MPOs to ensure that existing and future expenditures of federal funds for transportation projects and programs are based on a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive (“3‑C”) planning process.

MPOs are charged with developing a 20-year long-range transportation plan (LRTP) and a short-term (usually 2-6 years) program called the transportation improvement program (TIP) for each of their respective regions. The seven MPOs of which Maryland jurisdictions and agencies are members are listed below. The Maryland member jurisdictions are listed under each MPO (note that some MPOs cover multi-State regions).

The Maryland Department of Transportation is a member of each of the MPOs listed. Maryland's MPOs are as follows: National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB), Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB), Cumberland Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), Hagerstown/Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization (HEPMPO), Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO), Salisbury/Wicomico Metropolitan Planning Organization (S/WMPO), and Calvert-St.

Mary’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (C-SMMPO). Maryland's MPO Boundaries data is owned and maintained by the Transportation Secretary's Office (TSO) of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT). Being a subset of the USDOT's NTAD, an annual update of Maryland's MPO Boundaries data is performed by TSO in close coordination with each MPO, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

MPO Boundaries data is a strategic resource for the USDOT, FHWA, MDOT, as well as many other National, State, and local government agencies. Maryland's MPO Boundaries data is updated on an annual basis. For additional MPO information, contact MDOT's Office of Planning and Capital Programming (MDOTGIS@mdot.state.md.us) For additional data information, contact the MDOT SHA Geospatial Technologies Team (GIS@sha.state.md.us)