About the Corpus Christi MPO
It is important that the MPO membership is
made up of locally elected officials of the cities and counties
within the urbanized area. Other appointed officials include the
Chairperson of the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Board,
the Chairperson of the Port of Corpus Christi Authority (PCCA)
Board, and the District Engineer of the Texas Department of
Transportation.
OOThe
United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) relies on the MPO
to ensure that highway and transit projects that use federal funds
are products of a credible planning process and meet local
priorities. USDOT will not approve federal funding for urban highway
and transit projects unless they are on the MPO's program. Thus, the
MPO's role is to develop and maintain the necessary transportation
plan for the area to assure that federal funds support these locally
developed plans. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency
Act of 1991 (ISTEA) has greatly strengthened this responsibility by
placing the MPO in a primary role for the programming of
transportation projects to be carried out in any given year. The MPO
has also been given the responsibility to involve the public in this
process through expanded citizen participation efforts.
OOSince
the MPO is made up of those agencies responsible for carrying out
transportation programs in the region, the process puts all units
into partnership with one another to carry out the programs. Any
agency can, however, carry out its own transportation projects with
its own funds independent of the MPO.
Members of the MPO
The decision-making body of the MPO is a seven-member Transportation Policy Committee comprising of:
- Mayor, Corpus Christi
- Mayor, Portland
- County Judge, Nueces County
- County Judge, San Patricio County
- Chairman, Port of Corpus Christi Authority Board
- Chairman, Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority Board
- District Engineer, Texas Department of Transportation
Technical support to this committee is provided by the Technical Advisory Committee consisting of one member each from the above listed political jurisdictions or agencies. Staff support to both of these committees is provided by the full-time MPO staff. Staff from the United States Department of Transportation and the Texas Department of Transportation also provides technical assistance and guidance.
