Metropolitan Planning Organizations are part of a federal process to conduct local transportation planning in urbanized areas. The federal government requires urbanized areas to establish a planning process that is Comprehensive, Continuing, and Cooperative (the three C's of transportation planning). The MPO process is required in urbanized areas over 50,000 in population in order to receive federal funding for transportation.

The MPO process is a partnership between local and state government to make decisions about transportation planning in urbanized areas and to meet planning requirements established by federal authorizing legislation for transportation funding.

MPOs conduct transportation planning in cooperation with state and federal government. Cooperatively, the MPO works with North Carolina DOT to develop transportation plans, travel models, thoroughfare plans, transit plans, bicycle and pedestrian plans. Also, the MPO works with the state on funding issues for transportation improvements, on project planning issues, and on issues such as environmental impacts and air quality. The MPO also works with local governments to coordinate land use and transportation planning.

MPOs are established in every urbanized area in the country with a population of over 50,000. Urbanized areas are defined every ten years by the U.S. Census. In North Carolina MPOs are designated by the Governor. MPOs are established by a Memorandum of Understanding that is signed by all participating local governments and by the State of North Carolina.

All decisions of the MPO are made by the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) with recommendations from the Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC). The membership and voting structures of these committees are established through a Memorandum of Understanding between all of the participating governments.

TAC – The policy-making body made up of elected officials from each of the member governments, and the Board of Transportation.

TCC – Staff level committee that provides recommendations to the TAC regarding transportation decisions.

In addition, you may visit the U.S. Census Bureau for more information that has been released from the 2000 Census.

When considering a new home, your real estate agent is obligated to disclose to you any active road projects that the agent either "knows, or should know." To obtain this information, you can view a map of the Thoroughfare Plan, or either you or your agent can contact anyone on the Gaston Urban Area MPO Staff to receive more information regarding the Highway Plan and the current Transportation Improvement Program.

To change a street name, or create a new street name, you need to come to the Addressing/Street Naming section of the planning department. You will have to fill out a request for the new street name, and the desired street name will need to be approved. No two streets in the county can be redundant or too similar. All property owners along the street will have to approve of the change for it to take place, even if it is a private drive and only one owner is involved. Not all requests will be acceptable or approved. For more information, please call (910) 678-7665 and request the street naming/addressing section, and someone will be able to assist you.