By federal law, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) are required to develop and maintain a long-range transportation plan, known as a Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). The MTP covers a 20-year planning horizon utilizing a continual, comprehensive, and cooperative (3-C) planning process. The plan addresses the transportation system in the Rockford Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA), consisting of the urbanized portions of Boone, Ogle, and Winnebago counties, and provides an innovative and sustainable framework for the region’s transportation network over the next twenty years.

The MTP is developed on a five-year cycle and provides highlights of the entire transportation network for the Rockford Metropolitan Planning Area. The development of the MTP must follow federal guidance as outlined in 23 U.S.C and 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53.