The Dallas-Fort Worth area got a little bigger last year as Hood, Hunt and Wise counties were welcomed into the metropolitan planning area. NCTCOG worked for two years to determine which perimeter counties should be included in the planning area, examining commuting patterns, employment data and population projections.

Ultimately, the Texas Transportation Commission approved the expansion from a nine-county to a 12-county planning area. The Regional Transportation Council, the 43-member transportation policymaking body for the Dallas-Fort Worth area, now oversees short- and long-term multimodal improvements for 12 counties. The newly included counties are now integrated into the region’s comprehensive transportation plans, allowing the RTC to help them meet their goals over the next 25 years and beyond.

With the change, the remaining parts of the counties partially included (Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman and Parker) also became part of the planning area. Federal law requires the planning area to extend to parts of the region expected to be urbanized in the next 20 years. The last significant changes to the planning area were made in 1992, when the remaining portions of Collin and Denton counties were added. Both had been partially included in the planning area.

The explosive growth and changing employment and population patterns necessitated the current expansion. Since 2000, the 12 counties that now make up the metropolitan planning area have grown by 1.3 million people. In 2009, the population stood at 6.5 million, making Dallas-Fort Worth the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the nation.

Geographically, the North Central Texas Council of Governments now represents the second-largest metropolitan planning area in the nation behind the Southern California Association of Governments, which includes Los Angeles.

The larger planning area could provide $10 million more per year in federal gas tax dollars. Still, the region faces significant funding challenges today and in the future. But the newly welcomed cities and counties now have the benefit of working together with their counterparts throughout the region to ensure a seamless transportation system and a voice for coordinated planning.

NCTCOG added Hood, Hunt and Wise counties and the remaining portions of Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman and Parker counties, which were only partially included in the previous area. This map provides a comparison between the previous planning area and the new one. NCTCOG is now the nation’s second largest MPA.

The populations of cities and counties in the expanded planning area will soar over the next 20 years. Their transportation needs will intensify as they welcome new residents. Inclusion in the planning area will help these cities and counties prepare for the growth and maintain the quality of life their residents expect.