MPO Overview

what is an mpo?

A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is an agency designated to carry out the transportation planning process for urbanized areas with populations over 50,000. Created by Congress through the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962, MPOs were intended to ensure more regional cooperation through reliance on a planning process that is continuing, cooperative and comprehensive (“3-C”). A Lead Planning Agency (LPA) is often designated to coordinate and carry out the programs, activities and functions of the MPO. North Carolina currently has 17 MPOs across the state. 

The Burlington-Graham MPO is composed of three groups: An executive decision-making body (Transportation Advisory Committee), an advisory body (Transportation Coordinating Committee), and a full-time staff that serves the members of these boards. 

History of burlington-graham mpo

The Burlington-Graham area was designated an urbanized area by the US Bureau of Census in 1974. The Alamance County MPO was created to manage transportation planning for the growing region. The MPO was initially managed by Alamance County—in 1998, the management of the MPO was transferred to the City of Burlington and redesignated as Burlington-Graham MPO. Since then, the City of Burlington has served as the Lead Planning Agency (LPA) for the BGMPO.  

BGmpo members

Member communities, agencies and groups that participate with the BGMPO in transportation planning activities include the following:

• Alamance County
• City of Burlington
• City of Graham
• City of Mebane
• Town of Elon
• Town of Gibsonville
• Town of Green Level
• Town of Haw River
• Town of Whitsett
• Village of Alamance
• Orange County
• Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport
• NCDOT
• NCCR
• FHWA
• Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) 
• Link Transit
• Alamance County Transportation Authority (ACTA)
• Orange County Public Transportation
• GoTriangle
• Impact Alamance

staff

Demographic profile

For more information on demographic statistics and trends in the Burlington-Graham MPO region, please see the BGMPO Demographic Report, updated in December 2021. 

mpo boundary

The Burlington-Graham Metropolitan Planning Area includes the Burlington-Graham Urbanized Area as established in the most recent U.S. Decennial Census. The Planning Area for the MPO has been expanded to include all of Alamance County. 

Click here for a map of the Burlington-Graham MPO.