What is the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (NFRMPO)?
The NFRMPO is an association of local governments that plays an important regional role in selecting transportation projects to receive state and federal transportation funding in the North Front Range.
The NFRMPO does not have statutory authority to tax, issue bonds, or legislate. The organization provides funding for transportation projects, as well as regional transportation planning, and other services of value to its local member governments. The association’s policies, plans and recommendations are enacted by a council (the Planning Council) composed of elected officials from each of its member governments along with one representative from both the Transportation Commission of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Air Pollution Control Division (APCD).
As of 2015, there are 408 metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in the United States. An MPO is required by the federal government in all urban areas with a population of 50,000 or more.
What is the NFRMPO region?
The NFRMPO covers about 675 square miles in Northern Colorado, which is about the size of Houston, Texas. It stretches from the Town of Berthoud to just north of the City of Fort Collins, from the Foothills to just east of the City of Greeley. There are 15 member governments in the NFRMPO: Berthoud, Eaton, Evans, Fort Collins, Garden City, Greeley, Johnstown, LaSalle, Loveland, Milliken, Severance, Timnath, Windsor, and the urban portion of Unincorporated Larimer County, and the urban portion of Unincorporated Weld County.
What is the NFRMPO area’s population?
In 2014, there were 198,500 households in the North Front Range. That number is expected to increase by 77% to 351,000 households by 2040. The population in the North Front Range in 2017 was 506,000 and it is estimated to be 896,100 by 2040, an increase of 77 percent.
This rapid population increase is one reason why long-range transportation planning is necessary.
Where does the NFRMPO’s funding come from?
Funding to operate the MPO comes primarily from the federal and local governments. The money awarded to the NFRMPO for transportation projects comes from state and federal sources. Matching funds for these awards come from sponsoring local governments.
What issues does the NFRMPO address?
Through the NFRMPO, local member governments work cooperatively on many tasks, including:
- Approving a long range (minimum of 20 years) Regional Transportation Plan
- Distributing federal and state dollars for transportation projects
- Mitigating traffic congestion
- Creating awareness of and providing alternative transportation options
- Collection, compilation, and analysis of data
- Developing demographic, socioeconomic, and employment projections for long-range transportation planning
- Transportation and Land Use modeling
- Promoting regional cooperation
- Approving Programming Documents (4 year Transportation Improvement Program – TIP)
How does the NFRMPO work with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)?
The NFRMPO works closely with CDOT Region 4, located in Greeley, to provide transportation improvements to the state highway system. Local elected officials from the member governments prioritize CDOT Region 4’s funding for specific projects in the North Front Range. In this way, local governments provide guidance to CDOT regarding how federal and state funding will be directed in this region. The NFRMPO also works closely with CDOT headquarters by participating on the Statewide Transportation Advisory Committee (STAC). The NFRMPO works with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to provide transportation improvements for congestion relief, transit, rail, and other alternative modes (i.e. vanpooling, biking and walking).