Federal Requirement
The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1962 required all Urban Areas with populations of at least 50,000 to have a transportation planning process in order to be eligible for Federal funds. The Act stated that the planning process was to be continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive. In addition the Act required all plans and programs produced from the process to be consistent with the comprehensive planned development of the area.

Organization
The Tuscaloosa Area transportation planning process is conducted by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The MPO is composed of four committees. The MPO committee (Policy Committee) is the official decision making body of the process. The MPO committee is served by three advisory committees: the Technical Coordinating Committee (TCC), the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC), and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee (BPC). More information on the committees can be found on the MPO Committees page.

Study Area
Metropolitan Planning Organizations are required to include the current Census Bureau-defined urbanized area and the area expected to be urbanized by the forecast year of the long-range transportation plan. The study area can also be expanded to include “regional economic development and growth forecasting areas.” The Tuscaloosa Area MPO used this option when they established Tuscaloosa County as their study area. All MPO plans and programs are limited to the study area.

Agreement
One of the early steps in any transportation planning process is the development of an agreement. The agreement legally delineates the concerned governmental entities, defines the duties of each entity, and outlines the organizational structure. The first agreement was executed in 1963.

The most recent agreement was executed in 1994. The agreement is between the West Alabama Regional Commission, Tuscaloosa County, the City of Tuscaloosa, the City of Northport, the Tuscaloosa County Parking and Transit Authority, and the State of Alabama.

Regulations
The joint Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration regulations regarding transportation planning were issued on February 14, 2007. The regulations dictate the development of unified planning work programs, transportation improvement programs, and long-range transportation plans.