Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is the Burlington-Graham Metropolitan Planning Organization?

The Burlington-Graham Metropolitan Planning Organization (BGMPO) is the federally designated agency responsible for working with residents and local, state, and federal agencies to coordinate transportation planning and project development within the Burlington urbanized area. Federal legislation requires urbanized areas with populations greater than 50,000 to have an MPO to carry out the transportation planning process among the member jurisdictions within its established planning area boundary.

2. What is a Metropolitan Transportation Plan?

The BGMPO is responsible for maintaining a Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) for a planning area that spans Alamance County and includes portions of both Guilford and Orange Counties. The MTP outlines the BGMPO's transportation-related goals and objectives and addresses transportation-related issues and impacts over a minimum 20-year horizon. The MTP is developed through a cooperative process led by the BGMPO, and including the FHWA, NCDOT, transit operators, stakeholders, and the public, to create a vision for the future of the community. The process, which is prescribed by federal regulations, is designed to assist the BGMPO in prioritizing short- and long-term investments in the area's transportation system over the next 25 years.

The MTP must be updated every five years, which ensures that it is based on the most recent data available for the region, identifies current trends in travel demand, and reflects the latest transportation policies and programs. The BGMPO last adopted an MTP—the 2040 Metropolitan Transportation Plan Update—in August 2015.

3. Why is the MTP being updated?

The Burlington-Graham MPO is required to update the MTP every five years to ensure compliance with the most recent federal transportation planning regulations. This update will address changes in traffic and transportation needs, growth in population and development, and changes in funding levels. The existing MTP must be adopted no later than August 2020 in order for the Burlington-Graham MPO to remain eligible for federal funding.

4. What is Getting There 2045 ?

Getting There 2045 is the MTP being developed to update the 2015 plan. It will be a comprehensive plan that defines the transportation network that will serve the existing and projected transportation volumes in and around the Burlington-Graham MPO. Getting There 2045 will be based on the most accurate and up-to-date information available on population and economic growth and land development patterns within the BGMPO area.

This plan will also address the following planning factors as required by current federal regulations:

Support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area
Increase the safety of the transportation system for motorized and non-motorized users
Increase the security of the transportation system for motorized and non-motorized users
Increase the accessibility and mobility of people and freight
Protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, and improve quality of life
Enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight
Promote efficient system management and operations (Source: Code of Federal Regulations: Title 23, Part 450.306)
Emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system
Improve the resiliency and reliability of the transportation system and reduce or mitigate stormwater impacts of surface transportation
Enhance travel and tourism

5. Who is involved in the development of the Getting There 2045 plan?

The Burlington-Graham MPOis responsible for developing the Getting There 2045 plan in cooperation with the NC Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, and the public. VHB is the transportation consulting firm hired by the MPO to assist with the development of the Getting There 2045 plan.

6. How can I be involved?