The purpose of Sherman - Denison MPO is to coordinate transportation planning within the 20 year urban boundary.  This includes coordination with the State of Texas, Grayson County and the Cities of Denison, Dorchester, Gunter, Howe, Knollwood, Pottsboro, Sherman, Southmayd and Van Alstyne.  MPO Study Boundary.  Also see the Public Participation Plan.

Note: This public process is for the community as a whole and therefore the MPO operates all programs and projects without regard to race, color, or national origin.  Should anyone feel that a program or project might be discriminatory, please call the staff or your local representative on the MPO Policy Board for information on the MPO's nondiscriminatory obligations or to file a complaint.

All metropolitan areas of over 50,000 population must have an MPO in order to spend federal dollars on transportation improvements.  Therefore the Policy Board of the MPO approves the use of federal transportation funds within the Sherman - Denison metropolitan area and operates under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), signed into law on August 10, 2005 by President Bush.

Legal authority is US Code Title 23 Chapter 1 Subchapter 134. Metropolitan planning.

The planning area includes the portions of the region that are currently urbanized and are likely to be urbanized within the next 20 years, as well as non-urban areas that are logical extensions based on intercommunity travel patterns (see Sherman - Denison MPO boundary map).

 The MPO is responsible for the promotion of transportation systems which embrace a variety of modes in a manner that efficiently maximizes the mobility of people and goods with minimal energy consumption, air and water pollution, and negative social impacts (see the 7 emphasis areas).

The two main products of the MPO are the Long Range Transportation Plan (20+ years), officially known as the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), and the 3-year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).   These documents list the planned (MTP) and the approved (TIP) allocations of federal funds within the boundary of the Sherman - Denison MPO. The current Metropolitan Transportation Plan was submitted to the Texas Department of Transportation and US DOT in December 2004.