By ABBEY KUNKLE
Special to the PRESS
Judge Pete Sepulveda joined the South Padre Island City Council last week at their regular meeting to encourage support of a regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) that would combine the three current Valley MPOs into one powerhouse voice for the RGV throughout the state of Texas. Potentially taking over San Antonio as the fourth largest MPO in the state, the creation of a Valley wide MPO would finally give the Rio Grande Valley a seat at the table to compete for discretionary funds distributed by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
An MPO is a federally mandated and funded transportation policy-making organization that is made up of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authorities. Dallas, Austin, and Houston followed by San Antonio have long been the major players in terms of MPOs for the state of Texas. Combining the Valleys existing MPOs is expected to help facilitate collaboration and a shared vision throughout the region that will improve planning, simplify environmental clearance process, and increase funding opportunities as the area continues to expand.
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