Ozarks Transportation Organization

MPO stands for ''Metropolitan Planning Organization.? The Ozarks Transportation Organization (OTO) MPO is the federally designated regional transportation planning organization that serves as a forum for cooperative transportation decision-making by state and local governments, and regional transportation and planning agencies.

MPOs are charged with maintaining and conducting a ''continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive? regional transportation planning and project programming process for the MPO?s study area. The study area is defined as the area projected to become urbanized within the next 20 years.

The MPO includes local elected and appointed officials from Christian and Greene Counties, and the cities of Battlefield, Nixa, Ozark, Republic, Springfield, Strafford and Willard. It also includes technical staffs from the Missouri Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Staff from local governments and area transportation agencies serve on OTO's Technical Planning Committee (TPC) which provides technical review, comments, and recommendations on draft MPO plans, programs, studies, and issues.