Mid-South Regional Planning Organization

Mid-South Regional Planning Organization
Name	Mid-South Regional Planning Organization
Abbreviation	MSRPO
Formation	1982
Type	Regional planning organization
Location	Memphis, Tennessee
Region served	Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi
Membership	Counties, municipalities, transit agencies
Leader title	Executive Director
Leader name	(varies)
Website	(not displayed)

Mid-South Regional Planning Organization The Mid-South Regional Planning Organization is a metropolitan planning organization and regional council serving the Memphis metropolitan area and adjacent counties in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi. It coordinates multimodal transportation planning, land use, air quality conformity, and federally required programming for the metropolitan planning area while engaging with counties, cities, transit agencies, and state departments of transportation. The organization functions at the nexus of metropolitan transportation planning, economic development, and environmental compliance for a tri-state region centered on a major inland port and interstate freight corridors.

History

The organization traces its origins to regional planning efforts in the late 20th century when metropolitan areas such as Memphis, Tennessee expanded across state lines into Shelby County, Tennessee, DeSoto County, Mississippi, and Crittenden County, Arkansas. Influenced by federal mandates under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962 and rules promulgated by the United States Department of Transportation, local elected officials and transportation agencies formalized a metropolitan planning organization to satisfy requirements for project eligibility under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 and later the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the body adapted to changes from the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century and the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, expanding its technical capacity for metropolitan transportation planning and regional modeling. The organization’s evolution reflects interactions with regional institutions such as Memphis Area Transit Authority, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Mississippi Department of Transportation, Arkansas Department of Transportation, and federal partners including the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.

Jurisdiction and Membership

The planning area encompasses urbanized and rural jurisdictions spanning portions of three states, incorporating counties and municipalities that share commuting patterns and transportation networks centered on Memphis International Airport and the Port of Memphis. Member entities include county governments such as Shelby County, Tennessee, DeSoto County, Mississippi, and Crittenden County, Arkansas; municipal governments including Memphis, Tennessee, Germantown, Tennessee, Southaven, Mississippi, West Memphis, Arkansas; and transit providers like MATA and regional authorities. The membership mix reflects statutory representatives from state departments (Tennessee Department of Transportation, Mississippi Department of Transportation, Arkansas Department of Transportation), metropolitan transit operators, and local elected officials from city councils and county commissions who convene to develop the metropolitan transportation plan and priority project lists.

Governance and Organizational Structure

Governance is exercised through a policy board composed of elected officials from participating counties and municipalities, elected representatives from transit agencies, and ex officio state DOT representatives. The board operates alongside technical advisory committees—drawing planners, engineers, and modal specialists from entities such as Memphis Area Transit Authority, Shelby County Board of Commissioners, and municipal planning departments—to review data, regional travel demand modeling, and conformity analyses. Administration is supported by an executive director and professional staff who manage program delivery, grant procurement, and federally required public involvement consistent with guidance from the United States Environmental Protection Agency on air quality and the U.S. Census Bureau for urbanized area delineation.

Planning Programs and Activities

Core activities include the development and periodic update of the long-range metropolitan transportation plan, the short-range Transportation Improvement Program, and performance-based planning tied to federal performance measures. Technical work products encompass travel demand modeling, congestion management, freight planning focused on intermodal connectors and the Mississippi River logistics system, and air quality conformity assessments under the Clean Air Act. The organization hosts public outreach, scenario planning exercises, crash data analysis integrated with regional safety plans, and coordination for transit service planning with agencies such as MATA and intercity providers.

Funding and Budget

Funding derives from a combination of federal planning grants administered by the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, state match contributions from Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi, and local dues or contract revenues from member jurisdictions. Budget allocations prioritize staff, modeling and GIS software, public involvement, corridor studies, and consultant contracts for environmental documentation. The organization programs federally funded capital projects into the Transportation Improvement Program in coordination with state departments, making projects eligible for funding streams such as Surface Transportation Block Grant and Transit Formula Grants.

Major Projects and Initiatives

Major initiatives have included multimodal corridor studies for interstate and arterial improvements, freight mobility projects connected to the Interstate 40 and Interstate 55 corridors, and transit service expansions or restructurings with Memphis Area Transit Authority. The organization has supported planning for port access upgrades at the Port of Memphis, coordinated enhancements to regional airport ground access at Memphis International Airport, and led resilience and climate adaptation planning tied to flood-prone corridors and the Mississippi River watershed. Collaborative planning has advanced Intelligent Transportation Systems deployment and data-sharing platforms linking regional traffic operations centers.

Interagency Coordination and Regional Impact

Interagency coordination is central, involving regular engagement with the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, three state DOTs, metropolitan transit operators, regional economic development authorities, and military or institutional stakeholders when relevant (for example Naval Support Activity Mid-South and area universities). The organization serves as a convening forum for aligning transportation investments with regional land use priorities promoted by jurisdictions such as Memphis, Tennessee and neighboring suburban and rural counties, thereby influencing freight movement, commuting patterns, and regional competitiveness. Its role in air quality conformity and performance-based programming also affects eligibility for federal funding and implementation timelines across the tri-state area.

Category:Regional planning organizations in the United States