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About Us

History & Mission

The Federal Highway Act of 1962 created Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) to provide a comprehensive, cooperative and continuous (3C) transportation planning process by local, state and federal officials. In 1963, the City of San Antonio, Bexar County and the Texas Department of Transportation agreed to establish the San Antonio-Bexar County Urban Transportation Study (SABCUTS). In 1977, the Governor of Texas designated SABCUTS as the San Antonio-Bexar County (SA-BC) MPO. Thereafter, due to results of the 2010 Census and extensive growth in the region, the SA-BCMPO expanded the study area to include the entirety of three counties and a portion of another. At that time, the Alamo Area MPO (AAMPO) was created to encompass all of Bexar County, Comal County, Guadalupe County, and a portion of Kendall County that includes Boerne.

AAMPO's mission is to provide a 3C transportation planning process for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods, consistent with the region's overall economic, social and environmental goals. The agency develops transportation plans and programs to address the needs of the greater San Antonio area. The Transportation Policy Board leads AAMPO and decides how federal and state transportation funds will be allocated for the region. AAMPO places special emphasis on effective and meaningful public involvement throughout the planning process and funding projects to provide equal access to a multimodal transportation network.

Finance & Funding

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Funding Sources

Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) – November 2021

President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Bill into law in November 2021. The Act is a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure and marks the largest federal investments ever in public transit, passenger rail, bridges, electric vehicle infrastructure, and other non-transportation related areas. It also continues many of the same policies and programs as the FAST Act. It is important to note the Biden Administration strongly encourages regionalism and cooperative joint applications for many of these grant programs. The IIJA MPO-related funding programs and grant opportunities include the Bridge Investment Program, Electric Vehicle Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program, Congestion Relief Program, Healthy Streets Program (expand tree cover, deploy cool pavement, etc.), Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) Grants, Megaprojects (MEGA) Grants ($500+ Million), Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Grants, Railroad Crossing Elimination Program, Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, Safe Streets for All Program, and the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. For information on eligible projects and programs for each of these funding opportunities, please click on the program and it will take you to the FHWA Fact Sheet.

Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act – December 2015

In December 2015, President Obama signed into law the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act). The FAST Act increased the focus on roadway safety infrastructure and on pedestrians safety needs. The act also continued the focus on accelerating project delivery, adding a new freight formula, expanding the freight network, and adding a new discretionary program for nationally significant freight and highway projects. The FAST Act was the first time Federal funding was dedicated to freight projects, including multimodal projects.

State of Texas Proposition 7 – November 2015 Referendum

On November 3, 2015, Texans voted on and approved Proposition 7 (Prop. 7), a constitutional amendment to dedicate portions of revenue from the state’s general sales and use tax as well as from the motor vehicle sales and rental tax to the State Highway Fund for non-tolled projects. The funds from the motor vehicle sales and rental taxes sunset at the end of FY 2029. The state sales and use taxes funds are set to sunset (expire) at the end of FY 2032. Either or both of these revenue streams may be extended, by the legislature, for 10-year increments.

The additional funding from Prop. 7 will enable TxDOT to put a greater focus on infrastructure improvements without new taxes, tolls, fees or debt. Beginning in 2020, 35 percent of the state motor vehicle sales and rental tax revenue in excess of $5 billion will be directed to the State Highway Fund. As of FY 2023, Proposition 7 contributions to the State Highway Fund equal $13.2 billion.

These funds can only be used to purchase right of way, build, maintain, and rehabilitate non-tolled public roads, and to pay certain transportation-related debt.

State of Texas Proposition 1 – November 2014 Referendum

On November 4, 2014, Texas voters overwhelmingly approved the ballot measure known as Proposition 1 (Prop 1), authorizing a constitutional amendment for transportation funding. Under the amendment, a portion of oil and gas tax revenues that typically go into the Economic Stabilization Fund will be deposited to the State Highway Fund. The amendment did not create any new taxes or fees.

As of FY 2023, Proposition 1 has contributed $13.3 billion to the State Highway Fund. This funding source is set to expire in November 2034, if the legislature does not extend the sunset date.

Funding Categories

Once funding is authorized at the state or federal level, it is sent to urban areas through state departments of transportation for funding multimodal projects in each region's short and long-range plans. Various funding categories are established at the statewide level in order to properly administer the State's transportation funds.

Funding is then distributed to each MPO area through various formulas. With declining federal and state gas tax revenues (due to more efficient vehicles), decreases in driving, and an unpredictable economy, it has become difficult to reasonably project future funding streams for programming projects in the area's long range Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP). AAMPO continues to seek new partnerships and to identify funding programs as they become available in order to continue long-range planning and advance transportation projects.

Types of Funded Projects

Projects listed in AAMPO’s long-range transportation plan, Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), are selected through a technical analysis and public involvement process. Since the MTP is a financially-constrained plan, projects may only be programmed up to the amount of anticipated funding for the 20+ year period covered in the plan.

Future Funding

Even with the passage of the IIJA and the State’s Prop 1 and Prop 7 revenue streams, the transportation infrastructure needs of the region are far greater than future funding amounts anticipated over the next 20+ years. However, AAMPO and its planning partners will continue to find innovative ways to preserve, maintain, and expand the region's transportation infrastructure.

Our Partners

Note: This page contains links to other internet sites maintained by third parties which the Alamo Area MPO believes may be of interest or use to users but for which the Alamo Area MPO has no responsibility. The Alamo Area MPO makes no effort to independently verify information on Internet sites outside of the "alamoareampo.org" domain, nor does it attempt to exert editorial control over such information. The Alamo Area MPO makes no representations or warranty of any kind as to the accuracy or any other aspect of the information contained on such Internet sites. The Alamo Area MPO specifically disclaims any and all liability for any claims or damages that may result from information on Internet sites outside of the "alamoareampo.org" domain.

Policies & Certifications

All linked documents are in .PDF format.

AAMPO Policies

The AAMPO policies below represent Policy 1) the approved process for developing the two-year Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP); Policy 2) public engagement protocols and best practices; Policy 3) the process for selection and programming of projects to develop the short-range Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the long-range Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP); Policy 4) Ethics for current and former committee members and employees; and Policy 5) information and bylaws pertaining to the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).

These polices have been adopted by the AAMPO Transportation Policy Board and are reviewed periodically or as stated in the policy.

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Signed Certifications

In accordance with Federal regulations, MPOs must regularly self-certify compliance with federal and state environmental and civil rights regulations as well as compliance with regulations related to procurement, lobbying, and, debarment. These certifications are renewed annually by AAMPO’s Transportation Policy Board.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

A Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is an agency created by federal law to provide local input for transportation planning and the allocation of federal transportation funding to urban areas with populations greater than 50,000. The Alamo Area MPO’s boundary includes the counties of Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe and a portion of Kendall County.

The MPO’s mission is to provide a cooperative, continuous and comprehensive (3C) transportation planning process for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods consistent with the region’s overall economic, social and environmental goals. AAMPO places a special emphasis on providing effective public involvement in the transportation planning process and equal access to a variety of transportation choices.

The Transportation Policy Board (TPB) of the Alamo Area MPO is comprised of 21 (14 elected and 7 appointed) voting members representing the Cities of New Braunfels, San Antonio, and Seguin; counties of Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe, and the Kendall County Geographic Area; the Advanced Transportation District; the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority; the Greater Bexar County Council of Cities; the Northeast Partnership; the Texas Department of Transportation and VIA Metropolitan Transit. There are also ex-officio, non-voting TPB members representing the Federal Highway Administration, San Antonio Mobility Coalition, Texas Department of Transportation and the Alamo Area Council of Governments.

In general, AAMPO is responsible for conducting the urban transportation planning process that allows the planning area to receive over $200 million annually in federal and state transportation funding. This is accomplished primarily through three related activities and documents: the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP).

Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP)

The MTP is the 25-year long-range plan and the basic framework for all our transportation planning. “Mobility 2050” is our most current plan and it was adopted by the Transportation Policy Board in June 2022.

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

The TIP is the four-year list of prioritized transportation improvement projects. These projects generally fall into five categories – added capacity projects (adding lanes), preservation projects (road reconstruction without adding lanes), bicycle projects, pedestrian projects, and transit projects. Approximately 30% of our regional road network is eligible for federal aid. That 30%, however, carries the vast majority of the region’s daily vehicle mileage. Local residential streets do not generally qualify for MPO funding.

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)

The UPWP is the agency’s two-year work plan and budget. The budget is funded by a combination of Federal Highway, Federal Transit, and State planning funds. The UPWP describes the agency and consultant transportation studies, data collection and population and employment forecasting activities, travel demand modeling, and AAMPO staff budgeting for a two-year period. The Work Program budget typically programs between $2.0 million to $2.5 million per year. The companion document to the UPWP is the Annual Performance and Expenditure Report (APER). The APER tracks progress of tasks and deliverables related to the UPWP. It is submitted, evaluated, and approved by State and Federal partners.

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