Metropolitan Planning Organization

The Brunswick Area Transportation Study (BATS), also known as the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Transportation , is responsible for examining travel and transportation issues and needs in the Brunswick / Glynn County area. This includes  the following modes of transportation: automobile, cargo carriers, mass transit, air, bicycle, and pedestrian. 

The planning process includes an analysis of alternatives to meet projected future demands, and for providing a safe and efficient transportation system that meets mobility while not creating adverse impacts to the environment. In metropolitan areas over 50,000 population, such as Brunswick/ Glynn County, the responsibility for transportation planning lies with the Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the Brunswick Area Transportation Study (BATS). 
 
BATS’ planning provides the information, tools, and public input needed for improving transportation system performance. BATS’ planning reflects the community's vision for the future. Statewide and metropolitan transportation planning processes are governed by Federal law (23 USC 134 and 135). Transportation planning entities are required for any urban area that receives funding directly or indirectly from the FTA and FHWA programs.

Since the 1962 Federal-aid Highway Act, federal authorizing legislation for expenditure of surface transportation funds has required metropolitan area transportation plans and programs to be developed through a continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive planning process. Over successive authorization cycles leading to the passage of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) in July 1998, Congress has added and revised the substantive content expected from the planning processes. The most recent being the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The FAST Act was signed into law on December 4, 2015. The was the first federal law in over a decade to provide long-term funding certainty for surface transportation infrastructure planning and investment. The FAST Act maintains focus on safety, keeps intact the established structure of the various highway-related programs managed by FHWA, continues efforts to streamline project delivery and, for the first time, provides a dedicated source of federal dollars for freight projects.   
  

BATS MPO Boundaries Map

(Click here to enlarged)

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The opinions, findings, and conclusions in the following publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Department of Transportation, State of Georgia, or the Federal Highway Administration.

Prepared in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration.