The mission of the Hagerstown/Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization (HEPMPO) is to provide a cooperative forum for regional collaboration, planning and public decision-making for short and long-term solutions that support mobility needs, economic development, environmental sensitivities, and multimodal connectivity for a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.
The transportation planning process administered by Metropolitan Planning Organizations was born in the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1962, which required all federally assisted projects in urban areas with a population over 50,000 to be the product of a continuing, comprehensive and cooperative planning process.
The US Census Bureau, after each decennial census, uses data collected to determine the boundaries of Urban Areas (UAs). For more information on the metropolitan transportation planning process, review the Transportation Process Planning Book published by the Federal Highway Administration or see 23 U.S.C. 134.
HEPMPO was organized in 1996 as an expansion of the Hagerstown Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. The urban area was expanded in 2020 and now includes a small portion of Frederick County, Virginia. To learn more about the 2020 Census and its impact visit our StoryMap. The metropolitan planning area boundary includes Washington County Maryland, and Berkeley and Jefferson Counties West Virginia. HEPMPO is governed by its bylaws.
HEPMPO works in conjunction with the Washington County Planning Department (MD) and the Region 9 Planning and Development Council (WV) to conduct the required planning and to work towards accomplishing the transportation goals of the region.
