MRCOG Mission & Function
The MRCOG mission is to strengthen individual communities by identifying and initiating regional planning strategies through open dialogue and collaboration between the member governments.
What It Is
The MRCOG is the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Albuquerque Metropolitan Planning Area (AMPA). A major responsibility of the MPO is coordinate with federal, state, and local transportation planning organizations to develop the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) which identifies the transportation planning priorities for the Albuquerque metropolitan area.
The MRCOG also serves as the agent for the New Mexico Department of Transportation to implement commuter rail service between Belen and Santa Fe. We oversee activities such as:
- Environmental, engineering, design, and construction of facilities
- Marketing and operation of the commuter rail service
- Procurement of equipment
What It Does
The MRCOG provides a variety of services to its members and is funded through a combination of participation fees, federal, state and other grants. Services provided include planning and technical assistance in the fields of transportation, economic development, ordinances, zoning, job training and other special projects as requested. Areas of technical expertise include:
- Developing forecasts to project what these figures will be in the future
- Gathering data about population, employment, land use, and traffic flow
- Map making and Geographic Information Systems analysis