The Erie County Regional Planning Commission (ERPC) is the handling agency for the MPO.  The ERPC MPO was created as a result of a Federal statute that states every urbanized area with a population of more than 50,000 must establish a MPO; where the MPO is responsible for both short and long range trasnportation planning for its associated region. The 2000 Census revealed that the Sandusky Urbanized Area had a population of over 50,000 people and as a result the ERPC MPO was created in 2003. 

 

In the 2010 Census the MPO area revealed a population of nearly 50,000  people in the Sandusky urbanized area. Due to the support on the local,  state and federal levels ERPC maintains its designation as an MPO.

 

The ERPC MPO’s jurisdiction covers all of Erie County and the Lorain County portion of the City of Vermilion.

 

The MPO receives an annual allocation of federal funding in the amount of approximately $1 million for transportation projects located on the federal aid system across the ERPC MPO region.  The MPO typically solicits for projects on an annual basis or as funding availablity allows.  Local jurisdiction and transit agencies are eligible to apply for project funding.  Typically funding is awarded on an 80/20 split, where 20% of project costs are to be covered by the project sponsor.  ERPC staff assists with the project solictitation process but all funding award decisions are ultimately made by the MPO's Policy Committee.  Projects that are awarded for funding are then programmed into the MPO's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) which is a four year list of prioritized projects.