What we do, and how we do it.

 
 

What is MATS?

MATS is a Metropolitan Planning Organization, or MPO. An MPO is a committee, with staff, responsible for planning Federally funded transportation projects within an urbanized area, also called a "Metropolitan Area." In the case of MATS, this area includes all of Midland County, the City of Auburn and Williams Charter Township in Bay County, and Tittabawassee Township in Saginaw County. Transportation planning must be a continuous, cooperative, and comprehensive process (the 3C’s) designed to involve all users of the system, such as businesses, community groups, environmental organizations, the traveling public, freight operators, and the general public, through a proactive public participation process.

What MATS Does?

Through the Policy Committee, MATS develops plans and programs regarding transportation issues of region-wide significance, and decides which Federally funded transportation projects should be implemented .We foster cooperative efforts to resolve problems, develop policies, and implement plans to achieve shared, regional transportation goals. MATS works to benefit all citizens in our area while making the best use possible of our transportation resources and funding.

“Each year we plan, program, and report, for the good of the region.” 

MATS Metropolitan Planning Area facilitates a more regional approach to transportation planning by including everyone's perspective, working with stakeholders and communities.

What is the MATS coverage area?

  • The Census Bureau uses the term Urban Area (UA) to refer to the Urbanized Areas (UZA) designated by the Census Bureau for the decennial Census.Also, Federal transportation legislation allows state and local officials to adjust the Census boundaries outward, as long as they encompass the entire UZA. This results in something called an ACUB. 

  • An Urbanized Area is a boundary, within which there is a pattern of continuous development out from a central core or the boundary of a UA delineated for the previous census. Existing UAs generally retain all territory that was within their previous boundaries. Areas added to the urban fringe must be contiguous to this core and must have a population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile. All area added to the UA must be connected directly by road to the main body of the UA, and this road connection must either be located within the area being added, or touch it on one side. The UA must contain at least 50,000 people.

  • The Adjusted Census Urban Boundary is a "smoothed" version of the UZA that determines the official urban designation for a road. Any road within or on the ACUB boundary is classified as an urban road. By adjusting the boundaries outward, the UAs are smoothed and create more consistent urban/rural road segment classifications, since the UZA is a US Census boundary that does not recognize political boundaries, whereas the ACUB can. Creation of an ACUB is a cooperative process between MDOT and the local units of government. 

  • The Metropolitan planning area (MPA) means the geographic area determined by agreement between the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the area and the Governor, in which the metropolitan transportation planning process is carried out. It generally begins with the ACUB and must by definition at least encompass the entire UZA.