The RTC voted unanimously Thursday to expand the Metroplex Planning Area (MPA) to include Wise County. The RTC is the transportation division of the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG).
County engineer Chad Davis said being in the MPA will give Wise County a voice when new roads are planned for this area.
"They're planning for 20 years into the future, and that's why they went ahead and added us," he said. "This will allow us to plan for our own future.
"We've already got our master thoroughfare plan in place, and it's been submitted to the RTC. They can factor that into their plans."
Other counties added Thursday include Hood and Hunt and the remainder of Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman and Parker counties. Portions of these counties were already in the MPA. Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties are also in the MPA.
Davis said the RTC works in cooperation with the Texas Department of Transportation and some of the rail authorities to distribute transportation money to specific areas.
Being designated as a metropolitan area, makes the county eligible for more funding simply because there are more funds available for urban planning and urban areas.
Precinct 2 commissioner Kevin Burns said he doesn't expect any local projects in the short term, but work being done on the I-35 corridor through the MPA will help local commuters.
Davis is on the I-35 corridor committee and is also requesting to be on the technical committee.
Wise County will likely not be represented on the board of directors at this time, but the county may partner with Parker County, which has a voting seat on the board.
Before the designation is official, it must also be approved by TxDOT, which will likely happen at its next monthly meeting. In April 2008, Wise County, the city of Decatur and the city of Bridgeport passed resolutions in support of being added to the MPA.
Davis and Precinct 1 commissioner Danny White attended Thursday's meeting.
