The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) is a voluntary association of cities, counties, school districts, and special districts which was established in January 1966 to assist local governments in planning for common needs, cooperating for mutual benefit, and coordinating for sound regional development. It serves a 16-county metropolitan region centered around the two urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth. The area of the region is approximately 12,800 square miles, and the population of the region is over 6.4 million. Since 1974, NCTCOG has served as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for transportation in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area. The Metropolitan Planning Organization serves the region by developing transportation plans and programs that address the complex transportation needs of the rapidly growing metropolitan area. The Regional Transportation Council is the policy body for the Metropolitan Planning Organization. NCTCOG’s Department of Transportation is responsible for support and staff assistance to the Regional Transportation Council and its technical committee, which comprise the MPO policy-making structure.