Metropolitan Planning Organization
The Tri-County region consists of three counties, 48 communities, and over 350,000 residents. The Peoria-Pekin Urbanized Area spans three counties, incorporates 16 municipalities, and services over 240,000 residents. Additionally, the Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA), which is the Urbanized Area (UA) plus the adjacent area expected to urbanize within 20 years, incorporates eight additional municipalities and increases the population by over 55,000.
All UA that exceed 50,000 in population must have a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), according to the Title 23 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) Section 450.310. Furthermore, all regions with over 200,000 in population are also classified as a Transportation Management Area (TMA).
As the MPO, TCRPC is responsible for transportation planning as outlined in Title 23 CFR Part 450 Subpart C. The MPO planning process brings together local government, transportation authorities, and interested citizens to create transportation policy and develop comprehensive plans that reflect the region’s future transportation vision. The MPO jurisdiction is the MPA and is showcased on the adjacent map as the 20-Year Planning Boundary.
TCRPC receives federal funding on an annual basis to carry out its transportation planning mission in the MPA. The federal funds come from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) via the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Please note the MPO cannot implement infrastructure capital projects; it is strictly a planning agency providing planning expertise and advocacy for regionally significant projects.
The MPO operates under a formal Cooperative Agreement between the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District (CityLink), and the East Peoria Mass Transit District. This agreement defines the roles, responsibilities, and coordination procedures for carrying out the federally required continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive (3-C) metropolitan transportation planning process within the Metropolitan Planning Area. In addition, a separate Intergovernmental Agreement among these same parties establishes the framework for coordinating federally required transportation performance measures for transit.
For additional information about TCRPC’s governance structure and MPO framework, visit the “What is TCRPC?” webpage, available under the About menu. The page provides a comprehensive overview of the organization’s boards and committees, including the Full Commission (which serves as the MPO Policy Committee), Technical Committee, Regional Transportation Safety Committee, and the Human Services Transportation Plan (HSTP) Steering Committee, among others.
It also outlines the 2021 merger of the former Peoria-Pekin Urbanized Area Transportation Study (PPUATS) Policy Committee with the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Full Commission, through which the Full Commission formally assumed all MPO roles, duties, and responsibilities. The merger streamlined regional decision-making, eliminated redundancies, and strengthened coordination across the Tri-County Region. Detailed information on membership, bylaws, meeting schedules, committee responsibilities, and supporting documentation is linked directly on the page.
See below for a complete list of municipalities within the UA and the communities within the MPA.
The Peoria-Pekin UA includes 16 municipalities across Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties:
| Village of Bartonville | Village of Bellevue | City of Chillicothe | Village of Creve Coeur |
| Village of Dunlap | City of East Peoria | Village of Germantown Hills | Village of Marquette Heights |
| Village of Morton | Village of North Pekin | Village of Norwood | City of Pekin |
| City of Peoria | Village of Peoria Heights | City of Washington | City of West Peoria |
The MPA includes eight municipalities along with those in the UA. They are:
| Village of Bay View Garden | Village of Hanna City | Village of Kingston Mines | Village of Mapleton |
| Village of Metamora | Village of South Pekin | Village of Spring Bay | Village of Tremont |
Transportation Plans and Programs
The MPO coordinates and completes many transportation plans, projects, and studies, some required by federal law. These plans and programs result from the inclusive transportation planning process and delineate the region’s future transportation vision, help implement and monitor projects, and provide financial guidance for the MPO.