Welcome to the Salisbury/Wicomico Metropolitan Planning Organization (S/W MPO) website.

Located in the central portion of the Delmarva Peninsula, the S/W MPO is a regional transportation planning agency whose members include, in Maryland, the Cities of Salisbury and Fruitland, the Town of Delmar, and a portion of Wicomico County; and in Delaware, the Town of Delmar and a portion of Sussex County.

MPOs are created by federal law and provide a forum where local officials, public transportation providers and state agency representatives come together and cooperatively plan to meet a region's current and future transportation needs. The S/W MPO was designated by former Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich on February 19, 2004, after the 2000 Census indicated that the criteria for an "urbanized area" and the establishment of an MPO had been met.

MPOs are important because they direct how and where available state and federal dollars for transportation improvements will be spent. As defined by federal and state transportation regulations, the primary functions of the MPO are to:

• Establish the goals, objectives and policies governing transportation planning in the region;
• Approve an annual Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and budget;
• Direct the preparation of, and adopt, the strategies of the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP);
• Recommend projects for implementation through the adoption of the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP);

As the S/W MPO works to fulfill its mission, the major goals of the organization include:

• The efficient movement of people and goods;
• The use of existing facilities to the fullest extent practical;
• The use of limited financial resources to generate maximum benefit to the transportation system;
• To limit impacts on air quality, the built environment, as well as historic, cultural and natural resources; and
• To ensure public involvement throughout the transportation planning and project development process.

For more information about the S/W MPO and its activities, please utilize our Website and feel free to provide us with your comments about the site and transportation planning in our region. We encourage you to participate in our activities!