Transportation and Planning Department

The Transportation Planning staff works with local communities and agencies to oversee the implementation of transportation planning efforts throughout the five county region. NACOLG also serves as the host agency for the Shoals Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the Northwest Alabama Rural Planning Organization.

This agency is responsible for the administration of the transportation planning process in the Shoals Urban Area. Duties and responsibilities of the MPO are outlined in the Shoals Area Unified Planning Work Program, which is prepared and updated each fiscal year. MPO’s have a responsibility for planning, programming and coordination of federal highway and transit investments.  MPO member governments are the cities and towns of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, Killen, Leighton, St. Florian and the urbanized portions Colbert and Lauderdale Counties.

Furthermore, the MPO Planning Staff also prepares the Shoals Area Long Range Transportation Plan which is forecasted for a 25-year span, and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which addresses transportation projects within the Shoals area for the next four years. 

The RPO is required by federal highway statutes to involve rural local officials in the development and implementation of statewide transportation plans and project investment decisions.  The RPO is made up of the non-urbanized cities, towns, and counties of the region.