Do MPOs have the capacity to help with the oversight and management of these projects if funding is provided directly to the locals within MPO boundaries without passing through the State?
The MPOs in nearly all cases do not have the capacity to help with the oversight and management of projects as the MPO’s primary function is almost always limited to planning and programming, not project management. They simply don’t have the experience or expertise. The responsibility for oversight and management of individual projects resides with the State DOT and the designated recipient transit agencies. In some cases, a larger local government may have some ability to oversee and administer a Federal-aid highway project; however it is ultimately the responsibility of the State DOT to see that Federal requirements are being met on a highway project.
