METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION

CONTACT INFORMATION

Located at Hattiesburg City Hall, the office is open Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

200 Forrest Street
Post Office Box 1898
Hattiesburg, MS 39403-1898
601-545-6259
mpo@hattiesburgms.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HattiesburgMPO

Staff
Armendia Esters, MPO Division Manager
vacant, MPO Administrative Assistant
Addie West, Federal Reporting Technician

PUBLIC NOTICES & RFPs

There are no current public notices or RFPs for the Hattiesburg-Petal-Forrest-Lamar Metropolitan Planning Organization.

 

AGENCY-RELATED LINKS

MDOT Planning Division – http://mdot.ms.gov/portal/planning.aspx

US DOT – https://www.transportation.gov/

City of Petal – https://www.cityofpetal.com/

Forrest County – https://forrestcountyms.us/

Lamar County – https://lamarcountyms.gov/ms/

MULTIPLAN 2045 – http://mstransportationplan2045.com/

The Metropolitan Planning Organization’s primary activities are transportation oriented. It provides the staff for the Hattiesburg-Petal-Forrest-Lamar Metropolitan Planning Organization (HPFL-MPO) and is responsible for the integrated planning of transportation systems in the cities of Hattiesburg and Petal, and parts of Lamar County and Forrest County. Using federal regulations and guidance, short and long-term transportation plans that meet community objectives are developed and implemented. A multi-modal planning approach is used to assure a vibrant and growing system of roads, rail lines, transit systems, and airports.

PURPOSE

Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are regional transportation planning agencies, which provide a forum for cooperative decision-making concerning area-wide transportation issues. The MPO was created by federal and state law to develop transportation plans and programs which encourage and promote the implementation of transportation systems which embrace the various modes of transportation in a manner that will maximize the mobility of people and goods.

The federal legislation focuses on planning for urban areas, rather than individual cities. Every urbanized area with a population of more than 50,000 persons must have a designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for transportation to qualify for federal highway or transit assistance. All transportation projects should be supported and coordinated with the MPO’s long-range plans to be eligible for federal funds.

BACKGROUND

Mississippi Governor William Winter established the Hattiesburg-Petal-Forrest-Lamar Metropolitan Planning Organization in August 1982. The HPFL-MPO was established when the Hattiesburg central area reached a population status of 50,000 plus. The HPFL-MPO area consists of the City of Hattiesburg, the City of Petal, a portion of Forrest County and a portion of Lamar County.

The smallest of MPO’s in the State of Mississippi, representatives from the City of Hattiesburg, City of Petal, Forrest County and Lamar County, the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration are involved in the transportation planning process for the MPO. Their purpose is to provide effective leadership in the development of transportation plans and programs.

COMMITTEES

The Hattiesburg-Petal-Forrest-Lamar MPO Policy Committee is the primary committee responsible for developing policies and procedures to guide the transportation planning process for the Hattiesburg Urbanized Area (HUZA).

The board consists of the mayors from the City of Hattiesburg and Petal, presidents of the Forrest County and Lamar County Board of Supervisors, the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the executive director of the MPO and the Federal Highway Administration (non-voting member).

The MPO staff and the Technical Committee assist HPFL-MPO Policy Committee with planning and recommendations. The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) supports the planning efforts of the HPFL-MPO, which is vital because of the diverse array of projects that can be funded in the HUZA.

MEETINGS

All HPFL-MPO Technical Committee meetings are scheduled for the 2nd Wednesday of each quarter. All HPFL-MPO Policy Committee meetings are scheduled for the 4th Wednesday of each quarter.  Committee meetings are held at 10am at the Hattiesburg Intermodal Facility at 308 Newman Street. View the calendar here.

Public participating in the transportation process is encouraged. All meetings of the Policy and Technical Committees are open to the public. Members of the public may request time on the agenda of the HPFL-MPO committees to comment on specific subjects of interest to the representatives. A minimum of two weeks advance notice should be given for requested agenda time.

Technical Committee Scheduled Meetings, Agendas & Minutes

Policy Committee Scheduled Meetings, Agendas & Minutes

POLICY COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Toby Barker, Mayor
City of Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Proxy: Lamar Rutland
Ginger M. Lowery
Andrew Ellard 

Hal Marx, Mayor
City of Petal, Mississippi

Proxy: Steve Stringer
Amy Heath
John Weeks

Chris Bowen, Board of Supervisors-D5
Forrest County, Mississippi

Proxy: David Hogan-D1
Rodrick Woullard-D4
Burkett Ross-D3
Charles Marshall-D2

Steve Lampton, Board of Supervisors
Lamar County, Mississippi

Proxy: Michael Hershman
Don Walker

Kelly Castleberry, P.E.-District 6 Engineer
Mississippi Department of Transportation

Proxy: Evan Wright – Jackson, Mississippi
Sammy Holcomb
Perry Brown
Jeff Altman
David Seyfarth

Shundreka Givan
Federal Highway Administration
(Non-Voting Member) – Jackson, Mississippi

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Andrew Ellard, HPFL-MPO Executive Director

Lamar Rutland, City of Hattiesburg

Hunter White, City of Hattiesburg

Jerald Little, City of Hattiesburg

Ginger M. Lowrey, City of Hattiesburg

Caroline Miles, City of Hattiesburg

Nick Williams, City of Hattiesburg

John Weeks, P.E., City of Petal

Amy Heath, City of Petal

Nick Connolly, P.E., Forrest County

Corey Proctor, Forrest County

John Weeks, Forrest County

Kyle Wallace, Forrest County

Mike Slade, Forrest County

Robert “Bob” Taylor, Forrest County

JeVaughn Osgood, Forrest County

Don Walker, P.E., Lamar County

Jason Lamb, Lamar County

Michael Hershman, Lamar County

Shundreka Givan, Federal Highway Administration

Kelly Castleberry, Mississippi Department of Transportation

Perry Brown, Mississippi Department of Transportation

Jeff Aultman, Mississippi Department of Transportation

David Seyfarth, MDOT District 6 LPA Coordinator

Evan Wright, Mississippi Department of Transportation

Sammy Holcomb, Mississippi Department of Transportation

April Fairley, Mississippi Department of Transportation

Geoffrey Crosby, P.E., Neel &Schaffer

Allison Beasley, Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District

Daniel Jayroe, Area Development Partnership

Dr. Robert Blevins, William Carey College

Dr. Rodney Bennett, University of Southern Mississippi

Thomas Heanue, Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport

Vincent Nelms, Hub City Transit

MASTER PLANS & DOCUMENTS