About HOCTC

The United States Department of Transportation requires that every metropolitan area of over 50,000 people maintain a Metropolitan Planning Organization to ensure the disbursement of federal transportation funds is done in accordance with planning procedures. HOCTC is the MPO for both Herkimer and Oneida County.

• Transportation planning in Herkimer and Oneida Counties is carried out by the Herkimer-Oneida Counties Transportation Council (HOCTC). HOCTC is a cooperative effort by local, state and federal agencies for conducting transportation planning activities in Herkimer and Oneida Counties. HOCTC was created during 1963 (in compliance with the Federal Highway Act of 1962) in order to establish transportation goals and objectives on a local basis. The Herkimer-Oneida Counties Governmental Policy and Liaison Committee (GP&L) has been designated as the region's Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for transportation by the Governor of New York.
• HOCTC is hosted by Oneida County through a 10-year Host Agency Agreement, currently in effect from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2032. Oneida County is deemed the employer of the MPO staff connected with the performance of the work. The Host Agency shall be responsible for all obligations as an employer. The continued hosting of the HOCTC MPO provides access to Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration allocated funding for Oneida and Herkimer Counties.
• HOCTC shares responsibility with the state to develop cooperative transportation plans and programs for the two-county area. HOCTC also provides a forum for the identification of transportation needs by area residents and organizations.
• The principal decision making committees of HOCTC are the Governmental Policy and Liaison Committee (GP&L) and the Transportation Planning Committee (TPC). The GP&L has final approval and authority on all major transportation decisions, policies, and programs developed through the HOCTC organization. Click here for more information regarding these and other committees, as well as their upcoming scheduled meetings.
• HOCTC maintains the regional Long-Range Transportation Plan (a 20-year vision of future transportation needs and improvements), HOCTC is responsible for the maintenance of the area's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a five-year program that outlines the capital projects for federal transportation funds, and is coordinated with the 4 year NY State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) capital plan. In addition, HOCTC prepares the Unified Planning Work Program which identifies the annual transportation planning activities that are undertaken by the MPO Herkimer-Oneida Counties area in support of the goals, objectives and actions established in the long-range transportation plan.