Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs) were established in North Carolina beginning in 2001 to assist the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in transportation planning for rural areas outside of Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) boundaries. There are currently 20 RPOs across the state, each made up of 3-15 contiguous counties with a population over 50,000. RPOs are responsible for developing regional transportation plans, prioritizing projects for the State Transportation Improvement Program, and providing a public forum for transportation issues. They receive annual planning funds from NCDOT and are governed by a Transportation Advisory Committee that includes local elected officials. Two examples of projects undertaken by RPOs are a NC 107 corridor study in South