Mission & Vision

Mission

To facilitate an environment that promotes future regional transportation planning, economic growth, quality of life, healthy communities and investment through cooperation and engagement of stakeholders.

Vision

SORTPO is a regional transportation planning leader for facilitating collaboration and input opportunities into decision making for future transportation infrastructure, safety, and economic growth in southwest Oklahoma.

What is regional transportation planning?

Julie Sanders (center) with Grady County residents discussing transportation improvement opportunities. Credit: Chickasha Express-Star

Regional transportation planning is a collaborative process designed to foster participation by all interested parties, such as the businesses, community groups, elected officials, and the public, through a proactive public participation process. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), in cooperation with council of governments (COGS) and regional transportation planning organizations (RTPOS), allocates a portion of the State Planning and Research (SPR) funding made available via federal transportation legislation to provide transportation planning assistance for the non-metropolitan areas of the State. This regional transportation program assists ODOT in meeting the requirements of the Statewide Planning Process to address the transportation needs in non-metropolitan areas.

At a minimum, the RTPO addresses the following activities:

  • Review the Statewide Transportation Plan and compile local government comments relative to recommended plan updates,
  • Review the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program and compile local government comments relative to the program,
  • Provide input and oversight of various transportation-planning activities specific to the regional communities within the region,
  • Assist with developing regional consensus on priorities of highway, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian projects,
  • Develop regional long-range transportation plans,
  • Provide a forum for public participation in the transportation planning process, and
  • Provide transportation related information to local governments.

Learn More

Watch the video to find out more about who we are and what we do.

Southwest Oklahoma Regional Transportation Planning Organization

The Southwest Oklahoma Regional Transportation Planning Organization (SORTPO) was established in October 2009 by the South Western Oklahoma Development Authority (SWODA), an association of local governments representing 8 counties, 48 cities and towns, and 9 soil conservation districts. SORTPO was formed in response to national advocacy by Rural Planning Organizations (RPO) of America, part of the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), with the goal of amplifying rural voices in transportation planning.

In April 2012, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) partnered with the Oklahoma Association of Regional Councils (OARC) to pilot a regional transportation planning and public participation process in non-metropolitan areas of the state. SWODA was selected as one of three pilot Councils of Governments, alongside the Northern Oklahoma Development Authority (NODA) and Central Oklahoma Economic Development District (COEDD).

Building on that foundation, in Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2016, SORTPO—through collaboration with the Association of South Central Oklahoma Governments (ASCOG) and ODOT—expanded its planning region to include sixteen (16) counties across southwest Oklahoma: Beckham, Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Custer, Grady, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Jefferson, Kiowa, McClain, Roger Mills, Stephens, Tillman, and Washita.

On February 20, 2025, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation officially designated the Board of Trustees of SWODA as the state’s first Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO) under federal statute (Title 23, Section 135(m), U.S.C.). SWODA serves as the RTPO’s fiscal agent, and the SORTPO Transportation Policy Board provides the platform for cooperative decision-making. This designation recognizes over a decade of SORTPO’s leadership in coordinating a collaborative, data-informed transportation planning process that is inclusive of local governments, transportation operators, state partners, and community stakeholders.

Currently, SORTPO is leading the development of a 20-year multi-modal transportation plan (Forward 45- Moving People and Goods) for its 16-county region.  Anticipated adoption for Forward 45 is FFY 2025-2026 and will guide transportation decisions in the following areas:

  • Increase safety for motorized and non-motorized users
  • Improve accessibility and mobility for people and freight
  • Enhance quality of life and align with local and state development goals
  • Support efficient system management and preserve existing infrastructure
  • Address a 20-year planning horizon with financially sound strategies
  • Identify transportation opportunities across the region