History of AMATS
The 1962 Federal Aid Highway Act created metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in keeping with the requirement that urban areas have a defined planning process to receive federal aid for transportation programs and projects.
Our Region
The Akron metropolitan area includes Summit and Portage counties and a portion of Wayne County. Currently, the region has over 700,000 people residing in the area. Akron is the central city accounting for almost one- third of the region’s population. The area has a large and comprehensive transportation system that is anchored by several major freeways and two major rail lines. Two public transit agencies, METRO in Summit County and PARTA in Portage County, provide bus transportation. There are 24 miles of bike lanes and 12 miles of mountain biking in the area as well. With the recent completion of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail through Summit County, the area has over 100 miles of off-road trails completed. In a larger context, AMATS partners with the metropolitan planning organizations in Northeast Ohio, NOACA and Eastgate, to ensure comprehensive transportation planning.