Regional Transportation Planning

About

Orange County is the planning boundary for the Orange County Transportation Council (OCTC).  The OCTC is tasked with implementing the federal requirements related to transportation within the planning area, but transportation issues like air pollution and traffic congestion do not stop at the MPO boundary.  Regional Transportation Planning brings together many jurisdictions and entities to support common goals on transportation planning topics such as congestion management, safety, freight, livability and commerce. 

For more information about how Orange County addressed air pollution and congestion issues, visit OCTC’s Air Quality page and OCTC’s Congestion Management Process page.

New York Metropolitan Area

Orange County is increasingly being integrated into the larger New York metropolitan region. This larger multi-state metropolitan region is the largest such area in the nation in terms of population and one of the largest in the world, as approximated by the U.S. Census Bureau’s New York Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The New York MSA is home to over 20 million people (2015 estimate) and covers 25 counties. The transportation system of the multi-state metropolitan region is large, complex, and aging, tied together by a network of highways, rail lines, bridges, tunnels, and other infrastructure.

Mid-Hudson Valley 

As estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013- 2017 American Communities Survey, more than one-third of Orange County residents work outside the county. On an average day, more than 19,000 people commute from Orange County to New York City by some combination of bus, train, or car. Another 30,000 people commute south to Rockland and Westchester counties and to northern New Jersey (with the majority of those headed to Bergen County). More than 6,000 people per day commute across the Hudson River to Dutchess County, and more than 3,000 commutes north to Ulster County. Ulster County is the biggest source of out-of-county labor for businesses located in Orange County, with more than 10,000 commuters on an average day. More than 5,800 people per day commute into Orange County from Sullivan County and another 5,100 per day commute from Duchess County.