Ezra Pratt, principal transportation planner for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, stood before the Farmersville Rotary Club and stated what everyone likely already knew.

The greater Dallas-Fort Worth region, he said, is in the middle of a growth explosion — and the NCTCOG is planning ways to maintain the mobility of a population expected to continue expanding through 2050.

Pratt made his remarks Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the Farmersville Rotary Club’s regular meeting.

NCTCOG, which serves a 16-county region overall, focuses its transportation planning on a 12-county area surrounding Dallas and Fort Worth. The region is the fourth most populous in the nation, covering 9,000 square miles. It contains 15 cities, towns and communities and is expected to grow by 43% between 2026 and 2050. The current population stands at 8.6 million residents and is expected to exceed 12 million by 2050.

NCTCOG is seeking various funding sources, Pratt said, to complete the myriad transportation projects it has planned. The cost of the entire set of projects is currently estimated at about $217.3 billion, he said.

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By John Kanelis | [email protected]