Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC)

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC) is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and Council of Governments for northwestern Arkansas. Established in 1966, NWARPC initially formed under a cooperative agreement between seven local units of government between Benton and Washington counties. At that time, the region was growing at a rate of about thirty-eight percent per decade.

Its mission statement is as follows: “The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission serves as a Council of Governments and the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization. The Commission supports cities and counties through innovative planning, transportation choice, and responsible growth to shape a safe, connected, and resilient region.”

By 2026, the commission included thirty-nine units of government in Benton, Madison, and Washington counties, and a portion of McDonald County in Missouri, as well as other public agency partners including the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), transit agencies, Beaver Water District, the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville (Washington County), and the Northwest Arkansas National Airport.

NWARPC is funded by congressionally appropriated federal transportation dollars, membership dues, philanthropic grants, and federal discretionary grants. NWARPC’s full-time paid support staff members report to the Regional Planning Commission and Policy Board, which is composed of the elected mayors and county judges within the NWARPC’s planning area.

Transportation
In 1970, NWARPC partnered with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD, now ARDOT) to conduct a two-county long-range transportation plan. Both counties and five cities adopted the plan and incorporated the recommendations of the plan into their own Master Street Plans. This plan also led to the eventual construction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Highway 412.

In 1983, NWARPC was established as the MPO for the northwestern Arkansas region. The Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA) was established by the governors of Arkansas and Missouri in collaboration with NWARPC, for Benton and Washington counties in Arkansas and a portion of McDonald County in Missouri. McDonald County is included in the MPA due to the economic connections between southern McDonald County and the northwestern Arkansas region.

The MPO consists of a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the Regional Planning Commission (RPC)/Policy Committee, which make up the Northwest Arkansas Regional Transportation Study. The TAC and RPC develop three principal products: the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP).

The UPWP, which is updated yearly, provides program activities and products and describes planning and management activities conducted by NWARPC, illustrating the relationship between adopted goals, objectives, and activities. The TIP document, which is required under federal transportation legislation, lists all federally funded transportation and transportation-related projects to be undertaken within the transportation study area by implementing agencies over a four-year period. The MTP provides a policy framework for the region’s transportation system over a twenty-five-year period and must be updated every five years.

NWARPC also plans for transportation alternatives such as public transportation, bicycle lanes, and pedestrian mobility. In October 2020, the RPC/Policy Committee adopted Connect NWA, a ten-year Transit Development Plan that created a “blueprint” for improving and expanding transit in the northwestern Arkansas region. NWARPC also conducts periodic Transportation Alternative Studies.

NWARPC was instrumental in the creation of the forty-mile shared-use trail spanning northwestern Arkansas called the Razorback Greenway. A regional greenway had been a goal of regional planners, city officials, and residents for decades when NWARPC began a long-range planning process that included regional trails as a key component. A taskforce formed by NWARPC conducted public meetings and facilitated a coordinated effort among the communities of northwestern Arkansas. The Razorback Greenway was dedicated in 2015, with expansions in the following years. In February 2026, NWARPC adopted a Razorback Greenway Corridor Plan, which is a framework to build upon the success of the greenway and to coordinate land use, mobility, design, and investment along the corridor.

NWARPC has prepared and adopted a number of plans to support bicycle infrastructure, including the 2015 Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan, the 2019 NWA Bike Infrastructure Plan: Targeted Bicycling Priority Network, and the NWA Vision Zero Safety Action Plan and accompanying Complete Streets Design Guide.

The Heritage Trail Plan details a proposed network for bicycle and pedestrian facilities, which combines the historic Butterfield Stagecoach Route, the Trail of Tears, and Civil War trails to connect northwestern Arkansas citizens and visitors to heritage, recreational, and cultural assets.

Water Planning
In 1969, NWARPC adopted the Short-Range Comprehensive Water and Sewer Plan, which served as an overview of the water and sewer needs in the region at that time to develop a coordinated approach. This planning-level document was intended to guide regional wastewater management.

In 1971, NWARPC developed a water quality management program that included sampling of streams with known wastewater discharges as well as monitoring of wastewater treatment plants. The intent was to minimize the pollution of water entering the Upper White River, the Illinois River, and the Grand-Neosho Basin. The program was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“The Water Quality Management Interim Plan for the Northwest Arkansas Region” was developed as a provisional guide for sewage system planning, meeting the eligibility requirements for federal grants pertaining to the construction of municipal facilities for treating liquid wastes. The final plan was published in 1974 and titled Water Quality Management Plan for Basins 3H and Portion of 4J.

In 2013, NWARPC conducted the Cave Springs Area Karst Resource Conservation Initiative. The NEPA evaluation for the completion of Interstate 540 led to the delineation in Cave Springs (Benton County) of a recharge area for the Cave Springs Cave. The cave supports the federally endangered gray bat and the federally threatened Ozark cavefish. The delineation led to rerouting I-540 around the known recharge zone, but subsequent environmental studies revealed that I-540 passed through a previously unknown secondary recharge area.

To prevent future adverse effects to threatened and endangered species and their habitats, NWARPC funded a study to consolidate and analyze existing data on the habitat, determine appropriate actions to protect the area, and work with local and state officials to determine the best mechanism for conservation.

Additionally, NWARPC has collaborated with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service (UACES) to assist communities in Benton and Washington counties to comply with the EPA’s Phase II stormwater regulations.

Environment
In 2016, NWARPC developed the Northwest Arkansas Open Space plan to establish a coordinated, voluntary program to protect and promote the region’s most valued natural landscapes. The plan prioritizes natural resources, outdoor recreation, working lands, heritage and cultural resources, and cores and corridors.

NWARPC adopted the Energy & Environment Innovation Action Plan on March 26, 2025, as a roadmap to guide northwestern Arkansas communities and organizations toward greater sustainability and resiliency. As a result, NWARPC joined with a tri-region coalition including Metroplan, NWARPC, and the City of Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and was awarded a $99,999,999 Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG). Of that amount, $36.25 million was awarded for projects in northwestern Arkansas.

Community Planning
As a Council of Governments established in 1966, NWARPC provides services to its member jurisdictions, including the preparation of Municipal Comprehensive Plans. For example, in 1981, NWARPC prepared the City of Springdale Comprehensive Plan in collaboration with the city. Later, NWARPC assisted with the preparation of the Pea Ridge Comprehensive Plan and the Tontitown Comprehensive Plan.

Miscellaneous Planning
NWARPC has a long precedent of conducting planning studies to serve as resources for the region. Between 1971 and 1972, NWARPC conducted planning studies on solid waste systems, open space and recreation, rural land use, commercial land use, and more. These planning studies were meant to inform policies around these topics. Many of these studies informed plans, such as the 1979 Solid Waste Management Plan for Benton and Washington counties.

The 1979 Housing Opportunity Plan for Benton and Washington Counties, financed in part by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, sought to identify housing assistance needs and establish goals for the region, including an equitable distribution of housing assistance allocations.

For additional information:
Holtmeyer, Daniel. “Green Infrastructure in the Ozarks: Northwest Arkansas Development Policy and the Open Space Plan.” MS thesis, University of Arkansas, 2023. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/5006/ (accessed August 12, 2026).

Northwest Arkansas Heritage Trail Partners. https://www.heritagetrailpartners.com/ (accessed August 12, 2026)

Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission. https://www.nwarpc.org/ (accessed August 12, 2026).

Thompson, Doug. “I-49 Expansion among Ideas on Table as Regional Planning Commission Holds Open House on Transportation Goals.” Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, December 8, 2025. https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2025/dec/08/i-49-expansion-among-ideas-on-table-as-regional/ (accessed August 12, 2026).

Madison Kienzle
Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission