On August 18, 2016, the MPO amended its Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Charting Progress to 2040, to make the document consistent with the MPO’s recently adopted Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)—a rolling five-year plan that finances construction of highway, transit, and multimodal projects and programs—and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Capital Investment Plan (CIP)—which documents projects that are prioritized and funded by the state.
The LRTP documents regionally significant projects and investment programs planned out over a 25-year timeline. For planning purposes, regionally significant projects are considered to be those that either will add capacity to the transportation system or that cost more than $20 million. Projects programmed in the LRTP are ultimately programmed through the TIP when they are within five years of implementation.
Amendment One accomplishes the following:
- transfers funds to Phase One of the Green Line Extension project (extending the line from Lechmere Station in Cambridge to Union Square in Somerville, and College Avenue in Medford) from Phase Two (the extension from College Avenue to Route 16 in Medford), in keeping with Amendment Four of the federal fiscal years (FFYs) 2016–20 TIP and the FFYs 2017–21 TIP
- updates the cost for the ramp construction on Interstate 95 northbound and improvements to Canton Street and Dedham Street in Canton, Norwood, and Westwood
- programs funds for the reconstruction of Melnea Cass Boulevard in Boston, to align with the FFYs 2017–21 TIP, and
- documents funding for two regionally significant projects in the CIP:
- reconstruction of the Interstate 90 and Interstate 495 interchange in Hopkinton and Westborough
- construction of a new bridge connection from Burgin Parkway over the MBTA railroad in Quincy
The MPO is expected to update the LRTP in 2019, incorporating elements from MassDOT’s Focus40 plan for the MBTA system, the City of Boston’s GoBoston 2030 planning effort, and additional scenario planning.