WORK PLAN
Long-Range TRansportation Plan: FFY 2020
OCTOBER 3, 2019
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) reviews this work plan.
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
Principal: Alexandra Kleyman
Manager: Anne McGahan
MPO Planning and §5303 Contract #108217
Schedule and budget details are shown in Exhibits 1 and 2, respectively.
This work plan focuses on the Boston Region MPO’s activities related to its Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The LRTP guides transportation system investments for the Boston metropolitan region over a period of at least 20 years. The MPO adopted its most recent LRTP, Destination 2040, in August 2019.
Although the LRTP document is prepared quadrennially, the MPO’s 3C process, including its long-range planning activities, is ongoing. This work plan addresses those requirements and scenario planning to generate data for future decision making.
This work plan describes the ongoing implementation of the MPO’s recently adopted LRTP, Destination 2040, which provides a vision for the future of the transportation system in the region and guides progress toward achieving that vision. LRTP implementation will help to advance the MPO’s performance-based planning program (PBPP), included in a separate work plan, which will build on work performed during development of the LRTP and its Needs Assessment. The objectives of this LRTP work plan are listed below:
This work plan consists of six tasks, which outline the LRTP work that will be undertaken during federal fiscal year (FFY) 2020. Some of this work will continue in subsequent years during the development of the next LRTP, which will be approved in FFY 2023. Each task identifies the time frame in which each activity will occur.
The Needs Assessment has become a foundational resource for the MPO’s transportation-planning work. In FFY 2019, staff released the Needs Assessment, which was used to develop Destination 2040; it is available to the public via the Needs Assessment document and application on the MPO’s website.
In FFY 2020, staff will continue to update the Needs Assessment with new information as it becomes available, including information on resiliency. Staff will also perform further analyses to keep the Needs Assessment current and will use that information for future studies, reports, and deliberations. The updated information will be made available to the public via the MPO’s website.
Data from the Needs Assessment will primarily support two MPO initiatives: the MPO’s scenario planning activities and its PBPP work. The data will also be used to monitor performance measures, set performance targets, evaluate progress toward the targets, and track other indicators of interest. In addition, the information can be used during the development of the TIP and Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP).
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is working with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to develop several demographic projection scenarios out to 2050. These projections will be the basis for the demographics used for the next LRTP to be adopted in 2023. The demographic scenarios can also be used to test different transportation investment scenarios for the new LRTP.
Schedule: Staff will monitor the demographic development being undertaken by other agencies in FFY 2020. Once completed, the information can be used in scenario planning work for the future LRTP.
Staff will continue to update existing data, identify newly available data from state- and CTPS-managed databases, and identify additional sources of data that are needed for the Needs Assessment and to implement the MPO’s PBPP practice.
Schedule: Ongoing—continue to update and gather new data
Working with staff as part of TIP, UPWP, and Transportation Equity outreach to the public and regional transportation stakeholders, summaries on transportation needs in the region will be compiled to update the Needs Assessment.
Schedule: Ongoing—coordinate and continue to gather new stakeholder input through the outreach activities conducted by the Certification Activities group.
Staff will review the updated and new data and use it to analyze the extent of demographic and development changes and the implications for the region’s transportation network and land use. Staff will also identify travel behavior trends and transportation system user needs. Any new information will be included online through the LRTP webpage and the LRTP Needs Assessment application. Using the new data and the performance measures established as part of the PBPP, staff will assess the progress toward reaching the MPO’s vision for the region.
Schedule: Ongoing—analyze new data as it becomes available
New and updated data will be incorporated into the existing web-based Needs Assessment, which includes the LRTP web application and other data resources. This will involve developing text, tables, maps, and charts that summarize the new data and the analyses performed in Subtask 1.4. Staff will inform the MPO and the public of the updates.
Schedule: Ongoing—incorporate new data into website applications as it becomes available and notify the public
In coordination with MAPC and the update of its long-range land use plan, MetroCommon, staff will develop a range of scenarios that will help the MPO in its decision making for the next LRTP. These could include scenarios to examine different allocations of demographic projections or scenarios that explore the effects of climate change on the transportation system. Scenario planning will include evaluations of mobility, air quality, and equity impacts on the existing network. This information will help the MPO examine its policies and consider potential new projects and programs. The travel demand model will be used to evaluate the scenarios. Off-model analysis will also be performed to examine qualitative impacts.
Schedule: In FFY 2020, staff will coordinate with MAPC as new demographics and specific scenarios are developed for MetroCommon. Staff will also explore other scenarios that may be of interest to the MPO. Depending on completion of specific MetroCommon tasks, scenario planning could extend into FFY 2021.
This task allows for ongoing coordination between the LRTP Manager and the other Program Managers in the Certification Activities Group to make sure that the updated goals and objectives established in Destination 2040 are integrated into the other planning and programming activities of the MPO. For the MPO to make progress towards its goals, staff will consider how the goals are translated into TIP project prioritization decisions, UPWP study selection, and performance measure development.
Schedule: FFY 2020
Coordination for updated TIP and UPWP project-selection criteria and system-wide performance measures.
Through ongoing performance-based planning and scenario planning, MPO staff will generate information to help guide investment strategies for the next LRTP and summarize that information for the MPO.
The LRTP program plays an important role in keeping the MPO abreast of current state-of-the-practice communication methods and planning tools and approaches. In collaboration with MAPC, the MPO will explore effective ways to gather and display information, understand the MPO region’s needs, and analyze transportation and land use options. Staff will research the best practices in metropolitan transportation planning and other facets of planning.
Schedule: Ongoing
One or more amendments to the current LRTP may be required in FFY 2020 if any changes are made to regionally significant projects in the TIP, or if there are changes to the State Implementation Plan. As these situations arise, staff will prepare informational materials to assist MPO members’ decision making and follow the MPO’s procedures for informing and involving the public.
Schedule: As needed
LRTP amendment(s), if required
Throughout the year, MPO staff receives requests for information associated with the LRTP or information that was developed during the LRTP process from MPO members, staff of various transportation and planning agencies, and members of the public. Staff will respond to these requests for information, as needed.
Schedule: Ongoing
Responses to information requests
| Task |
Month | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
1.
Update the LRTP Needs Assessment |
From Month 1, Week 1 to Month 12, Week 4.
Deliverable
A
Delivered by Month 12, Week 4.
|
|||||||||||
2.
Develop and Analyze Future Scenarios |
From Month 1, Week 1 to Month 12, Week 4.
Deliverable
B
Delivered by Month 5, Week 4.
Deliverable
C
Delivered by Month 12, Week 4.
|
|||||||||||
3.
LRTP, TIP, UPWP, and PBPP Coordination on Performance Measures and Evaluation Criteria |
From Month 1, Week 1 to Month 5, Week 4.
Deliverable
D
Delivered by Month 4, Week 2.
|
|||||||||||
4.
Prepare the Groundwork for Next LRTP |
From Month 1, Week 1 to Month 12, Week 4.
|
|||||||||||
5.
Adopt LRTP Amendments |
From Month 1, Week 1 to Month 12, Week 4.
|
|||||||||||
6.
Respond to Requests for Information |
From Month 1, Week 1 to Month 12, Week 4.
|
|||||||||||
| Task |
Person-Weeks | Direct Salary |
Overhead (102.11%) |
Total Cost |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-1 | P-5 | P-4 | P-3 | P-2 | P-1 | SP-1 | Total | ||||
1.
Update the LRTP Needs Assessment
|
2.2 | 14.8 | 6.7 | 1.1 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 32.1 | $52,265 | $53,368 | $105,634 |
2.
Develop and Analyze Future Scenarios
|
3.6 | 19.9 | 14.6 | 5.5 | 8.0 | 9.5 | 1.4 | 62.4 | $93,245 | $95,213 | $188,458 |
3.
LRTP, TIP, UPWP, and PBPP Coordination on Performance Measures and Evaluation Criteria
|
1.0 | 3.6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.1 | $9,734 | $9,940 | $19,674 |
4.
Prepare the Groundwork for Next LRTP
|
0.0 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.5 | $4,966 | $5,071 | $10,037 |
5.
Adopt LRTP Amendments
|
0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | $1,987 | $2,028 | $4,015 |
6.
Respond to Requests for Information
|
0.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | $1,535 | $1,567 | $3,102 |
Total
|
6.8 | 42.4 | 21.9 | 6.6 | 14.0 | 9.5 | 2.8 | 104.0 | $163,732 | $167,187 | $330,920 |