Appendix A: Other Boston Region Transportation Planning Studies

This appendix consists of transportation studies and technical analysis work that MPO staff will conduct to support the work of various transportation agencies in the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) area, as well as brief descriptions of planning studies that will be conducted in the Boston Region MPO area by individual agencies, such as the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), during federal fiscal year (FFY) 2025. This appendix is divided into two sections. The first describes contract-based work that MPO staff will undertake to support the planning work of other agencies, while the second describes studies supported by federal planning (but not MPO) funds and/or studies that MPO and partner agency staff have determined to be of regional significance.

The project listings in Section 1 are organized by funding agency and include studies and technical analyses for MassDOT, the MBTA, and other agencies in the Boston region. The project listings in Section 2 indicate whether components of the projects will be conducted by CTPS, and are organized hierarchically: first by type of study, then by geography, then by the entity organizing or leading the study effort.

Section 1: Agency and Client-Funded Transportation Studies

The transportation studies and technical analysis work described in this section will be conducted to support the work of various transportation agencies in the Boston Region MPO area.

Some of the contracts described in this section are issued to the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) every year and generally coincide with either the FFY or the state fiscal year (SFY). Examples include MassDOT PL and MassDOT Statewide Planning and Research (SPR) contracts. Other contracts are issued for tasks and technical support to be conducted over a multiyear period, and they might be renewed with the agencies after several years. A third contract type covers the work for discrete studies or technical analyses intended to be completed within a specified timeframe. These may either be one-time contracts in which CTPS conducts analysis or technical support to further a specific agency project, such as MassDOT’s Interstate 90 (I-90) Allston Multimodal Modeling Support project, or they can be contracts in which CTPS provides technical support to an agency for data collection and analysis that is undertaken annually, such as the MBTA National Transit Database (NTD): Data Collection and Analysis contract.

The work conducted on behalf of the agencies includes data collection and analyses covering a broad range of topics, including travel demand modeling, air quality, traffic engineering, Title VI, and environmental justice. The products of this work are vital to support compliance with federal and state regulations such as the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. CTPS also enhances regional understanding of critical transportation issues through the preparation of graphics, maps, and other materials for agency studies and presentations. The work described in this section is organized by agency and includes studies and technical analyses for MassDOT, the MBTA, and other agencies in the Boston region.

Table A-1
Unified Planning Work Program Budget—New and Continuing Agency Transportation Planning Studies and Technical Analyses for FFY 2025

MassDOT

The contracts and technical analyses in this section are being undertaken for MassDOT.

MassDOT Statewide Planning and Research Program Support

Purpose

CTPS provides support to MassDOT’s SPR program as requested. These contracts will include multiple individual projects or tasks throughout the federal fiscal year.

Approach

CTPS will conduct studies and analyses and provide technical assistance upon request. Two projects that are either underway or expected to begin in FFY 2025 are the Roadway Inventory and Related Support Maintenance and the Statewide Model Assistance Project. Other projects may be added throughout FFY 2025.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

Activities and work products will depend on tasks requested by MassDOT’s Office of Transportation Planning.

MassDOT Title VI Program

Purpose

Under this contract, CTPS will continue to provide technical support to MassDOT for developing and implementing its Title VI Program for both the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

Approach

MassDOT, as a recipient of federal funds from both FHWA and the FTA, is required to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and with protections enacted through several other laws and executive orders that prohibit discrimination based on gender, age, income, and disability. Through this technical support work, CTPS will assist MassDOT in complying with these nondiscrimination laws.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

Staff will provide technical support to MassDOT as described above.

MassDOT-Directed Planning

Purpose

CTPS will provide transit-planning assistance to MassDOT and the MBTA by conducting various studies under MassDOT’s FHWA-funded PL Program. This task will include multiple individual projects or tasks throughout the federal fiscal year.

Approach

Projects will be added throughout FFY 2025 to support transit-related research, planning, data collection, and analysis.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

Activities and work products will depend on tasks requested by MassDOT and the MBTA.

I-90 Allston Multimodal Modeling

Purpose

MassDOT and its project team are currently developing a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Allston Multimodal project. CTPS will produce travel-demand forecasts in support of this environmental filing.

Approach

CTPS will support MassDOT by using the CTPS regional travel demand model set to estimate highway volumes, transit volumes, and mode splits for horizon-year (2050) scenarios of the Allston Multimodal project.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

In FFY 2025 staff will finalize the analysis and study documentation and support the environmental filing preparation and engagement as needed.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

The contracts and technical analyses in this section are being undertaken for the MBTA.

MBTA National Transit Database Support

*Multiple contract years are represented.

Purpose

For many years, in support of the MBTA’s NTD submittals to the FTA, CTPS has produced passenger-miles traveled and unlinked trip estimates for MBTA services. This project will develop these estimates for the following modes:

• directly operated MBTA transportation (including motor bus, heavy and light rail, and bus rapid transit)
• purchased-service bus routes (that is, local routes for which the MBTA contracts with a private carrier)
• commuter rail

Approach

CTPS will use the following methods to collect the data on which these estimates will be based:

• ridechecks on a sample of automatic passenger counter-equipped buses on the directly operated bus, rapid bus, and purchased service bus modes
• full-route ridechecks, including farebox fare-mix surveys, on the purchased service bus mode for the routes without automatic passenger counter-equipped buses
• transit trip surveys on heavy rail, light rail, and rapid-bus modes to determine origin-destination information (transfer rates and average trip lengths)
• faregate noninteraction, farebox noninteraction, and rear-door entry surveys from stations or Green Line vehicles
• inferred origin-destination information from automated fare collection (AFC) data, if available from the MBTA or its partners, to determine origin-destination information (transfer rates and average trip lengths)
• commuter rail ridership data from passenger counts conducted by the MBTA or its contractors or from the MBTA’s mobile ticketing vendor
• counts of temporary bus bridge passengers during sample periods when portions of rail service are temporarily suspended for maintenance and replaced with bus service

The MBTA will submit its SFY 2024 NTD passenger-miles traveled and unlinked trip estimates for various transit modes to the FTA with the aid of CTPS during FFY 2025. The final technical memoranda for SFY 2025 NTD will be completed in FFY 2026.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

CTPS will complete the final technical memoranda and auditing process for SFY 2024 NTD reporting and will complete data collection begun in FFY 2024 for SFY 2025. Field staff will begin collecting data for SFY 2026 NTD reporting.

MBTA Title VI Program Monitoring

Purpose

Under this contract, CTPS provides the MBTA with technical assistance by collecting and analyzing MBTA service data to compare service provided to minority riders with service provided to nonminority riders. This work supports the MBTA’s compliance with Title VI requirements.

Approach

Staff will collect and analyze data on the following service indicators:

• service coverage
• vehicle load
• vehicle headway
• on-time performance
• station conditions and amenities
• distribution and operability of AFC faregates and fare vending machines
• distribution of AFC retail sales terminals
• station elevator and escalator locations and operability
• vehicle age and condition

The data-collection and analysis activities will help to fulfill monitoring required as part of the MBTA’s ongoing Title VI Program. The results of the data collection efforts and analyses will be reported in a memorandum to the MBTA for internal review and follow up and will be included in the next triennial program.

CTPS will incorporate relevant demographic data from the MBTA’s 2022 passenger survey and subsequent updates where appropriate as they become available.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

CTPS will provide documentation about selected service monitoring evaluations for SFY 2023 and 2024 MBTA service and amenities.

MBTA Transit Service Data Collection

Purpose

The work conducted under this contract will help the MBTA to assess bus and rapid transit service changes.

Approach

The MBTA requires ongoing data collection regarding its transit system to assess service changes. As part of this project, CTPS collects ridership and performance data to support future MBTA service changes. Work may also include support for improving the ridecheck database so that it will be compatible with new software and data sources. CTPS also may provide analytical assistance to the MBTA as requested.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

• Point checks (observations of the arrival times, departure times, and passenger loads of a transit service at a single location) and other data collection as requested by the MBTA for planning purposes
• Improvements to the ridecheck database
• Analytical assistance as requested

MBTA Rider Oversight Committee Support

Purpose

The MBTA established a Rider Oversight Committee (ROC) in 2004 to provide ongoing public input on a number of different issues, including strategies for increasing ridership, developing new fare structures, and prioritizing capital improvements. Through this contract, CTPS supports the MBTA by providing ongoing technical assistance to the ROC.

Approach

Assistance provided by CTPS has included offering insights into the MBTA’s planning processes, providing data analysis, and attending committee meetings, at which staff may respond directly to ROC members’ questions.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

CTPS will continue to provide technical assistance to the MBTA ROC and attend committee and subcommittee meetings.

Service Equity Analysis Support to the MBTA II

Purpose

CTPS will support the MBTA in conducting the required Title VI service equity analyses for major service changes that take place during the duration of this contract.

Approach

CTPS will conduct service equity analyses for MBTA major service changes. CTPS will follow the new Service and Fare Equity policy in conducting its analyses.

CTPS will incorporate relevant demographic data from the MBTA’s 2022 passenger survey and subsequent updates where appropriate as they become available.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

CTPS will prepare technical memoranda documenting service equity analyses for each major service change.

MBTA Mapping Support

Purpose

The objective of this work is to provide map-making support upon request from the MBTA. At the time of each request, CTPS will provide the MBTA with an estimate of the specific cost and schedule for completing the map(s).

Approach

CTPS will update MBTA maps, upon request from the MBTA, within the budget provided for this project.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

Updated district maps to reflect changes in bus routes and bus route garage assignments. Upon request from the MBTA, CTPS staff will update other existing CTPS-created MBTA maps within the budget provided for this project.

Map and Signage Support to the MBTA Bus Network Redesign

Purpose

The objective of this work is to provide map-making support, upon request from the MBTA.

Approach

CTPS will update MBTA maps, upon request from the MBTA, within the budget provided for this project.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

Updated rapid transit system, bus, and neighborhood maps to reflect changes to bus routes in accordance with the MBTA Bus Network Redesign. Upon request from the MBTA, CTPS staff will update other existing CTPS-created MBTA maps within the budget provided for this project.

Red Blue Connector Study

Purpose

CTPS is supporting the MBTA in preparation for environmental filings for the proposed connection between the Red and Blue Lines at the Charles/MGH Station. CTPS will continue to be engaged in developing traffic and transit projections for this work in FFY 2025.

Approach

CTPS will use the Boston Region MPO’s travel demand model to analyze the traffic and transit impact of the proposed connection between the Red and Blue Lines and the closure of Bowdoin Station.

FFY 2024 Anticipated Outcomes

The primary analysis for this study was completed in FFY 2024. Staff will continue to support preparation of the environmental filing, grant applications, and public engagement as needed.

North Shore Busway Study

Purpose

The MBTA has proposed a center-running bus lane facility linking Wonderland Station in Revere to Lynn (at the intersection of Broad and Chestnut Street/Atlantic Street) via North Shore Road, General Edwards Bridge, the Lynnway, and Broad Street. This bus rapid transit facility would produce a two-seat rapid-transit service between downtown Lynn and Boston.

Approach

Using the Boston Region MPO’s regional travel demand model set and other tools, CTPS will support MBTA and its project team by assessing the existing traffic conditions and travel patterns, and by providing modeling results and analyses for use in the evaluation of the proposed reconstruction scenario.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

A technical memorandum summarizing the general modeling methodology and the results of the analysis will be provided to the MBTA and the project team.

AFC 2.0 Equity Analysis

Purpose

As part of the Fare Transformation initiative, the MBTA is developing a new AFC system, known as AFC 2.0, to supplant its existing fare payment system. In late 2017, the contract for the design, integration, and implementation of AFC 2.0 was awarded to Cubic | John Laing. This change in the MBTA’s fare payment system will also lead to changes that may negatively affect some riders. The MBTA has requested that CTPS analyze the equity of the impacts of the following components of AFC 2.0: elimination of cash on board, fee for specific fare media, and potential changes in fare structure.

Approach

CTPS will evaluate the distribution of fare vending machines and other fare media sales locations, the equity impacts of charging for a fare card, and a package of various fare structure changes that may be implemented with AFC 2.0. Tasks in this project include

• participating in meetings and providing technical support;
• analyzing the distribution of fare vending machines and/or sales locations;
• analyzing the impacts of charging for fare media; and
• analyzing other fare structure changes.

CTPS will follow the new Service and Fare Equity policy in conducting its analyses.

CTPS will incorporate relevant demographic data from the MBTA’s 2022 passenger survey and subsequent updates where appropriate as they become available.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

CTPS will produce technical memoranda documenting the equity analysis of the proposed fare structure changes, the equity analysis of the fare card fee, and the equity analysis of proposed fare sales locations.

Section 2: Other Boston Regional Transportation Planning Studies

This section consists of brief descriptions of planning studies that will be conducted in the Boston Region MPO area by individual agencies, such as MassDOT and the MBTA, during FFY 2024. This section describes studies supported by federal planning (but not MPO) funds, and/or studies that MPO and partner agency staff have determined to be of regional significance. The project listings in this indicate whether components of the projects will be conducted by CTPS, and are organized hierarchically: first by type of study, then by geography, then by the entity organizing or leading the study effort.

The projects in this section are not subject to the MPO’s public participation process. Rather, they follow their own public processes, parts of which may be required by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act. They are included here to provide a more complete picture of the surface-transportation-planning projects occurring in the region. The listings contained in this section were provided to CTPS prior to July 1, 2023.

Safe Streets and Roads for All Discretionary Grant Program (SS4A)

In 2023, the Boston Region MPO received funding through the Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program in the amount of $2,160,435 to develop a Safety Action Plan. MassDOT is providing the required 20 percent match of $540,109, which brings the total budget for this work to $2,700,544. The MPO will adopt the Safe System approach in developing the Action Plan. Recommendations will focus on high-risk corridors and include low-cost, high-impact countermeasures that can be widely implemented, new processes and policies, continuous monitoring of crash data, innovative technologies, and collaborative conceptual plans for multi-jurisdictional corridors. A Task Force responsible for Action Plan oversight will be established and include diverse representation from municipalities, advocacy and community groups, underserved communities, public health organizations, and vulnerable roadway users. The MPO will work with a variety of stakeholders to develop a Safety Action Plan for the region and facilitate collaboration across jurisdictions to meet the region’s Vision Zero goal.

Other municipalities that received this grant in the Boston region are listed below:

• City of Salem (Action Plan Grant), $200,000
• City of Somerville (Supplemental Action Plan Grant), $116,800
• Town of Dedham (Action Plan), $207,841.44
• Weymouth (Action Plan Grant), $336,000
• City of Boston (Implementation Grant), $9,000,000

Multimodal or Roadway Studies

Statewide Studies

MassDOT

Beyond Mobility: Massachusetts 2050 Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan

Beyond Mobility, the Massachusetts 2050 Long-Range Transportation Plan, is a planning process that will result in a blueprint for guiding transportation decision-making and investments in Massachusetts in a way that advances MassDOT’s goals and maximizes the equity and resiliency of the transportation system. The Plan will serve as a strategic plan for MassDOT and document the most pressing transportation priorities for MassDOT to address between now and 2050, relying heavily on input from the public.

The project team, considering what the world will be like in 2050, analyzed previous plans, public engagement responses, and results from a needs assessment and identified six key priority areas of Massachusetts to focus on over the long term. These are safety, destination connectivity, travel experience, reliability, supporting clean transportation, and resiliency. Within the Plan, vision statements, values, problem statements, and more than 100 action items have been developed and are organized by these six priority areas.

Beyond Mobility was finalized in June 2024 and the full plan and executive summary are available on the plan webpage https://www.mass.gov/beyond-mobility.

Impact of Teleworking

The Impact of Teleworking Study is developing plausible future scenarios for teleworking in Massachusetts and will use a modeling approach to understand the effects that teleworking changes may have on the Commonwealth’s transportation system. This study will examine how anticipated increases and/or decreases in teleworking could change household and aggregate travel behavior through measures that include overall vehicle-miles traveled, trip attributes, and mode share. The potential macroeconomics impact of these changes in travel behavior will also be analyzed. The modeled projections for each scenario could assist MassDOT in future decision-making by providing information about how the demands on the transportation system will change and how the mix of transportation investment may need to respond.

MassDOT National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Plan

MassDOT has developed an Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Deployment Plan for Massachusetts as required by the NEVI Program. Key activities during the initial plan development process included modeling EV charging demand on highway corridors in Massachusetts, analyzing economic factors associated with direct current fast charging technology, prioritizing highway corridor segments for investment of NEVI funds, and seeking stakeholder input on key questions. The MassDOT NEVI Plan has been approved. MassDOT is now proceeding with a planning process to determine the role of MassDOT-owned sites in the NEVI network buildout and to develop a model solicitation and contracting approach for partnering with a private entity to install fast charging infrastructure on EV Alternative Fuel Corridors in Massachusetts, which may help to ease range anxiety for drivers on long-distance trips.

Regional or Subregional Studies

MassDOT

Newton Corner Long-Term Planning Study

MassDOT’s Office of Transportation Planning is conducting a study to determine long-term multimodal transportation and safety improvements to the Newton Corner I-90: Exit 127 (formerly Exit 17) Interchange in Newton, Massachusetts, bordering Brighton and Watertown.

This conceptual planning study will examine ways to improve mobility, system reliability, safety, connectivity, equity, economic opportunity, accessibility, efficiency, and climate resiliency in the study area.

Morrissey Boulevard/Kosciuszko Circle Study

MassDOT, the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs/Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the City of Boston have partnered to conduct a multimodal transportation study, and engage a recently created legislative (Morrissey) commission dedicated to long-term comprehensive planning for Morrissey Boulevard and the surrounding area in Dorchester, Massachusetts. This effort will build on past designs for the study area and contribute to preliminary, conceptual designs to improve the public realm, mobility, connectivity, safety, and climate resiliency in the corridor. This effort will also incorporate ongoing and future developments in the area to balance these projects with the local community. The resulting transportation alternatives will be presented as part of a public involvement process.

Maurice J. Tobin Bridge Long-Term Strategic Planning Study

MassDOT’s Office of Transportation Planning is conducting a study of long-term alternatives for the replacement of the Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge (Tobin Bridge). The Tobin Bridge carries US Route 1 over the Mystic River and connects Boston and Chelsea. In tangent with developing future means for Route 1 to cross the river, this study will consider opportunities to implement and improve transit priority and multimodal travel over the future bridge or its alternative and accommodate existing and future vehicle traffic levels.

Transit Studies

MBTA Transit Analysis Methodology and Mitigation Strategies Study

MassDOT’s Office of Transportation Planning is conducting a study to develop a framework, methodology, and web-based tool for estimating the impacts of land use developments, including public and private developments, on the delivery and performance of transit services in Massachusetts. The deliverables from this project will inform MassDOT, MBTA, and regional transit authority decision-making and help these agencies take a more proactive approach to development mitigation.

Program for Mass Transportation

The Program for Mass Transportation (PMT) is the MBTA’s long-range capital planning document. It defines a 25-year vision for public transportation in eastern Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Law requires the MBTA to update the PMT every five years and to implement the policies and priorities outlined in it through the annual Capital Investment Program. MassDOT’s Office of Transportation Planning will lead the process for updating the new PMT.

Regional or Subregional Studies

MassDOT

Gilmore Bridge Mobility Improvements Study

MassDOT’s Office of Transportation Planning is conducting a study to examine opportunities to improve and implement transit priority and multimodal travel over the Gilmore Bridge in Boston and Cambridge, as well as explore the feasibility of building a new bridge between Charlestown and Cambridge to serve transit, walking, and biking trips.

The Gilmore Bridge Mobility Improvements Study will examine existing mobility and other travel conditions within the study area and evaluate short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations intended to address the needs of current and anticipated future travelers along the corridor, with a particular emphasis on providing dedicated bus lanes. In addition to exploring opportunities for transit priority measures and active transportation improvements on the Gilmore Bridge, the study will assess the feasibility of constructing a new bridge between Charlestown and Cambridge to serve transit, walking, and biking trips.

MBTA

Areas of Persistent Poverty—Ashmont Station Study

In March 2023, the MBTA submitted a grant application to the Federal Transit Administration’s Areas of Persistent Poverty Program (APP). The APP Program is focused on providing funds for projects to assist areas of persistent poverty or historically disadvantaged communities. Eligible projects include things such as improvements to transit facilities, planning for low- or no-emission buses, and funding for coordinated public transit human service transportation plans. The MBTA submitted an application requesting $470,000 to design on-route battery electric bus (BEB) charging at Forest Hills and Ashmont stations. In July 2023, the MBTA received notice of an award under the APP Program for $127,366 to design electric bus charging at Ashmont Station.

Ashmont Station is a pivotal MBTA station in terms of its mobility benefits facilitating transfers to numerous local bus routes as well as to subway and commuter rail. Ensuring BEBs operate efficiently and continuously throughout the service area is paramount to guaranteeing access to employment opportunities for new and existing riders alike. In addition, a majority of the bus ridership on routes serving the station originate from areas designated by the United States Department of Transportation as Areas of Persistent Poverty and Historically Disadvantaged Communities. The funding to design on-route BEB charging at Ashmont Station is an important step in improving the reliability of bus service and decreasing the air quality impacts of diesel buses in and around the routes that serve the station. The MBTA’s full transition to BEBs relies on the design and construction of on-route BEB charging throughout the bus network.

FTA requires that any grants related to planning work (such as this one) be amended into the appropriate regional Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). As such, this proposed UPWP amendment will add this project to the Appendix of the Boston Region MPO’s Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2024 UPWP. Since the study will be grant-funded, it will not impact funding for any other studies programmed in the FFY 2024 UPWP.

Corridor, Area, or General Studies

Regional or Subregional Studies

Municipal Studies

City of Boston

Rutherford Avenue—Sullivan Square Design Project

The City of Boston is progressing with the redesign of the Rutherford Avenue corridor in Charlestown, which extends approximately 1.5 miles from the North Washington Street Bridge to Sullivan Square and provides a critical connection between Everett, Somerville, suburbs north and east of Boston, and Boston’s downtown business area. Reconstruction of this corridor is currently programmed in the Transportation Improvement Program beginning in 2022. The corridor’s highway-like design is inconsistent with present-day design preferences and local circumstances, and the function and design of the Sullivan Square rotary is problematic. Pedestrian mobility is limited, and bicycle travel is not compatible with the high-speed road. The corridor is eight- to 10-lanes wide (120 to 140 feet), presenting a significant barrier between areas on either side of the roadway, such as the Bunker Hill Community College, Paul Revere Park, the Hood Business Park employment area, and MBTA rapid transit stations.

There are significant transit-oriented development opportunities along the corridor, and public investment in new infrastructure will support development of commercial and residential uses, whose tenants otherwise probably would not, or could not, locate to the area. A number of major structural elements in the corridor were constructed more than 60 years ago; they are approaching the end of their life cycle and will need to be replaced. With the Central Artery/Tunnel project now complete, more traffic remains on facilities such as Interstate 93 and US Route 1; therefore, reduced traffic volumes along Rutherford Avenue present a unique opportunity to transform the corridor’s character from a 1950s-era, automobile-oriented facility to a twenty-first century, multimodal, urban boulevard corridor that will accommodate private development.

City of Boston

Reconnecting Chinatown

Planning

RCP Award: $1,800,000

The project will develop a plan to connect across the open-cut highway by building an open space for the community and prepare design guidelines to reconnect the Chinatown neighborhood separated by the construction of Interstate 90 in the 1960s. Construction of I-90 displaced hundreds of Chinese American families through land seizure and demolition, including removal of the thriving Hudson Street neighborhood, for the installation of a ramp and retaining wall. In the Leather District, another thriving and historically Chinese American community, roughly 20 percent of Chinese American family homes were impacted by the construction. As a result, Boston’s Chinatown now lacks access to safe and open greenspace, affordable housing, and is disproportionately impacted by traffic and unclean air.

This project is intended to directly address the longstanding physical division in Boston’s historic Chinatown and to repair and enrich the area located between Shawmut Avenue and Washington Street, a disadvantaged community that has been marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. This project would also increase greenery and safe and accessible walking routes, improve safety, and decrease the use of motorized vehicles. The City of Boston proposes to create a steering committee of city and community members in the planning process. The application suggests that the air rights created by the connection could be used to create housing and job opportunities for the neighborhood.

Miscellaneous Studies and Planning Activities

Statewide Studies

MassDOT

Flood Risk Assessment

This is a planning-level analysis of which transportation assets are at risk of flooding over the coming century. This study identifies flood exposure for in-state National Highway System roads, bridges, and large culverts; MassDOT- and MBTA-owned rail; MassDOT facilities; and many public-use airports. It assesses damage and repair costs, time estimates for repairs, and considers the consequences from loss of service. Specifically, this study will estimate “do nothing” costs and qualitative consequences of at-risk transportation assets under future conditions assuming no intervention. This information can be used during the capital planning process to prioritize investments that avoid or reduce long-term climatic impacts associated with flooding.

Shared Travel Network

This study will develop recommendations about where and how to leverage existing facilities and resources that could contribute to the development of a shared travel network, as well as where these existing facilities could be expanded and where new facilities and assets could be introduced.

Regional or Subregional Studies

Colleges and Universities

New England University Transportation Center (Region One)

The New England University Transportation Center (Region One) is a research consortium that includes the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (lead university), Harvard University, and the state universities of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine. It is funded by the US Department of Transportation’s University Transportation Centers (UTC) Program. The New England UTC conducts multiyear research programs that seek to assess and make improvements for transportation safety as well as develop a systems-level understanding of livable communities. For more information, visit the New England University Transportation Center’s website at http://utc.mit.edu/.

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Appendix B: Public Engagement and Public Comments

In the course of developing the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), the staff of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) followed the procedures set forth in the MPO’s Public Engagement Plan to ensure early, active, and continuous public involvement in the transportation planning process.

The Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2025 UPWP development process began in October 2023. Staff solicited input on topics and priorities for study and program development through the following engagement activities:

• Metropolitan Area Planning Council subregional group meetings
• Regional Transportation Advisory Council (Advisory Council) meetings
• A public survey soliciting study ideas and topics, which was distributed to MPO stakeholders and the public through email and social media, and during meetings and engagement events
• Topics generated from recently completed planning studies and documents

Ideas received through these engagement activities were compiled into the FFY 2025 UPWP Universe of Proposed Studies. The ideas were further refined and prioritized through a process that included public meetings with the UPWP Committee and the Advisory Council. In addition to collecting ideas via the channels listed above, staff held a series of public discussions with the UPWP Committee and the Advisory Council to provide more information and solicit feedback about MPO programs and the program activities planned in FFY 2025.

The document development process, described in Chapter 2, culminated in the MPO board’s recommendation for the FFY 2025 UPWP. On May 18, 2024, the MPO board voted to release the draft UPWP document for public review. This vote initiated an official 21-day public review period.

Information about engagement conducted during the public review period and comments received will be included in the final version of the document, which will be posted to the MPO’s website following a vote for endorsement.

Public Comments Received During the Public Review Period for the FFY 2025 UPWP

Full comment letters

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Appendix C: Universe of Proposed Discrete Studies for Federal Fiscal Year 2025 UPWP

This appendix describes the Universe of Proposed Discrete Studies (the Universe), which is prepared as a step in the development of the federal fiscal year (FFY) Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). Each year, the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) invites stakeholders in the region to submit ideas for study concepts that may be of benefit to the region. Study suggestions are collected through email and a public survey, and at Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) subregional committee meetings and Regional Transportation Advisory Council meetings. Those who submit ideas are asked to include a summary of the purpose of the study they are proposing. Where feasible in terms of alignment with MPO priorities, staff capacity, and resources, MPO staff will further consider integrating study ideas from the Universe into the MPO’s work.

Studies in the Universe, shown in Table C-1, are organized into the following categories:

• Active Transportation
• Freight
• Roadway and Multimodal Mobility
• Transit
• Resilience

Studies collected in the Universe are further categorized according to whether they are suited to be considered as stand-alone, discrete studies to be completed in a single federal fiscal year with clearly identifiable deliverables or to be further considered for potential incorporation within ongoing program work. In either case, all ideas captured in the Universe are assessed for feasibility in the context of consistency with MPO priorities, staff capacity, and resources. In addition, study ideas are assessed in the context of work that is occurring in other agencies to avoid redundancy.

Table C-2 tracks the breakdown of studies chosen for funding in the UPWP from FFY 2018 to the present by category.

One important framework that MPO staff and the UPWP Committee use to evaluate each proposed study in the Universe is the extent to which a study concept addresses each of the six Long-Range Transportation Plan goal areas:

• Equity
• Safety
• Mobility and Reliability
• Access and Connectivity
• Resiliency
• Clean Air and Healthy Communities

A subset of the proposed studies in the Universe that may be suitable as discrete studies is refined into a final list to be considered for funding in the annual UPWP. Most of the MPO’s annual planning budget is dedicated to ongoing and evolving core and programmatic work; the budget set-aside for discrete studies represents a small but important percentage of the overall budget. The discrete study set-aside offers opportunities for staff to explore relevant and timely topics that may not already be embedded in existing work but that align with the MPO’s goals and priorities and are feasible in terms of staff’s capacity to complete the studies in the federal fiscal year.

These various factors, along with the availability of funds for new discrete studies in the context of resources needed for required and programmatic work, inform the staff’s recommendation of scenarios of discrete studies for review by the UPWP Committee. For more information about the process of developing and evaluating the Universe, please see Chapter 2.

Table C-1
Universe of Proposed Studies for FFY 2025

23 Total study concepts

Abbreviations:

BPDA = Boston Planning & Development Agency. BRMPO = Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization. CBO = community-based organizations. CMP = Congestion Management Process. CTPS = Central Transportation Planning Staff. DVRPC = Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. EJ = environmental justice. EV = electric vehicles. FFY = federal fiscal year. GLX = Green Line extension. GTFS = General Transit Feed Specification. LOS = level of service. MAPC = Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
MassDOT = Massachusetts Department of Transportation. MBTA = Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. MPO = Metropolitan Planning Organization. OSM = OpenStreet Map. PBPP = Performance-based Planning and Programming. RTA = regional transportation authority. SOV = single occupancy vehicles. SPR = Statewide Planning and Research. TIP = Transportation Improvement Plan.

Table C-2
Studies Funded in the UPWP, by Category, FFYs 2018–25

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Appendix D: Geographic Distribution of UPWP Studies and Technical Analysis

Introduction

This Appendix summarizes the geographic distribution of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)-funded work products produced by MPO staff (the Central Transportation Planning Staff) and the staff of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) during federal fiscal years (FFY) 2020 through 2024, as well as work products expected to be completed by the end of FFY 2024. The narrative below describes the methodology used to compile this information, as well as potential use cases for these data to inform and guide public involvement and regional equity considerations.

Purpose and Methodology

Purpose

The purpose of this data collection is to better understand the geographic spread of Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) work products (that is, reports and technical memoranda) throughout the Boston region. This analysis provides an initial glimpse at which communities and areas of the metropolitan region have benefited from transportation studies and analyses (or have received technical support) conducted by the MPO staff with continuing, comprehensive, and cooperative (3C) planning funds.

In addition, this Appendix includes a preliminary analysis of the distribution of MPO work products to minority populations, low-income populations, and people with limited English proficiency (LEP) based on their share of the population and the median income in each municipality. This is an initial approach to assess how MPO studies may benefit these populations. To further analyze this work, a pair of maps were developed that display the geographic spread of the 2024 work products.

Table D-1 presents a summary of UPWP tasks completed from FFY 2020 through FFY 2024 that resulted in benefits to specific municipalities, aggregated to the subregional level. Figure D-1 is a map that displays the 2024 results geographically. Table D-2 presents the information from Table D-1 disaggregated by municipality, and Figure D-2 maps these results. Studies that had a regional focus are presented in Table D-3.

The geographic distribution of UPWP studies (those benefiting specific communities and those benefiting a wider portion of the region) can inform the UPWP funding decisions made for each FFY. When considered in combination with other information, the geographic distribution of MPO-funded UPWP studies can help guide the MPO’s public outreach to ensure that, over time, we are meeting needs throughout the region.

Table D-1

Summary of Distribution of Work Products by FFY and Subregion

Notes:

Limited English proficiency is tabulated for the population aged five years and older, the minority population and population in poverty are for the entire region.

People who identify as minority are those who identify as a race other than White or as Hispanic or Latino/a/x.

Sources:

Minority population: U.S. Census Bureau; Decennial Census, Table P2 (Race); generated by CTPS; using api.census.gov (2023-03-27).

Low-income population: U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table C17002 (Income Level), generated by CTPS; using api.census.gov; (2023-03-27).

People with LEP: U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B16004 (Limited English Proficiency), generated by CTPS; using api.census.gov; (2023-03-27).

Median Household Income: U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013 (Median Household Income), generated by CTPS; using api.census.gov; (2023-03-27).

Figure D-1
Map of 2024 Work Products by Subregion

Methodology

As noted above, this analysis examined work conducted in FFYs 2020 through 2024. To generate information on the number of UPWP studies during these FFYs that benefitted specific cities and towns in the Boston region, MPO staff performed the following tasks:

• reviewed all work products listed as complete in UPWPs from FFYs 2020 through 2024
• excluded all agency and other client-funded studies and technical analyses to focus the analysis on MPO-funded work only
• excluded all work products with a focus that was regional or not limited to a specific subregion
• excluded all work related to certification requirements (Chapter 3), resource management, and support activities (Chapter 5), which consist of programs and activities that support the MPO, its staff operations, and its planning and programming activities
• compiled a count of all reports and technical memoranda completed specifically for one municipality or reports and technical memoranda directly benefiting multiple municipalities. In the case where multiple municipalities directly benefit from a report or technical memoranda, the work product was counted once for each municipality that benefited
• reviewed and discussed the status and focus of studies, technical memoranda, and reports with project managers and technical staff
• refreshed demographic data using 2020 Decennial Census counts and American Community Survey 2017–21 five-year estimates

Planning Studies and Technical Analyses by Community

Table D-2 shows the number of completed MPO-funded UPWP work products from FFY 2020 through FFY 2024 that are determined to provide benefits to specific municipalities. Studies and technical analyses are grouped by the year in which they were completed, rather than the year in which they were first programmed in the UPWP. Examples of the types of studies and work in the table include the following:

• Bicycle and Pedestrian Support Activities
• Technical support for Regional Transit Service Planning
• Complete Streets analyses for specific municipalities
• Roadway Safety Audits

Figure D-2 maps these results for FFY 2023.

The data in the tables show that there is not a strong relationship between the percent of the population in municipalities who identify as minority and the number of studies conducted in the municipality since 2019. The same is true for the percent of the population in poverty or with LEP. This suggests that studies are not always distributed equitably; if they were, we would expect to see the number of studies increase with the percent of people who identify as minority, have a low income, or have LEP, and where there is a lower median income.

With regards to geographic distribution, the Inner Core Committee (ICC) subregion has had the most studies since 2019, with 557, but also the highest population, with 1,759,970 people. It also has the highest ratio of studies per person, followed by the Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination (MAGIC) and the Three Rivers Interlocal Council (TRIC). The South West Advisory Planning Committee (SWAP) has the lowest. This suggests that municipalities in the ICC, MAGIC, and TRIC subregions receive disproportionately more studies than municipalities in other subregions.

As the MPO considers studies to fund in future years, it should consider prioritizing funding in those municipalities that have received less funding in the past and where many minority, low-income, and/or people with LEP live.

Table D-2
Number of UPWP Tasks by FFY and Municipality, Grouped by Subregion

Notes:

Limited English proficiency is tabulated for the population aged five and older, the minority population and population in poverty are for the entire region.

People who identify as minority are those who identify as a race other than White or as Hispanic or Latino/a/x.

Sources:

Minority population: U.S. Census Bureau; Decennial Census, Table P2 (Race); generated by CTPS; using api.census.gov (2023-03-27).
Low-income population: U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table C17002 (Income Level), generated by CTPS; using api.census.gov; (2023-03-27).
People with LEP: U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B16004 (Limited English Proficiency), generated by CTPS; using api.census.gov; (2023-03-27).

Median Household Income: U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table B19013 (Median Household Income), generated by CTPS; using api.census.gov; (2023-03-27).

Figure D-2
Map of 2023 UPWP Tasks by Municipality

Regionwide Planning Studies and Technical Analyses

In addition to work that benefits specific municipalities, many projects funded by the MPO through the UPWP have a regional focus. Table D-3 lists MPO-funded UPWP studies completed from 2019 through 2023 that were regional in focus, meaning that they provided benefit to multiple communities and types of municipalities. Some regionally focused studies may have work products that overlap with those analyzed in the tables above.

More information on these studies and other work can be found on the MPO’s website (https://www.bostonmpo.org/recent_studies) or by contacting Srilekha Murthy, UPWP Manager, at smurthy@ctps.org.

Table D-3
Regionally Focused MPO-Funded UPWP Studies

Uses for the Data

MPO staff collects these data annually. These data can potentially be used to inform UPWP funding decisions and could be used in concert with other data in the following future analyses:

• Compare the number of tasks per community to the presence and size of a municipal planning department in each city and town.
• Examine the use of different measures to understand the geographic distribution of benefits derived from funding programmed through the UPWP. For example, in addition to analyzing the number of tasks per community, the MPO could consider the magnitude of benefits that could be derived from UPWP studies (such as congestion reduction or air quality improvement).
• Examine in greater detail the geographic distribution of UPWP studies and technical analyses per subregion or per MAPC community type to understand the type of tasks being completed and how these compare to municipally identified needs.
• Examine the number of tasks per community and compare the data to the number of road miles or amount of transit service provided in the municipality.
• Develop graphics illustrating the geographic distribution of UPWP studies, spending, and a map that shows the distribution relative to Environmental Justice and Transportation Equity concern areas.
• Compare the number of tasks directly benefiting each municipality with the geographic distribution of transportation needs identified in the most recent Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Destination 2050. The transportation needs of the region for the next 25 years are identified and organized in the LRTP according to the MPO’s goal areas, which are
• Equity,
• Safety,
• Mobility and Reliability,
• Access and Connectivity,
• Resiliency, and
• Clean Air and Healthy Communities.
• Compare the data analyzed in this appendix to the data collected through the MPO’s UPWP Study Recommendations Tracking Database, which classifies tasks differently and provides a higher level of detail but is reliant on provision of data by municipalities.

Analyses such as these would provide the MPO with a clearer understanding of how the work programmed through the UPWP addresses the needs of the region.

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Appendix E: Regulatory and Policy Framework

This appendix contains detailed background on the regulatory documents, legislation, and guidance that shape the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) transportation planning process.

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

The Boston Region MPO is charged with executing its planning activities in line with federal and state regulatory guidance. Maintaining compliance with these regulations allows the MPO to directly support the work of these critical partners and ensures its continued role in helping the region move closer to achieving federal, state, and regional transportation goals. This appendix describes the regulations, policies, and guidance taken into consideration by the MPO during development of the certification documents and other core work the MPO will undertake during federal fiscal year (FFY) 2025.

Federal Regulations and Guidance

The MPO’s planning processes are guided by provisions in federal transportation authorization bills, which are codified in federal statutes and supported by guidance from federal agencies. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) was signed into law on November 15, 2021 as the nation’s five-year surface transportation bill, and covers FFYs 2022–26. This section describes new provisions established in the BIL.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: National Goals

The purpose of the national transportation goals, outlined in Title 23, section 150, of the United States Code (23 USC § 150), is to increase the accountability and transparency of the Federal-Aid Highway Program and to improve decision-making through performance-based planning and programming. The national transportation goals include the following:

1. Safety: Achieve significant reduction in traffic fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads
2. Infrastructure condition: Maintain the highway infrastructure asset system in a state of good repair
3. Congestion reduction: Achieve significant reduction in congestion on the National Highway System
4. System reliability: Improve efficiency of the surface transportation system
5. Freight movement and economic vitality: Improve the national freight network, strengthen the ability of rural communities to access national and international trade markets, and support regional economic development
6. Environmental sustainability: Enhance performance of the transportation system while protecting and enhancing the natural environment
7. Reduced project delivery delays: Reduce project costs, promote jobs and the economy, and expedite movement of people and goods by accelerating project completion by eliminating delays in the project development and delivery process, including by reducing regulatory burdens and improving agencies’ work practices

The Boston Region MPO has incorporated these national goals, where practicable, into its vision, goals, and objectives, which provide a framework for the MPO’s planning processes. More information about the MPO’s vision, goals, and objectives is included in Chapter 1.

Federal Planning Factors

The MPO gives specific consideration to the federal planning factors, described in Title 23, section 134, of the US Code (23 USC § 134), when developing all documents that program federal transportation funds. In accordance with the legislation, studies and strategies undertaken by the MPO shall

1. Support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competition, productivity, and efficiency
2. Increase the safety of the transportation system for all motorized and nonmotorized users
3. Increase the ability of the transportation system to support homeland security and to safeguard the personal security of all motorized and nonmotorized users
4. Increase accessibility and mobility of people and freight
5. Protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, improve quality of life, and promote consistency between transportation improvements and state and local planned growth and economic development patterns
6. Enhance integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight
7. Promote efficient system management and operation
8. Emphasize preservation of the existing transportation system
9. Improve the resiliency and reliability of the transportation system and reduce or mitigate stormwater impacts of surface transportation
10. Enhance travel and tourism

The Boston Region MPO has also incorporated these federal planning factors into its vision, goals, and objectives. Table E-1 shows the relationships between FFY 2024 MPO studies and activities and these federal planning factors.

Table E-1
 FFY 2025 3C-Funded UPWP Studies and Programs—Relationship to Federal Planning Factors

* For ongoing FFY 2024 3C-funded studies, see FFY 2024 UPWP

** Includes Support to the MPO and its Committees, Public Participation Process, and Regional Transportation Advisory Council Support

FFY = Federal Fiscal Year. UPWP = Unified Planning Work Program.

FAST Act: Performance-Based Planning and Programming

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), in consultation with states, MPOs, and other stakeholders, established performance measures relevant to the national goals established in the FAST Act. These performance topic areas include roadway safety, transit system safety, National Highway System (NHS) bridge and pavement condition, transit asset condition, NHS reliability for both passenger and freight travel, traffic congestion, and on-road mobile source emissions. The FAST Act and related federal rulemakings require states, MPOs, and public transportation operators to follow performance-based planning and programming practices—such as setting targets—to ensure that transportation investments support progress towards these goals. See Chapter 3 for more information about how the MPO has and will continue to conduct performance-based planning and programming.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL): Planning Emphasis Areas

On December 30, 2021, the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration jointly issued updated planning emphasis areas for use in MPOs’ transportation planning process, following the enactment of the BIL. Those planning emphasis areas include the following:

1. Tackling the Climate Crisis—Transition to a Clean Energy, Resilient Future: Ensure that transportation plans and infrastructure investments help achieve the national greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals of 50–52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, and net-zero emissions by 2050, and increase resilience to extreme weather events and other disasters resulting from the increasing effects of climate change.
2. Equity and Justice40 in Transportation Planning: Ensure public involvement in the planning process and that plans and strategies reflect various perspectives, concerns, and priorities from impacted areas.
3. Complete Streets: Review current policies, rules, and procedures to determine their impact on safety for all road users. This effort should work to include provisions for safety in future transportation infrastructure, particularly for those outside automobiles.
4. Public Involvement: Increase meaningful public involvement in transportation planning by integrating virtual engagement tools into the overall approach while ensuring continued participation by individuals without access to computers and mobile devices.
5. Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET)/US Department of Defense (DOD) Coordination: Coordinate with representatives from DOD in the transportation planning and project programming process on infrastructure needs for STRAHNET routes and other public roads that connect to DOD facilities.
6. Federal Land Management Agency (FLMA) Coordination: Coordinate with FLMAs in the transportation planning and project programming process on infrastructure and connectivity needs related to access routes and other public roads and transportation services that connect to Federal lands.
7. Planning and Environment Linkages: Use a collaborative and integrated approach to transportation decision-making that considers environmental, community, and economic goals early in the transportation planning process, and use the information, analysis, and products developed during planning to inform the environmental review process.
8. Data in Transportation Planning: Incorporate data sharing considerations into the transportation planning process.

1990 Clean Air Act Amendments

The Clean Air Act, most recently amended in 1990, forms the basis of the United States’ air pollution control policy. The act identifies air quality standards, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designates geographic areas as attainment (in compliance) or nonattainment (not in compliance) areas with respect to these standards. If air quality in a nonattainment area improves such that it meets EPA standards, the EPA may redesignate that area as being a maintenance area for a 20-year period to ensure that the standard is maintained in that area.

The conformity provisions of the Clean Air Act “require that those areas that have poor air quality, or had it in the past, should examine the long-term air quality impacts of their transportation system and ensure its compatibility with the area’s clean air goals.” Agencies responsible for Clean Air Act requirements for nonattainment and maintenance areas must conduct air quality conformity determinations, which are demonstrations that transportation plans, programs, and projects addressing that area are consistent with a State Implementation Plan (SIP) for attaining air quality standards.

Air quality conformity determinations must be performed for capital improvement projects that receive federal funding and for those that are considered regionally significant, regardless of the funding source. These determinations must show that projects in the MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) will not cause or contribute to any new air quality violations; will not increase the frequency or severity of any existing air quality violations in any area; and will not delay the timely attainment of air quality standards in any area. The policy, criteria, and procedures for demonstrating air quality conformity in the Boston region were established in Title 40, parts 51 and 53, of the Code of Federal Regulations (40. C.F.R. 51, 40 C.F.R. 53).

On April 1, 1996, the EPA classified the cities of Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Quincy, Revere, and Somerville as in attainment for carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. Subsequently, the Commonwealth established a CO maintenance plan through the Massachusetts SIP process to ensure that emission levels did not increase. While the maintenance plan was in effect, past TIPs and LRTPs included an air quality conformity analysis for these communities. As of April 1, 2016, the 20-year maintenance period for this maintenance area expired and transportation conformity is no longer required for carbon monoxide in these communities. This ruling is documented in a letter from the EPA dated May 12, 2016.

On April 22, 2002, the EPA classified the City of Waltham as being in attainment for CO emissions with an EPA-approved limited-maintenance plan. In areas that have approved limited-maintenance plans, federal actions requiring conformity determinations under the EPA’s transportation conformity rule are considered to satisfy the conformity test. The MPO is not required to perform a modeling analysis for a conformity determination for carbon monoxide, but it has been required to provide a status report on the timely implementation of projects and programs that will reduce emissions from transportation sources—so-called transportation control measures—which are included in the Massachusetts SIP. In April 2022, the EPA issued a letter explaining that the carbon monoxide limited maintenance area in Waltham has expired. Therefore, the MPO is no longer required to demonstrate transportation conformity for this area, but the rest of the maintenance plan requirements, however, continue to apply, in accordance with the SIP.

On February 16, 2018, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit issued a decision in South Coast Air Quality Management District v. EPA, which struck down portions of the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) SIP Requirements Rule concerning the ozone NAAQS. Those portions of the SIP Requirements Rule included transportation conformity requirements associated with the EPA’s revocation of the 1997 ozone NAAQS. Massachusetts was designated as an attainment area in accord with the 2008 ozone NAAQS but as a nonattainment or maintenance area as relates to the 1997 ozone NAAQS. As a result of this court ruling, MPOs in Massachusetts must once again demonstrate conformity for ozone when developing LRTPs and TIPs.

MPOs must also perform conformity determinations if transportation control measures (TCM) are in effect in the region. TCMs are strategies that reduce transportation-related air pollution and fuel use by reducing vehicle-miles traveled and improving roadway operations. The Massachusetts SIP identifies TCMs in the Boston region. SIP-identified TCMs are federally enforceable and projects that address the identified air quality issues must be given first priority when federal transportation dollars are spent. Examples of TCMs that were programmed in previous TIPs include rapid-transit and commuter-rail extension programs (such as the Green Line Extension in Cambridge, Medford, and Somerville, and the Fairmount Line improvements in Boston), parking-freeze programs in Boston and Cambridge, statewide rideshare programs, park-and-ride facilities, residential parking-sticker programs, and the operation of high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes.

In addition to reporting on the pollutants identified in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, the MPOs in Massachusetts are also required to perform air quality analyses for carbon dioxide as part of the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) (see below).

Nondiscrimination Mandates

The Boston Region MPO complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Executive Order 12898—Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-income Populations (EJ EO), and other federal and state nondiscrimination statutes and regulations in all programs and activities it conducts. Per federal and state law, the MPO does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin (including limited-English proficiency), religion, creed, gender, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran’s status, or background. The MPO strives to provide meaningful opportunities for participation of all persons in the region, including those protected by Title VI, the ADA, the EJ EO, and other nondiscrimination mandates.

The MPO also assesses the likely benefits and adverse effects of transportation projects on equity populations (populations covered by federal regulations, as identified in the MPO’s Transportation Equity program) when deciding which projects to fund. This is done through the MPO’s project selection criteria. MPO staff also evaluate the projects that are selected for funding, in the aggregate, to determine their overall impacts and whether they improve transportation outcomes for equity populations. The major federal requirements pertaining to nondiscrimination are discussed below.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that no person be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin, under any program or activity provided by an agency receiving federal financial assistance. Executive Order 13166—Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, dated August 11, 2000, extends Title VI protections to people who, as a result of their nationality, have limited English proficiency. Specifically, it calls for improved access to federally assisted programs and activities, and it requires MPOs to develop and implement a system through which people with limited English proficiency can meaningfully participate in the transportation planning process. This requirement includes the development of a Language Assistance Plan that documents the organization’s process for providing meaningful language access to people with limited English proficiency who access their services and programs.

Environmental Justice Executive Order

Executive Order 12898, dated February 11, 1994, requires each federal agency to advance environmental justice by identifying and addressing any disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects, including interrelated social and economic effects, of its programs, policies, and activities on minority and low-income populations.

On April 15, 1997, the USDOT issued its Final Order to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations. Among other provisions, this order requires programming and planning activities to

• explicitly consider the effects of transportation decisions on minority and low-income populations;
• provide meaningful opportunities for public involvement by members of minority and low-income populations;
• gather (where relevant, appropriate, and practical) demographic information such as race, color, national origin, and income level of populations affected by transportation decisions; and
• minimize or mitigate any adverse impact on minority or low-income populations.

The 1997 Final Order was updated in 2012 with USDOT Order 5610.2(a), which provided clarification while maintaining the original framework and procedures.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Title III of the ADA “prohibits states, MPOs, and other public entities from discriminating on the basis of disability in the entities’ services, programs, or activities,” and requires all transportation projects, plans, and programs to be accessible to people with disabilities. Therefore, MPOs must consider the mobility needs of people with disabilities when programming federal funding for studies and capital projects. MPO-sponsored meetings must also be held in accessible venues and be conducted in a manner that provides for accessibility. Also, MPO materials must be made available in accessible formats.

Other Nondiscrimination Mandates

The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. In addition, the Rehabilitation Act of 1975, and Title 23, section 324, of the US Code (23 USC § 324) prohibit discrimination based on sex.

State Guidance and Priorities

Much of the MPO’s work focuses on encouraging mode shift and diminishing GHG emissions through improving transit service, enhancing bicycle and pedestrian networks, and studying emerging transportation technologies. All of this work helps the Boston region contribute to statewide progress towards the priorities discussed in this section.

Beyond Mobility

Beyond Mobility, the Massachusetts 2050 Transportation Plan, is a planning process that will result in a blueprint for guiding transportation decision-making and investments in Massachusetts in a way that advances MassDOT’s goals and maximizes the equity and resiliency of the transportation system. MPO staff continue to coordinate with MassDOT staff so that Destination 2050, the MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan, is aligned with the Beyond Mobility plan. 

Choices for Stewardship: Recommendations to Meet the Transportation Future

The Commission on the Future of Transportation in the Commonwealth—established by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s Executive Order 579—published Choices for Stewardship in 2019. This report makes 18 recommendations across the following five thematic categories to adapt the transportation system in the Commonwealth to emerging needs:

1. Modernize existing transportation assets to move more people
2. Create a mobility infrastructure to capitalize on emerging transportation technology and behavior trends
3. Reduce transportation-related GHG emissions and improve the climate resiliency of the transportation network
4. Coordinate land use, housing, economic development, and transportation policy
5. Alter current governance structures to better manage emerging and anticipated transportation trends

Beyond Mobility will build upon the Commission report’s recommendations. The Boston Region MPO supports these statewide goals by conducting planning work and making investment decisions that complement MassDOT’s efforts and reflect the evolving needs of the transportation system in the region.

Massachusetts Strategic Highway Safety Plan

The Massachusetts 2023 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) identifies the state’s key safety needs and guides investment decisions to achieve significant reductions in highway fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. The SHSP establishes statewide safety goals and objectives and key safety emphasis areas, and it draws on the strengths of all highway safety partners in the Commonwealth to align and leverage resources to address the state’s safety challenges collectively. The Boston Region MPO considers SHSP goals, emphasis areas, and strategies when developing its plans, programs, and activities.

Massachusetts Transportation Asset Management Plan

The Massachusetts Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP) is a risk-based asset management plan for the bridges and pavement that are in the NHS inventory. The plan describes the condition of these assets, identifies assets that are particularly vulnerable following declared emergencies such as extreme weather, and discusses MassDOT’s financial plan and risk management strategy for these assets. The Boston Region MPO considers MassDOT TAMP goals, targets, and strategies when developing its plans, programs, and activities. MassDOT’s TAMP was most recently updated in 2023.

MassDOT Modal Plans

In 2017, MassDOT finalized the Massachusetts Freight Plan, which defines the short- and long-term vision for the Commonwealth’s freight transportation system. In 2018, MassDOT released the related Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Rail Plan, which outlines short- and long-term investment strategies for Massachusetts’ freight and passenger rail systems (excluding the commuter rail system). In 2019, MassDOT released the Massachusetts Bicycle Transportation Plan and the Massachusetts Pedestrian Transportation Plan, both of which define roadmaps, initiatives, and action plans to improve bicycle and pedestrian transportation in the Commonwealth. These plans were updated in 2021 to reflect new investments in bicycle and pedestrian projects made by MassDOT since their release. In 2023, MassDOT released the Massachusetts Freight Plan, which identifies short- and long-term improvements and strategies for the state’s freight systems. The MPO considers the findings and strategies of MassDOT’s modal plans when conducting its planning, including through its Freight Planning Support and Bicycle/Pedestrian Support Activities programs.

Global Warming Solutions Act

The GWSA makes Massachusetts a leader in setting aggressive and enforceable GHG reduction targets and implementing policies and initiatives to achieve these targets. In keeping with this law, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), in consultation with other state agencies and the public, developed the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2020. This implementation plan, released on December 29, 2010, and updated in 2022 to reflect new interim targets, establishes the following targets for overall statewide GHG emission reductions:

• 33 percent reduction below statewide 1990 GHG emission levels by 2025
• 50 percent reduction below statewide 1990 GHG emission levels by 2030
• 75 percent reduction below statewide 1990 GHG emission levels by 2040
• 85 percent reduction below statewide 1990 GHG emission levels by 2050

In 2018, EEA published its GWSA 10-year Progress Report and the GHG Inventory estimated that 2018 GHG emissions were 22 percent below the 1990 baseline level.

On June 30, 2022, EEA certified its compliance with the 2020 emissions limit of 25 percent below the 1990 levels, noting that there was an estimated emissions reduction of 31.4 percent below the 1990 level in 2020.

MassDOT fulfills its responsibilities, defined in the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2050, through a policy directive that sets three principal objectives:

1. To reduce GHG emissions by reducing emissions from construction and operations, using more efficient fleets, implementing travel demand management programs, encouraging eco-driving, and providing mitigation for development projects
2. To promote healthy transportation modes by improving pedestrian, bicycle, and public transit infrastructure and operations
3. To support smart growth development by making transportation investments that enable denser, smart growth development patterns that can support reduced GHG emissions

In January 2015, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection amended Title 310, section 7.00, of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (310 CMR 60.05), Global Warming Solutions Act Requirements for the Transportation Sector and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which was subsequently amended in August 2017. This regulation places a range of obligations on MassDOT and MPOs to support achievement of the Commonwealth’s climate change goals through the programming of transportation funds. For example, MPOs must use GHG impact as a selection criterion when they review projects to be programmed in their TIPs, and they must evaluate and report the GHG emissions impacts of transportation projects in LRTPs and TIPs.

The Commonwealth’s 10 MPOs (and three non-metropolitan planning regions) are integrally involved in supporting the GHG reductions mandated under the GWSA. The MPOs seek to realize these objectives by prioritizing projects in the LRTP and TIP that will help reduce emissions from the transportation sector. The Boston Region MPO uses its TIP project evaluation criteria to score projects based on their GHG emissions impacts, multimodal Complete Streets accommodations, and ability to support smart growth development. Tracking and evaluating GHG emissions by project will enable the MPO to anticipate GHG impacts of planned and programmed projects. See Chapter 3 for more details related to how the MPO conducts GHG monitoring and evaluation.

Healthy Transportation Policy Initiatives

On September 9, 2013, MassDOT passed the Healthy Transportation Policy Directive to formalize its commitment to implementing and maintaining transportation networks that allow for various mode choices. This directive will ensure that all MassDOT projects are designed and implemented in ways that provide all users with access to safe and comfortable walking, bicycling, and transit options. MassDOT’s design justification process, which established controlling criteria for bicycle and pedestrian facilities, transit provisions and the length of off- and on-ramps, has helped to operationalize and further the goals of the original Healthy Transportation Policy Directive.

In November 2015, MassDOT released the Separated Bike Lane Planning & Design Guide. This guide represents a step in MassDOT’s continuing commitment to Complete Streets, sustainable transportation, and the creation of more safe and convenient transportation options for Massachusetts’ residents. This guide may be used by project planners and designers as a resource for considering, evaluating, and designing separated bike lanes as part of a Complete Streets approach.

In the current LRTP, Destination 2050, the Boston Region MPO continues to use investment programs—particularly its Complete Streets and Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections programs—that support the implementation of Complete Streets projects. In the Unified Planning Work Program, the MPO budgets to support these projects, such as the MPO’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Support Activities program, corridor studies undertaken by MPO staff to make conceptual recommendations for Complete Streets treatments, and various discrete studies aimed at improving pedestrian and bicycle accommodations.

Congestion in the Commonwealth 2019

MassDOT developed the Congestion in the Commonwealth 2019 report to identify specific causes of and impacts from traffic congestion on the NHS. The report also made recommendations for reducing congestion, including addressing local and regional bottlenecks, redesigning bus networks within the systems operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the other regional transit authorities, increasing MBTA capacity, and investigating congestion pricing mechanisms such as managed lanes. These recommendations guide multiple new efforts within MassDOT and the MBTA and are actively considered by the Boston Region MPO when making planning and investment decisions.

Regional Guidance and Priorities

Focus40, The MBTA’s Program for Mass Transportation

On March 18, 2019, MassDOT and the MBTA released Focus40, the MBTA’s Program for Mass Transportation, which is the 25-year investment plan that aims to position the MBTA to meet the transit needs of the Greater Boston region through 2040. Complemented by the MBTA’s Strategic Plan and other internal and external policy and planning initiatives, Focus40 serves as a comprehensive plan guiding all capital planning initiatives at the MBTA. These initiatives include the Rail Vision plan, which will inform the vision for the future of the MBTA’s commuter rail system; the Bus Network Redesign (formerly the Better Bus Project), the plan to re-envision and improve the MBTA’s bus network; and other plans. The next update of the Program for Mass Transportation is planned for development in 2024.The Boston Region MPO continues to monitor the status of Focus40 and related MBTA modal plans to inform its decision-making about transit capital investments, which are incorporated into the TIP and LRTP.

MetroCommon 2050

MetroCommon 2050, which was developed by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and adopted in 2021, is Greater Boston’s regional land use and policy plan. MetroCommon 2050 builds upon MAPC’s previous plan, MetroFuture (adopted in 2008), and includes an updated set of strategies for achieving sustainable growth and equitable prosperity in the region. The MPO considers MetroCommon 2050’s goals, objectives, and strategies in its planning and activities. See Chapter 7 for more information about MetroCommon 2050 development activities.

MetroCommon 2050 is the foundation for land use projections in the MPO’s LRTP, Destination 2050.

The Boston Region MPO’s Congestion Management Process

The purpose of the Congestion Management Process (CMP) is to monitor and analyze the mobility of people using transportation facilities and services, develop strategies for managing congestion based on the results of traffic monitoring, and move those strategies into the implementation stage by providing decision-makers in the region with information and recommendations for improving the transportation system’s performance. The CMP monitors roadways, transit, and park-and-ride facilities in the Boston region for safety, congestion, and mobility, and identifies problem locations. See Chapter 3 for more information about the MPO’s CMP.

Coordinated Public Transit—Human Services Transportation Plan

Every four years, the Boston Region MPO completes a Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan (CPT‒HST), in coordination with the development of the LRTP. The CPT‒HST supports improved coordination of transportation for seniors and people with disabilities in the Boston region by guiding transportation providers in their development of proposals for funding from the Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5310 Program (known in Massachusetts as the Community Transit Grant Program). To be eligible for funding, a proposal must meet a need identified in the CPT‒HST. The CPT‒HST contains information about

• current transportation providers in the Boston region;
• unmet transportation needs for seniors and people with disabilities;
• strategies and actions to meet the unmet needs; and
• priorities for implementing those needs.

The MPO adopted its current CPT‒HST in 2023.

MBTA and Regional Transit Authority (RTA)Transit Asset Management Plans

The MBTA and the region’s RTAs—the Cape Ann Transportation Authority (CATA) and the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA)—are responsible for producing transit asset management plans that describe their asset inventories and the condition of these assets, strategies, and priorities for improving the state of good repair of these assets. The Boston Region MPO considers goals and priorities established in these plans when developing its plans, programs, and activities.

MBTA and RTA Public Transit Agency Safety Plans

The MBTA, CATA, and MWRTA are required to create and annually update Public Transit Agency Safety Plans that describe their approaches for implementing Safety Management Systems on their transit systems. The Boston Region MPO considers goals, targets, and priorities established in these plans when developing its plans, programs, and activities.

State and Regional COVID-19 Adaptations

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically shifted the way many people in the Boston region interact with the regional transportation system. The pandemic’s effect on everyday life has had short-term impacts on the system and how people travel, but it may also have other lasting effects. Four years on from the beginning of the pandemic, travel patterns have shifted to reflect a hybrid working schedule for many workers. Some changes made in response to the pandemic may become permanent, such as the expansion of bicycle, bus, sidewalk, and plaza networks. As the region recovers from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the long-term effects become apparent, state and regional partners’ guidance and priorities are likely to be adjusted.

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Appendix F: Boston Reigon Metropolitan Planning Organization Membership

VOTING MEMBERS

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) includes both permanent members and municipal members who are elected for three-year terms. Details about the MPO’s members are listed below.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) was established under Chapter 25 (An Act Modernizing the Transportation Systems of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) of the Acts of 2009. MassDOT has four divisions: Highway, Rail and Transit, Aeronautics, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The MassDOT Board of Directors, composed of 11 members appointed by the governor, oversees all four divisions and MassDOT operations and works closely with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Board of Directors. The MassDOT Board of Directors was expanded to 11 members by the Legislature in 2015, a group of transportation leaders assembled to review structural problems with the MBTA and deliver recommendations for improvements. MassDOT has three seats on the MPO board, including seats for the Highway Division.

The MassDOT Highway Division has jurisdiction over the roadways, bridges, and tunnels that were overseen by the former Massachusetts Highway Department and Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. The Highway Division also has jurisdiction over many bridges and parkways that previously were under the authority of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The Highway Division is responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of the Commonwealth’s state highways and bridges. It is also responsible for overseeing traffic safety and engineering activities for the state highway system. These activities include operating the Highway Operations Control Center to ensure safe road and travel conditions.

The MBTA, created in 1964, is a body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision of the Commonwealth. Under the provisions of Chapter 161A of the Massachusetts General Laws, it has the statutory responsibility within its district of operating the public transportation system in the Boston region, preparing the engineering and architectural designs for transit development projects, and constructing and operating transit development projects. The MBTA district comprises 177 communities, including all of the 97 cities and towns of the Boston Region MPO area.

In April 2015, as a result of a plan of action to improve the MBTA, a five-member Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) was created. The FMCB was created to oversee and improve the finances, management, and operations of the MBTA. The FMCB’s authorizing statute called for an initial three-year term, with the option for the board to request that the governor approve a single two-year extension. In 2017, the FMCB’s initial mandate, which would have expired in June 2018, was extended for two years, through June 30, 2020. In 2020, the FMCB’s mandate was extended a second time for an additional period of one year, through June 30, 2021.

Following the expiration of the FMCB’s extended mandate, the MBTA Board of Directors was formed as a permanent replacement to provide oversight for the agency. By statute, the board consists of nine members, including the Secretary of Transportation as an ex-officio member. The MBTA Advisory Board appoints one member who has municipal government experience in the MBTA’s service area and experience in transportation operations, transportation planning, housing policy, urban planning, or public or private finance. The Governor appoints the remaining seven board members, which include an MBTA rider and member of an environmental justice population, and a person recommended by the President of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.

The MBTA Advisory Board was created by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1964 through the same legislation that created the MBTA. The Advisory Board consists of representatives of the 175 cities and towns that compose the MBTA’s service area. Cities are represented by either the city manager or mayor, and towns are represented by the chairperson of the board of selectmen. Specific responsibilities of the Advisory Board include reviewing and commenting on the MBTA’s long-range plan, the Program for Mass Transportation; proposed fare increases; the annual MBTA Capital Investment Program; the MBTA’s documentation of net operating investment per passenger; and the MBTA’s operating budget. The MBTA Advisory Board advocates for the transit needs of its member communities and the riding public.

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) has the statutory responsibility under Chapter 465 of the Acts of 1956, as amended, for planning, constructing, owning, and operating such transportation and related facilities as may be necessary for developing and improving commerce in Boston and the surrounding metropolitan area. Massport owns and operates Boston Logan International Airport, the Port of Boston’s Conley Terminal, Flynn Cruiseport Boston, Hanscom Field, Worcester Regional Airport, and various maritime and waterfront properties, including parks in the Boston neighborhoods of East Boston, South Boston, and Charlestown.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is the regional planning agency for the Boston region. It is composed of the chief executive officer (or a designee) of each of the cities and towns in the MAPC’s planning region, 21 gubernatorial appointees, and 12 ex-officio members. It has statutory responsibility for comprehensive regional planning in its region under Chapter 40B of the Massachusetts General Laws. It is the Boston Metropolitan Clearinghouse under Section 204 of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 and Title VI of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968. Also, its region has been designated an economic development district under Title IV of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended. MAPC’s responsibilities for comprehensive planning encompass the areas of technical assistance to communities, transportation planning, and development of zoning, land use, demographic, and environmental studies. MAPC activities that are funded with federal metropolitan transportation planning dollars are documented in the Boston Region MPO’s Unified Planning Work Program.

The City of Boston, six elected cities (currently Beverly, Everett, Framingham, Newton, Somerville, and Burlington), and six elected towns (currently Acton, Arlington, Brookline, Hull, Wrentham, and Norwood,) represent the 97 municipalities in the Boston Region MPO area. The City of Boston is a permanent MPO member and has two seats. There is one elected municipal seat for each of the eight MAPC subregions and four seats for at-large elected municipalities (two cities and two towns). The elected at-large municipalities serve staggered three-year terms, as do the eight municipalities representing the MAPC subregions.

The Regional Transportation Advisory Council, the MPO’s citizen advisory group, provides the opportunity for transportation-related organizations, non-MPO member agencies, and municipal representatives to become actively involved in the decision-making processes of the MPO as it develops plans and prioritizes the implementation of transportation projects in the region. The Advisory Council reviews, comments on, and makes recommendations regarding certification documents. It also serves as a forum for providing information on transportation topics in the region, identifying issues, advocating for ways to address the region’s transportation needs, and generating interest among members of the general public in the work of the MPO.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) participate in the Boston Region MPO in an advisory (nonvoting) capacity, reviewing the Long-Range Transportation Plan, Transportation Improvement Program, and Unified Planning Work Program, and other facets of the MPO’s planning process to ensure compliance with federal planning and programming requirements. These two agencies oversee the highway and transit programs, respectively, of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) under pertinent legislation and the provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

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