MPO Meeting Minutes

Draft Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting

February 6, 2025, Meeting

10:00 AM–11:00 AM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform

David Mohler, Chair, representing Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Secretary of Transportation and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)

Decisions

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) agreed to the following:

• Approve the minutes of the meeting of December 5, 2024
• Approve the Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Roadway Safety Performance Targets
• Release Federal Fiscal Years (FFYs) 2025–29 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Amendment Nine for a 21-day public comment period

Meeting Agenda

1.    Introductions

See attendance beginning on page 12.

2.    Chair’s Report—David Mohler, MassDOT

D. Mohler stated that the Trump Administration has issued several executive orders that impact transportation funding, and MassDOT is in the process of reviewing the executive orders and understanding their impacts. D. Mohler stated that MassDOT is proceeding with all its projects as planned and that nothing has changed regarding project delivery. In addition, D. Mohler stated that the MPO’s funding is settled for the next three months, and Congress passed a continuing resolution. D. Mohler stated that MassDOT will continue to inform everyone involved.

Eric Bourassa, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), asked if invoicing with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) had been interrupted.

D. Mohler stated that the last invoicing submission to FHWA was not interrupted. D. Mohler stated that invoicing FHWA is a weekly or biweekly process.

Ken Miller, FHWA, stated that FHWA gets billed weekly for all projects, and FHWA will be paying the current bill.

3.    Executive Director’s Report—Tegin Teich, Executive Director, Central Transportation Planning Staff

T. Teich introduced a new MPO staff member, Elena Ion, Manager of MPO Planning and Policy.

T. Teich overviewed the agenda, which included two action items.

T. Teich stated that the next MPO board meetings will be held virtually on February 20 and March 6, 2025, at 10:00 AM.

In addition, T. Teich stated that the extension of the Open Meeting Law exceptions, which have allowed public bodies to meet remotely, will end on March 31, 2025. T. Teich stated that the MPO is hoping that the state will take additional action to extend the Open Meeting Law exceptions, but MPO staff are preparing to transition to hybrid meetings. Hybrid meetings require a quorum of in-person attendees to hold each meeting. T. Teich stated that MPO staff are planning two hybrid meetings in March and April to discuss TIP scenarios. MPO members were asked to plan accordingly for these meetings.

4.    Public Comments  

There were none.

5.    Committee Chairs’ Reports

Jen Rowe, City of Boston, stated that the next TIP Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee meeting is scheduled for February 13, 2025, at 1:00 PM, and to expect an agenda to be posted to the MPO’s meeting calendar soon. J. Rowe stated that the meeting will focus on updates from MassDOT’s TIP Readiness Days and new project applications and their implications for decision-making in the spring. J. Rowe reminded members that the committee meeting is open to the public and everyone is welcome to attend.

Chris Klem, MassDOT, stated that there is a Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Committee meeting today at 1:00 PM, and the materials for that meeting are posted to the MPO’s meeting calendar. C. Klem stated that the committee meeting would kick off the development of the FFY 2026 UPWP and an amendment to FFY 2025 UPWP.

 

6.    Action Item: Approval of December 5, 2024, MPO Meeting Minutes

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.     December 5, 2024, Meeting Minutes (pdf) (html)

Vote

A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of December 5, 2024, was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the City of Boston (J. Rowe). The motion carried. The following member abstained: MassDOT Highway Department (Lyris Liautaud).

7.    Action Item: Roadway Safety Performance Targets—Sam Taylor, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.     CY 2025 Roadway Safety Performance Targets Memo (pdf) (html)

2.     CY 2025 Roadway Safety Performance Targets Appendices (pdf) (html)

Sam Taylor, MPO staff, presented the CY 2025 Roadway Safety Performance Targets, which are set annually. Additional targets that are set annually include Transit Safety and Transit Asset Condition.

S. Taylor reviewed the target-setting process, which included the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) establishing performance measures, then state DOTs setting a statewide target for the measure. S. Taylor stated that within 180 days of the state DOT setting the statewide target, MPOs must choose to either support the statewide targets or set separate targets for the MPO’s region.

S. Taylor stated that MPO staff request that the MPO board vote to support MassDOT’s CY 2025 Roadway Safety Targets.

S. Taylor stated that state DOTs and MPOs are required to adopt performance targets on five roadway safety performance measures:

·       Number of fatalities

·       Rate of fatalities per 100 million vehicle-miles traveled (VMT)

·       Number of serious injuries

·       Rate of serious injuries per 100 million VMT

·       Number of nonmotorized fatalities and nonmotorized serious injuries

S. Taylor reviewed the proposed state targets (rolling, five-year averages) for CYs 2021–25 and CYs 2023–27, and long-term targets. These targets are shown in Table 1.

Table 1
The Commonwealth’s Proposed CY 2025 Targets

Performance Measure	MA CY 2021–25 Target	MA CY 2023–27 Target	MA Long-Term Target
Number of fatalities	365	315	0
Rate of fatalities per 100 million VMT	0.58	0.48	0
Number of serious injuries	2,622	2,258	0
Rate of serious injuries per 100 million VMT	4.17	3.48	0
Number of nonmotorized fatalities and nonmotorized serious injuries	497	445	0

CY = Calendar Year. MA = Massachusetts. VMT = Vehicle-Miles Traveled.

S. Taylor stated that the proposed targets for reducing fatalities to 365 in 2021–25 and 315 in 2023–27 is an improvement from the 2020–24 target of 371 fatalities.

S. Taylor stated that the proposed 2021–25 fatality rate per 100 million VMT target aims for a decrease from 0.61 fatalities per 100 million VMT to 0.58 fatalities per 100 million VMT. Driving levels have a significant impact on this rate because the denominator is the number of miles driven. This rate was improving over time until the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when the rate rose due to the combination of a decrease in driving and a particularly high number of fatalities in 2021.

S. Taylor stated that the number of serious injuries was decreasing until the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021–25 proposed target accounts for a 3 percent reduction in serious injuries, and the 2023–27 target is significantly lower.

S. Taylor stated that the serious injury rate per 100 million VMT was also decreasing until the COVID-19 pandemic. The rate increased for three consecutive periods, 2017–21, 2018–22, and 2019–23. S. Taylor stated that given estimated reductions in the rate from 4.55 in 2019–23 to 4.4 in 2020–24, MassDOT has adopted a target that further reduces the rate to 4.17 in 2021–25 and 3.48 in 2023–27.

S. Taylor stated that the proposed target for the number of nonmotorized fatalities and nonmotorized serious injuries category follows a different trajectory than the previous categories. The number of nonmotorized fatalities and nonmotorized serious injuries was improving until the COVID-19 pandemic but began increasing again in 2021, even though there was a projected decrease for the 2020–24 period. S. Taylor stated that it would be difficult to estimate a lower target than the previous period’s target, which was 445 nonmotorized fatalities and nonmotorized serious injuries, due to poor performance in this category in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Therefore, the proposed targets are 497 nonmotorized fatalities and nonmotorized serious injuries in 2021–25, and 445 nonmotorized fatalities and nonmotorized serious injuries in 2023–27.

S. Taylor summarized the following key trends and takeaways:

·       MassDOT has proposed CY 2025 roadway safety targets that aim for modest decreases.

·       The 2021–25 targets for four of five measures aim for fewer negative outcomes than the 2020–24 targets.

·       There was an uptick in fatalities and serious injuries among vulnerable road users (nonmotorized) in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

·       Targets for all measures are getting more aggressive for the 2023–27 period, based on projections of fewer fatalities and serious injuries.

·       In the past few years, the Boston region has largely followed the same trajectories as those of the Commonwealth.

S. Taylor stated that there are several opportunities for the MPO to improve roadway safety outcomes, including the following:

·       Implementation of Massachusetts’ next Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP)

·       Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment

·       MPO Vision Zero Action Plan

·       Municipal Vision Zero Action Plans, including 11 municipalities that have received Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) funding and more municipalities that have applied for the grant program

S. Taylor presented on the MPO’s Vision Zero Action Plan, which the MPO received grant funding from USDOT to create. The Vision Zero Action Plan is a regional Safety Action Plan that adopts the Safe Systems Approach, which includes the following components:

·       Safe vehicles

·       Safe speeds

·       Safe roads

·       Post-crash care

·       Safe road users

S. Taylor stated that the Vision Zero Action Plan will work towards the Long-Range Transportation Plan’s (LRTP) commitment of zero fatalities and serious injuries. S. Taylor presented the following updated Vision Zero Action Plan timeline:

·       Fall 2024: Data analysis, policy research, and stakeholder engagement

·       Winter 2024–25: Create High Injury Network analysis.

·       Spring 2025: Begin intervention and strategy development and hold Safe Systems workshops.

·       Summer 2025: Finalize analysis and crash profiles, finalize policy research, develop recommendations for strategies and projects, and develop safety targets.

·       Fall 2025: Draft Vision Zero Plan

·       Winter 2025–26: Adopt the Plan

Discussion

E. Bourassa asked for additional clarification on the downward trending metrics, and if they take Vision Zero Action Plan planning into consideration.

S. Taylor stated that the downward trend estimations are a result of municipalities’ Vision Zero Action Plans and other safety actions.

Lenard Diggins, Regional Transportation Advisory Council, asked about how a fatality that is associated with vehicle accident is being defined in this context.

S. Taylor stated that a fatality is referring to anyone whose injuries from an accident caused their death, and the death does not have to be immediate or within a specific timeframe.

L. Diggins asked if MPO staff had investigated the relationships between serious injuries and fatalities related to VMT.

S. Taylor stated that it has not been investigated in a formal way, but noted that the data seem to trend in similar directions and the ratios fluctuate from year to year.

L. Diggins suggested researching the relationship between injuries and fatalities further and potentially including factors such as weather conditions and vehicle characteristics.

S. Taylor stated that a lot of information is available on MassDOT’s IMPACT dashboard.

Nayeli Rodriguez, City of Boston, stated that the targets are more like predictions than goals, according to FHWA guidance, and suggested clarifying that the targets are not the same as the MPO’s Vision Zero Action Plan goals. In addition, N. Rodriguez asked if MPO staff see value in pairing other performance targets with goals in the future.

Rebecca Morgan, MPO staff, stated that MPO staff members are working on target setting for the Vision Zero Action Plan and plan to present their results to the MPO board. R. Morgan stated that MPO staff will consider safety targets on an annual basis and multi-year targets.

D. Mohler clarified that N. Rodriguez’s question was related to targets for metrics other than safety, such as single-occupancy vehicle usage.

S. Taylor stated that MPO staff are considering additional targets that are related to the LRTP’s goals.

R. Morgan stated that the grant funding for the Vision Zero Action Plan has allowed MPO staff to progress more quickly with developing safety metrics, but MPO staff want to pursue similar plans for other metrics, such as single-occupancy vehicle usage. However, there is a significant amount of work required before that step.

Erin Chute, Town of Brookline, expressed concern that adopting goals for fatalities and serious injuries that are not zero contradicts municipal Vision Zero goals.

S. Taylor stated that these targets, which MassDOT adopted six months ago, have a long-term aspirational target of zero, but that the short-term and medium-term targets are not zero.

Annette Demchur, MPO staff, stated that MPO staff are considering developing other performance area goals in the development of the next LRTP, which would quantify the existing LRTP goals. Potential quantified goals based on data availability and board member interest will be presented to the MPO board for discussion.

J. Rowe stated that the City of Boston is setting metrics and targets as a part of Go Boston 2030 ReVisioned, the City’s transportation plan, and asked if VMT were calculated using the Massachusetts Vehicle Census, Massachusetts travel count data, or a different data source so that the City can be in alignment with the MPO and the Boston region.

S. Taylor stated that the estimates were provided by MassDOT and, if MPO staff were going to set a target using VMT it would likely be related to greenhouse gas emissions and driving levels rather than safety.

D. Mohler stated that he presumes that the measurement of VMT is based on modeled results and vehicles registered in the municipality, which does not account for commuters driving from other municipalities.

Vote

A motion to approve the Roadway Safety Performance Targets was made by the Advisory Council (L. Diggins) and seconded by the MAPC (E. Bourassa). The motion carried. The following member abstained: Town of Brookline (E. Chute).

8.    Action Item: FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Nine—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.     FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Nine (pdf) (html)

Ethan Lapointe, MPO staff, presented FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Nine, which includes changes to the FFY 2025 Earmark Discretionary and Transit Program. E. Lapointe stated that these changes include three USDOT Reconnecting Communities Pilot grant awards, reprogramming of an earmark for the Town of Wakefield, which was previously amended into the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, and funding adjustments for Cape Ann Transportation Authority (CATA) projects, which will rebalance the allocation of CATA’s matching funding to ensure that all of its sources of local and state match are present in FFY 2025 rather than spread out across multiple years. Details of the changes to the Earmark Discretionary program can be found in Table 2.

 

Table 2
Amendment Nine Project Changes–FFY 2025 Earmark Discretionary Program

 

Project ID and Name	Change Type	Source	New Budget
S13198: Design of the Wakefield Broadway Commuter Rail Crossing (MA270)	New Project	HPP	$241,200
S13199: Construction of the Wakefield Broadway Commuter Rail Crossing (MA270)	Shift Funds	HPP	$1,258,800
S13189: Revere RCP Grant-Walking to Wonderland-Removing the transportation barriers of the MBTA Commuter Rail, RT 1A, and RT 60	New Project	RCP	$500,000
S13192: MBTA Reconnecting Communities Grant-JFK/UMass Station Redesign and Replacement Project (Planning)	New Project	RCP	$2,500,000
S13197: City of Boston-RCP Grant-Centering the RISE: Connecting People to a Healthy, Vibrant Mattapan Square	New Project	RCP	$4,000,000

 

FFY = Federal Fiscal Year. HPP = Highway Performance Program. MA = Massachusetts. MBTA = Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. RCP = Reconnecting Communities Pilot. RT = State Route.

 

Details on the changes to the FFY 2025 Transit Program can be found in Table 3.

Table 3
Amendment Nine Project Changes–FFY 2025 Transit Program

 

Project ID and Name	Change Type	Funding Source	Current Budget	New Budget	Difference
RTD0010583: CATA-Buy Misc Small Capital	Shift Funds	RTACAP	$474,050	$394,050	-$80,000
RTD0010584: CATA-Acquire Shop Equipment/ Small Capital	Remove Project	FTA Section 5307, RTACAP	$100,000	$0	-$100,000
RTD0010591: CATA-Revenue Vehicle Replacement	Shift Funds	RTACAP	$342,000	$492,000	$150,000
CATA011692: CATA-Repave Admin/Ops Facility Parking Lot	Shift Funds	RTACAP	$500,000	$0	-$500,000
CATA011694: CATA-Rehab/Renovation of Existing Facility	Remove Project	FTA Section 5307, RTACAP	$258,600	$438,600	$180,000

 

CATA = Cape Ann Transportation Authority. FFY = Federal Fiscal Year. FTA = Federal Transit Administration. RTACAP = Regional Transit Authority Capital Funds.

 

E. Lapointe stated that the first three projects in Table 3, Project RTD0010583, Project RTD0010584, and Project RTD0010591, are related. These projects were rebalanced to include an additional $150,000 of Regional Transit Authority Capital Funds (RTACAP) in FFY 2025 to fully fund the matching requirements for the project in one year. In addition, $80,000 of RTACAP funds was shifted from the small capital purchase project, Project RTD0010583, with $70,000 from Project RTD0010584.

E. Lapointe stated the last two projects in Table 3, Project CATA011692 and Project CATA011694, are a similar change. Project CATA011692, CATA-Repave Admin/Ops Facility Parking Lot, was consolidated into Project CATA011694, CATA-Rehab/Renovation of Existing Facility, to support the rehabilitation and renovation of its existing facility in Gloucester, including $180,000 of RTACAP funds.

Discussion

J. Rowe expressed appreciation for MPO staff members working to prepare this amendment so quickly and offered to answer questions about the City of Boston’s project.

Vote

A motion to release FFYs 2025–29 TIP Amendment Nine for a 21-day public comment period was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the City of Boston (J. Rowe). The motion carried.

9.    Members’ Items

D. Mohler asked when the next MPO board meeting would be held.

T. Teich responded that the next MPO board meeting will be held virtually on February 20, 2025, and it will be an intensive meeting with information about FFYs 2026–30 Readiness Scenarios.

10. Adjourn

A motion to adjourn was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) (Tom Bent). The motion carried.

 

Attendance

Members	Representatives and Alternates
At-Large City (City of Everett)	Eric Molinari
At-Large City (City of Newton)	David Koses
	Ned Codd
At-Large Town (Town of Brookline)	Erin Chute
City of Boston	Jen Rowe
	Nayeli Rodriguez
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)	Ken Miller
Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville)	Tom Bent
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)	Sandy Johnston
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)	David Mohler
	Derek Krevat
	Chris Klem
Massachusetts Port Authority	Sarah Lee
MassDOT Highway Division	Lyris Liautaud
	John Romano
MBTA Advisory Board	Hanna Switlekowski
	Isabella Mackinnon
	Frank Tramontozzi
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)	Eric Bourassa
	Julia Wallerce
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham)	Dennis Giombetti
MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA)	Tyler Terrasi
Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination (Town of Acton)	Kristen Guichard
North Shore Task Force (City of Beverly)	Darlene Wynne
North Suburban Planning Council (Town of Burlington)	Melisa Tintocalis
Regional Transportation Advisory Council	Lenard Diggins
Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood)	Tom O’Rourke Steve Olanoff

 

 

Other Attendees	Affiliation
Srilekha Murthy	BETA Group, Inc.
John Cashell	City of Woburn
Jake O'Neill	Keolis Commuter Services
Sheri Warrington	Keolis Commuter Services
Andrew Wang	MassDOT
Barbara Lachance	MassDOT
Ben Muller	MassDOT
Cheryll-Ann Senior	MassDOT
Melissa Santley	MassDOT
Miranda Briseño	MassDOT
Sarah Bradbury	MassDOT
Stephanie Abundo	MassDOT
Tracie Lenhardt	MassDOT
Joy Glynn	MWRTA
Meghan McNamara	Town of Lexington
Sheila Page	Town of Wellesley
John Strauss
Paul Cobuzzi

 

MPO Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff
Tegin Teich, Executive Director
Abby Cutrumbes Heerema
Adriana Jacobsen
Alexandra Kleyman
Annette Demchur
Betsy Harvey Herzfeld
Bradley Putnam
Dave Hong
Elena Ion
Erin Maguire
Ethan Lapointe
Hiral Gandhi
Jia Huang
Lauren Magee
Olivia Saccocia
Rebecca Morgan
Sam Taylor
Stella Jordan