Draft Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Meeting Minutes

January 15, 2026, Meeting

10:00 AM–10:40 AM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform

David Mohler, Chair, representing Phillip Eng, Interim 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 11, 2025
• Approve the Understanding Stakeholder Perceptions of Roadway-Pricing Strategies and Conceptualizing Effective Communication Strategies Work Scope
• Approve the Representing the Experiences of People with Limited Mobility Work Scope
• Endorse the Federal Fiscal Years (FFY) 2026–30 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Amendment Two

Meeting Agenda

1. Introductions

See attendance below.

2. Chair’s Report—David Mohler, MassDOT

D. Mohler noted that the agenda item for the Long-Range Transportation Plan Amendment Two was removed and would be taken up in February.

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

T. Teich shared engagement updates including a technical assistance information session that took place on January 13, 2026, and the final Subregional TIP Readiness Workshop taking place January 15, 2026, at 1:00 PM.

She also shared that the MPO was awarded a new Safe Streets and Roads for All award: Safety Forward with $5 million in federal funding with a $1.25 million state match.

She then previewed the upcoming agenda and announced the next meeting date as February 5, 2026, at 10:00 AM.

4. Public Comments  

There were none.

5. Committee Chairs’ Reports

Jen Rowe, City of Boston, shared that the next TIP Process, Engagement, and Readiness committee will be held January 22 at 2:00 PM. MPO staff will be sharing an updated TIP project dashboard.

Sam Taylor, MassDOT, highlighted the presentations heard at the last committee meeting from Lauren Magee and Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC).

6. Community Advisory Council Report—Caitlin Allen-Connelly, Chair, Community Advisory Council

C. Allen-Connelly shared updates from the previous Community Advisory Council meeting.

7. Action Item: Approval of December 11, 2025, MPO Meeting Minutes

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

• December 11, 2025 minutes (pdf) (html)

Jen Rowe stated they had sent in some minor changes to the attendees list to staff.

Vote

A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of December 11, 2025, with minor changes, was made by MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the City of Boston (J. Rowe). The motion carried.

8. Action Item: Work Scope: Understanding Stakeholder Perceptions of Roadway-Pricing Strategies and Conceptualizing Effective Communication Strategies—Abby Cutrumbes Heerema, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

• Roadway Pricing Work Scope and Exhibits (pdf )
• Roadway Pricing Work Scope Exhibit 1 (html )
• Roadway Pricing Work Scope Exhibit 2 (html )
• Roadway Pricing Work Scope (html )

A. Cutrumbes Heerema summarized the work scope, which is allocated $49,417, composed entirely of staff time, and seeks to build off previous MPO work on roadway pricing.

Discussion

C. Allen-Connelly shared her support for continued exploration around roadway pricing and asked about advancing roadway pricing initiatives in FFY 2027. T. Teich responded that is being developed as part of UPWP development, and Rebeca Morgan shared that another discrete study is planned for FFY 2027 that would advance this work.

Vote

A motion to approve the Understanding Stakeholder Perceptions of Roadway-Pricing Strategies and Conceptualizing Effective Communication Strategies work scope was made by MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the City of Boston (Jen Rowe). The motion carried.

9. Action Item: Work Scope: Representing the Experiences of People with Limited Mobility—Sophie Fox, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

• Representing the Experiences of People with Limited Mobility Work Scope (pdf) (html)

S. Fox summarized the work scope, which is allocated $50,000 and will last for approximately eight months. She stated the goal of the work scope is to develop strategies to incorporate the experiences of those with limited mobility into quantitative analyses done by the MPO.

Vote

A motion to approve the Representing the Experiences of People with Limited Mobility work scope was made by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) (S. Johnston) and seconded by the City of Boston (Matt Moran). The motion carried.

10. FFYs 2026–30 TIP Amendment Two—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

• TIP Amendment Two (pdf) (html)

E. Lapointe stated that Amendment Two includes funding for five earmarks in the FFY 2026 Earmark Discretionary Program, a funding source change for design of improvements at Route 126 and 135 in Framingham, delays to nine Statewide Highway Program projects, and additional changes across MBTA projects.

Vote

A motion to endorse the FFYs 2026–30 TIP Amendment Two was made by MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the City of Somerville (Tom Bent). The motion carried.

11. Members’ Items

There were none.

12. Adjourn

A motion to adjourn was made by MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the Town of Arlington (L. Diggins). The motion carried.

Attendance

CIVIL RIGHTS NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

Welcome. Bem Vinda. Bienvenido. Akeyi. 欢迎. 歡迎 .

You are invited to participate in our transportation planning process, free from discrimination. The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is committed to nondiscrimination in all activities and complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency). Related federal and state nondiscrimination laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, disability, and additional protected characteristics.

For additional information or to file a civil rights complaint, visit www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination.

To request accommodations at meetings (such as assistive listening devices, materials in accessible formats and languages other than English, and interpreters in American Sign Language and other languages) or if you need this information in another language, please contact:

Boston Region MPO Title VI Specialist

10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150

Boston, MA 02116

Phone: 857.702.3700

Email: civilrights@ctps.org

For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the state MassRelay service, www.mass.gov/massrelay. Please allow at least five business days for your request to be fulfilled.