Draft Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting
August 1, 2013 Meeting
10:00 AM – 10:50AM, State Transportation Building, Conference Rooms 2&3, 10 Park Plaza, Boston
David Mohler, Chair, representing Richard Davey, Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization agreed to the following:
• Release Draft Amendment Six of the federal fiscal years (FFYs) 2013-16 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for a 30-day public review period
• Approve
the minutes of the meeting of July 25
Kristina Johnson, City of Quincy, requested that the MPO support the inclusion of the $1.2 million Quincy Center Multimodal Enhancement and Preservation project in the proposed Amendment Six to the FFYs 2013-16 TIP. She reported that the project will address long term maintenance issues at the Quincy Center MTBA Station and that the project is a key component of the revitalization of downtown Quincy and the Adams Green park space project.
She noted that the City of Quincy is working with MBTA to develop a funding strategy that will address the maintenance issues at the MBTA station. The parking facility at that station has been shut down due to structural issues that make the facility unsafe for parking.
The programming of the Quincy Center Multimodal Enhancement and Preservation project in the TIP will allow the City to use a Transportation, Community, and System Preservation Program grant that was awarded for the purpose of making multimodal connections to Adams Green.
The project will involve the following: preliminary engineering; environmental permitting and documentation; design and development for a rehabilitated station and parking facilities; transit oriented development space above the station; development of a 25% design package; and the development of scope of work for a public-private partnership project.
Members then asked questions.
Paul Regan, MBTA Advisory Board, asked about the impact of the garage closure. K. Johnson replied that the closure is contributing to blight in the area and that there is a constant police presence there. She added that the garage is attached to the station, so the garage alone cannot be demolished. P. Regan then expressed support for the project given the investment that has already been made for the revitalization of downtown Quincy.
K. Johnson added that the project has the approval of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and that the City has been communicating with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), which will be the City’s lead federal partner as the project moves forward.
Steve Olanoff, Advisory Council, inquired about the $244,575 match for the project. K. Johnson replied that the City is providing those matching funds by using a portion of a Gateway City Parks Program grant, which was awarded for the Adams Green project. FHWA and MassDOT have informed the City that it is an appropriate use of the grant money. D. Mohler confirmed that the grant money is an eligible match for this project.
There was none.
There were none.
The Advisory Council will not meet in August. The next meeting will be on September 11. The Election committee has met and will be giving a presentation.
R. Mannion drew members’ attention to the meeting calendar and noted that a meeting is scheduled for August 15. As the MPO has no pressing business for that date, members agreed to cancel that meeting.
Laura Wiener, At-Large Town of Arlington, brought to the MPO’s attention the date of the next MPO meeting (currently scheduled for September 5) noting that it is the Rosh Hashanah holiday. The MPO cancelled that meeting and will reschedule it for another Thursday in September.
Members were asked for their approval to circulate Draft Amendment Six of the FFYs 2013-16 TIP for a 30-day public review period. P. Wolfe provided an overview of the draft amendment and members discussed the various portions of the amendment.
This amendment represents the MPO’s yearly action to account for cost and schedule changes to projects prior to the close of the federal fiscal year. The changes pertain to projects programmed in the FFY 2013 annual element.
This amendment would remove the Somerville – Reconstruction of Beacon Street project from the FFY 2013 element since it is not ready for advertisement. The project would be reprogrammed in the FFY 2014 element and would be fully funded by a federal earmark and state funds. Staff recommends applying the $1.5 million in MPO target funds that were programmed for the project to the Route 128 Add-a-lane (Contract V) project.
Jim Gillooly, City of Boston, asked if the amendment would address changes to the FFY 2014 element pertaining to the Reconstruction of Beacon Street project, and Eric Bourassa, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), inquired about the target funding for that project. D. Mohler replied that changes to the FFY 2014 element would not be addressed today, but rather in a future amendment to the FFYs 2014-17 TIP. He noted that this future amendment would not affect MPO target funds, since the state has agreed to fund the project. The only federal participation in the project will involve the earmark, which will need to be reprogrammed in the FFY 2014 element.
The amendment shows a cost increase of $2.75 million for the Boston – Deck Patching and Superstructure Repairs on the Bowker Overpass project.
The amendment would program of the Quincy Center Multimodal Enhancement and Preservation project.
The amendment shows cost changes to two companion projects: Lexington and Burlington – Interstate Maintenance and Related Work on Interstate 95 and Lexington – Bridge Replacement, Route 2 over Interstate 95. A portion of the cost of the interstate maintenance project is being added to the bridge project. The Interstate Maintenance project cost is being reduced by $4.7 million and this and other monies are being added to the bridge project for an overall increase of $8.4 million.
Dennis Crowley, South West Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway), asked if the money that would be taken from the interstate maintenance project on Interstate 95 would be used for maintenance purposes in the bridge replacement project in Lexington. D. Mohler explained that the bridge is eligible for interstate maintenance funding and that MassDOT determined that shifting of some of the interstate maintenance funds to the bridge project would be better for the contracting and scheduling of the project.
Richard Canale, At-Large Town of Lexington, asked where the additional $3.7 million that would be added to the bridge project would be coming from. D. Mohler replied that it would be coming from other statewide line items.
S. Olanoff inquired about the increase in the scope of the bridge project. Specifics were not available at this time.
Regarding the Bowker Overpass project, S. Olanoff asked if a decision has been made regarding whether to remove that overpass. D. Mohler replied that, while others have discussed removing the overpass, there is no plan to do so. If it were removed, it would be a long term project, and until that time, the structure needs to be maintained.
The amendment would move the Everett and Medford – Bridge Replacements, Revere Beach Parkway (Route 16) over the Malden River (Woods Memorial Bridge) and over MBTA and Rivers Edge project from the FFY 2013 element to the FFY 2014 element.
It would also remove two bridge projects from the TIP: the Framingham – Bridge Replacement, Winter Street over MBTA, Amtrak, and CSX and the Revere – Bridge Replacement, Revere Beach Parkway Over MBTA (Winthrop Avenue). These projects were to be funded through the Accelerated Bridge Program with Grant Anticipation Notes (GANs). They will now be funded with non-federal aid.
The amendment would address projects of the Cape Ann Transportation Authority (CATA) and MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA).
CATA temporarily lost its eligibility to receive federal Section 5307 funds, but that eligibility has since been restored. Staff is therefore recommending that the MPO support three CATA line items: Preventative Maintenance, Rehabilitation/Renovation of Maintenance Facility, and Miscellaneous Capital Equipment.
Staff is withdrawing its recommendation for three other CATA line items, however, since the RTA match is not eligible: Gas Tank Storage, 28 Foot Bus, and Computer Hardware/Software.
The amendment would program CATA’s Veterans Transportation Community Living Initiative Grant (VTCLI) for the Purchase – Communications Hardware/Software line item, which uses toll development credits for a match.
Toll development credits would also be applied to several of the MWRTA’s line items: Equipment and Facilities; Paratransit Call Center; and JARC Technology Grant.
Lastly, the amendment adjusts the funding for the MWRTA’s line item for the Route 9 Extended Service to reflect that two years of a Job Access Reverse Commute grant will be used in FFY 2013.
J. Gillooly asked if steps are being taken to resolve the problem of CATA’s ineligible matching funds. P. Wolfe replied that staff is working with the MassDOT Rail and Transit Division on the issue. D. Mohler added that the issue will probably not be resolved within this fiscal year, but could be worked out in FFY 2014.
Rafael Mares, Conservation Law Foundation, asked if the federal dollars that will not be applied to the CATA line items will be reallocated elsewhere. D. Mohler replied that FTA funds roll forward if unused, so that the funds would be available to CATA in FFY 2014.
J. Gillooly asked for more information about the use of toll development credits. P. Wolfe explained that because the Commonwealth uses toll revenue rather than federal aid for the maintenance of tolled facilities that are federal aid eligible, the federal government awards the Commonwealth toll credits. These credits are, in turn, made available to RTAs, which can use them as a local match on federally funded projects with the result that those projects are 100% federally funded.
A motion to release Draft Amendment Six of the FFYs 2013-16 TIP for a 30-day public review period was made by MAPC (E. Bourassa), and seconded by the MBTA Advisory Board (P. Regan). The motion carried.
A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of July 25 was made by the Advisory Council (S. Olanoff) and seconded by the MBTA Advisory Board (P. Regan). The motion carried. The following members abstained: Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville); North Shore Task Force (City of Beverly); and At-Large City of Everett.
MAPC and the MBTA Advisory Board are starting the MPO election process. This year, the seats currently held by the Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) and the MetroWest Regional Collaborative (Town of Framingham) are up for election. The election materials will be sent to MPO members and the 101 municipalities in the region. Nominations are due by the end of September. To be a candidate, a municipality must be nominated by the chief elected official of five municipalities (including itself). The election will be held at MAPC’s Fall Council meeting. As this year marks MAPC’s 50th anniversary, the meeting will be an evening event.
D. Mohler reported that MassDOT released an informational Environmental Notification Form (ENF) regarding the All-Electronic Tolling System Implementation project. MassDOT is accepting public comment.
D. Mohler also reported that MassDOT has applied to the federal government for redistribution funds. MassDOT is requesting $18 million in addition to the $50 million that has already been programmed in the TIP.
S. Olanoff announced that Dr. Beverly Scott, MBTA General Manager and MassDOT Rail and Transit Division Administrator, will be the keynote speaker at the next Advisory Council meeting on September 11.
J. Gillooly gave a report on the cooperative effort to put in place a detour plan and monitor the detour while construction is underway on the Longfellow Bridge. He recognized the role of the City of Boston’s Traffic Management Center (TMC), which is able to control the signals on the Boston side of the detour and monitor over 300 cameras in the area, including an additional 23 added by MassDOT for this project. During the first several days of the detour, significant changes were made based on the TMC’s observations.
The following are participating in the detour planning: State Police; Boston and Cambridge police; MassDOT, Boston, and Cambridge traffic planners; emergency services; the business community; and Massachusetts General Hospital and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. The team will reconvene to plan for post-Labor Day traffic. The MBTA will be providing bus service starting in late August to replace Red Line service.
J. Gillooly remarked upon the value of the MPO’s investment in the TMC, and he noted that the TMC was able to reduce the impact of a number of traffic-disrupting incidents that occurred after the detour plan went into effect.
A motion to adjourn was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the At-Large Town of Lexington (R. Canale). The motion carried.
|
Members |
Representatives
and
Alternates |
|
At-Large City (City of Everett) |
James Errickson |
|
At-Large City (City of Newton) |
David Koses |
|
At-Large Town (Town of Arlington) |
Laura Wiener |
|
At-Large Town (Town of Lexington) |
Richard Canale |
|
City of Boston (Boston Redevelopment
Authority) |
Tom Kadzis |
|
City of Boston (Boston Transportation
Department) |
Jim Gillooly |
|
Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) |
Hayes Morrison |
|
Massachusetts Department of Transportation |
Clinton Bench David Mohler Sheri Warrington |
|
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA) |
Ron Morgan |
|
MBTA Advisory Board |
Paul Regan |
|
Metropolitan Area Planning Council |
Eric Bourassa |
|
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (Town of
Framingham) |
Dennis Giombetti |
|
Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal
Coordination (Town of Bedford) |
Richard Reed |
|
North Shore Task Force (City of Beverly) |
Tina Cassidy |
|
North Suburban Planning Council (City of
Woburn) |
Ed Tarallo |
|
Regional Transportation Advisory Council |
Steve Olanoff |
|
South Shore Coalition (Town of Braintree) |
Melissa Santucci Rozzi |
|
South West Advisory Planning Committee
(Town of Medway) |
Dennis Crowley |
|
Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of
Norwood/NVCC) |
Tom O’Rourke |
|
Other
Attendees |
Affiliation |
|
Sarah Bradbury |
MassDOT District 3 |
|
Joshua Grzegorzewski |
Federal Highway Administration |
|
Kristina Johnson |
City of Quincy |
|
Rafael Mares |
Conservation Law Foundation |
|
MPO
Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Robin Mannion, Deputy Executive Director |
|
Maureen Kelly |
|
Anne McGahan |
|
Scott Peterson |
|
Pam Wolfe |