Memorandum

Date       January 23, 2014

TO           Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization

FROM      Karl H. Quackenbush
CTPS Executive Director

RE            Work Program for: Freight Planning Support – FFY 2014

Action Required

Review and approval

Proposed Motion

That the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization vote to approve the work program for Freight Planning Support – FFY 2014, presented in this memorandum.

Project Identification

Unified Planning Work Program Classification

Technical Support/Operations Analysis Projects

CTPS Project Number

11145

Client

Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization

CTPS Project Supervisors

Principal: Efi Pagitsas

Manager: William S. Kuttner

Funding

MPO Planning Contract #78890

MPO §5303 Contract #78922

Impact on MPO Work

This is MPO work and will be carried out in conformance with the priorities established by the MPO.

Background

Recognizing the importance of freight transportation and the unique challenges that a comprehensive freight analysis entails, the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) established a formal freight-planning program that began in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2014. The MPO anticipates that freight analysis within the framework of this multiyear program will be ongoing.

To this end, staff was directed in FFY 2013 to develop an “action plan” for this program that would further the MPO’s freight-planning goals. These goals can be summarized as follows:

• Fulfill the Boston Region MPO’s freight planning needs
• Complement state and other official planning efforts
• Study specific freight-related issues
• Fulfill new analysis requirements of the current federal surface transportation legislation
• Address the lack of freight data for the MPO region, including developing enhanced technical capabilities for MPO staff to use in estimating freight demand

The memorandum dated September 12, 2103, “Proposed Freight Planning Action Plan for the Boston Region MPO: Meeting the Goals and Addressing the Issues,”presented a group of possible studies that would address one or more of these goals and were within the capabilities of MPO staff. These study options are far-reaching and envision an ongoing multiyear effort.

It is necessary, however, to select one or more study topics as a place to start. The work program proposed here focuses on the importance and challenges of the Beacham Street corridor and the surrounding areas in Everett and Chelsea. This subject is an attractive starting point for several reasons:

• Increasingly important land use issues can inform the study
• Road improvement investments are a possible outcome
• Analysis can expand upon some existing recent studies
• Large amounts of data on truck volumes in the corridor are obtainable
• A potential casino in the vicinity has increased interest in the corridor

The program also envisions that some data gathering and analysis not directly related to the Beacham Street corridor will also be undertaken. These additional efforts will fill in some gaps in our understanding of regional logistics or serve as exploratory work to better define future MPO freight-planning work programs.

Objectives

The principal objectives of this work program are:

1. To identify freight and associated land use issues in the study area.
2. To present existing conditions as they relate to the identified issues. Information on general traffic, truck traffic, hazardous cargoes, road network level-of-service, crashes, origins and destinations, and land use will be collected.
3. To develop options that address the identified issues.
4. To evaluate the possible options. Viable options will be recommended, and steps towards implementation may be suggested.
5. To obtain selected additional regional freight data on an exploratory basis to inform the design and scope of future freight analyses.

Work Description

Task 1  Identify Issues and Develop Existing Conditions Profile

Freight and associated land use issues will be identified in consultation with local planning officials and other stakeholders. An existing-conditions profile will be developed utilizing existing studies, field observation, and interviews with local industries and businesses. Prospective development and evolving land use patterns will be identified as important aspects of the existing conditions.

Additional issues in the study area may be identified during the preparation of the existing-conditions profile. Also, related regional connectivity issues outside the study will be identified and analyzed as resources permit.

Products of Task 1

• List of freight-related issues to be addressed
• Existing-conditions data and background information
• Data or analysis for related regional connectivity issues and improvement of analytical tools

Task 2  Develop Options Addressing Identified Issues

In consultation with local planning officials and other stakeholders MPO staff will develop one or more planning options that can be evaluated.

Products of Task 2

Planning-level alternatives to be evaluated

Task 3  Evaluate Selected Planning Options and Make Recommendations

A preliminary evaluation of the selected planning options will be performed. The strengths and deficiencies of the evaluated options will be identified. Viable options and associated implementation strategies may be recommended, as well as suggestions for more detailed follow-on analysis.

Product of Task 3

Technical memorandum with recommendations and supporting data and analysis.

Estimated Schedule

It is estimated that this project will be completed eight months after work commences. The proposed schedule, by task, is shown in Exhibit 1.

Estimated Cost

The total cost of this project is estimated to be $33,787. This includes the cost of 12.2 person-weeks of staff time and overhead at the rate of 97.42 percent. A detailed breakdown of estimated costs is presented in Exhibit 2.

KQ/WSK/wsk