MPO Meeting Minutes

Draft Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting

March 7, 2024, Meeting

10:00 AM–12:20 PM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform

Steve Woelfel, 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 January 18, 2024
• Approve the Transit Asset Management Performance Targets
• Release the Federal Fiscal Years (FFYs) 2024–28 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Amendment Five for its 21-day public review period

Meeting Agenda

1.    Introductions

See attendance on page 12.

2.    Chair’s Report—Steve Woelfel, MassDOT

There was none.

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

T. Teich discussed staffing updates and open positions at the agency.

T. Teich stated that the next two MPO meetings will be held in-person at the State Transportation Building, with a virtual participation option.

T. Teich stated that staff developed a template to be used for letters of support towards federal discretionary grant applications. In October, the board discussed a process for the development of these letters. The chair and vice chair will review requests for letters of support and, if approved, they will work with staff to determine whether the request is aligned with the MPO’s stated vision, goals, and objectives. If so, staff will draft a letter, to be signed by the chair. Updates, questions, and concerns will be brought to the full board as feasible given application deadlines.

Discussion

Brian Kane, MBTA Advisory Board, asked if the chair’s signature would be the Secretary of Transportation or a designee. T. Teich stated that past practices have been for David Mohler to sign as a designee of the Secretary of Transportation.

4.    Public Comments  

Senator Joan Lovely stated that she is present today to get acquainted with the TIP process especially as it connects to Salem projects, which will be discussed at future meetings.

Kristina Johnson, Town of Hudson, discussed the town’s design pilot application, spoke of benefits of this pilot to smaller communities, and discussed opportunities to close gaps in the regional trail network.

Sarkis Sarkisian, City of Framingham, discussed the City’s application to the project design pilot for its Chris Walsh Trail project.

Jim Nee, MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA), thanked staff for their collaboration and spoke of benefits that could come from the authority’s application for low-emission, full-sized vehicles.

5.    Committee Chairs’ Reports

Derek Krevat, MassDOT, stated that the Unified Planning Work Program Committee will meet following this meeting to discuss the Universe of Proposed Studies for the fiscal year 2025 UPWP.

Tom Bent, Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville), stated that the Memorandum of Understanding Update Committee settled on a recommendation for regional transit authority representation, which will be brought before the board shortly.

Jen Rowe, City of Boston (Boston Transportation Department), stated that the TIP Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee will meet twice in March.

B. Kane stated that the Administration and Finance Committee met on February 29, 2024, and received an update on the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) budget and progress towards the Executive Director’s annual goals.

6.    Regional Transportation Advisory Council Report—Lenard Diggins, Chair, Regional Transportation Advisory Council

L. Diggins stated that in the upcoming Advisory Council meeting members will begin to discuss revisions to the Advisory Council’s role in updates to the Memorandum of Understanding.

7.     Action Item: Approval of January 18, 2024, MPO Meeting Minutes

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    January 18, 2024, meeting minutes (pdf) (html)

Vote

A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of January 18, 2024, was made by the City of Boston (J. Rowe) and seconded by the Inner Core Committee (T. Bent). The motion carried.

8.    Action Item: Transit Asset Management (TAM) Performance Targets—Sam Taylor, MPO Staff, and Angela Servello, MBTA Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    Transit Asset Management Memo (pdf) (html)

2.    MBTA Transit Asset Management Plan (pdf)

3.    MWRTA Transit Asset Management Plan (pdf)

4.    CATA Transit Asset Management Plan (pdf)

S. Taylor stated that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requires that MPOs and transit agencies set TAM performance measures. S. Taylor stated that transit agencies are required to develop TAM plans every four years and report asset inventories to the National Transit Database and set performance targets annually. MPOs must set TAM targets for their region, consider transit capital programming in the content of TAM performance, and incorporate TAM information into planning documents.

S. Taylor stated that the four TAM performance measures track the percentage of rolling stock vehicles that have met or exceeded their Useful Life Benchmark (ULB), percentage of equipment vehicles that have met or exceeded their ULB, percentage of assets with condition rating below 3.0 on the FTA Transit Economic Requirements Model, and the percentage of track segments with performance restrictions, by mode. Performance measures can be found in Tables 1 through 7.

 

Table 1
MBTA Rolling Stock Performance Targets

Vehicle Type	FY 2022 Actual	FY 2023 Actual	FY 2024 Target
Articulated Bus	0.00%	21.19%	23.73%
Bus	32.29%	20.00%	17.26%
Commuter Rail Locomotive	23.46%	22.89%	22.89%
Commuter Rail Passenger Coach	7.63%	7.52%	6.83%
Ferryboat	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Heavy Rail Passenger Car	53.39%	30.10%	28.57%
Light Rail Vehicle	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Vintage Trolley	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%
Automobile	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Van	0.00%	0.00%	25.06%

 

Table 2
MBTA Equipment Performance Targets

Vehicle Type	FY 2022 Actual	FY 2023 Actual	FY 2024 Target
Automobile	69.84%	84.13%	84.13%
Other Rubber Tire Vehicle	18.75%	21.61%	26.07%
Steel Wheel Vehicle	37.78%	49.11%	51.31%

 

 

Table 3
MBTA Facilities Performance Targets

Facility Type	FY 2022 Actual	FY 2023 Actual	FY 2024 Target
Administrative/Maintenance	34.89%	22.84%	22.84%
Passenger/Parking	6.97%	2.55%	3.10%

 

Table 4
MBTA Infrastructure Performance Targets

Mode	Total Revenue Miles	FY 2022 Actual	FY 2023 Actual	FY 2024 Target
Light Rail	59.81	1.88%	7.36%	15.65%
Heavy Rail	76.54	6.80%	13.20%	17.18%
Commuter Rail	641.31	3.41%	3.25%	4.00%

 

 

Table 5
RTA Rolling Stock Performance Targets

Agency	Vehicle Type	Performance (2023)	Target (2023)	Target (2024)
CATA	Buses and Trolleys	42%	30%	39%
CATA	Cutaway Vehicles	41%	5%	44%
MWRTA	Automobiles	100%	100%	100%
MWRTA	Cutaway Vehicles	21%	25%	21%
MWRTA	Vans	0%	0%	0%

 

CATA = Cape Ann Transportation Authority. MWRTA = MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. RTA = Regional Transit Authority.

 

Table 6
RTA Equipment Vehicles Performance Targets

Agency	Vehicle Type	Performance (2023)	Target (2023)	Target (2024)
CATA	Equipment	100%	100%	100%
MWRTA	Equipment	50%	50%	50%

CATA = Cape Ann Transportation Authority. MWRTA = MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. RTA = Regional Transit Authority.

 

 

Table 7
RTA Facilities Performance Targets

Agency	Facility Type	Performance (2023)	Target (2023)	Target (2024)
CATA	Administration/ Maintenance	0%	0%	0%
MWRTA	Administration/ Maintenance	0%	0%	0%

CATA = Cape Ann Transportation Authority. MWRTA = MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. RTA = Regional Transit Authority.

 

Discussion

B. Kane stated that he reviewed the performance targets with staff prior to this meeting and is satisfied with what has been proposed.

Steve Olanoff, Three Rivers Interlocal Council, asked if stormwater management systems are included in the facilities performance measure. A. Servello, MBTA, stated that she would confirm and follow up on the matter.

Jim Fitzgerald, City of Boston (Boston Planning and Development Agency), asked what timeline the full TAM plans operate under. S. Taylor stated that regional transit authorities submit four-year TAM plans to the FTA. A. Servello stated that this tracking is one element of TAM. J. Rowe requested that future presentations include information on long-term asset management plans. A. Servello discussed the impact that vehicle overhauls have on asset planning metrics.

Vote

A motion to approve the Transit Asset Management Performance Targets was made by the MBTA Advisory Board (B. Kane) and seconded by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) (Eric Bourassa). The motion carried.

9.     Action Item: FFYs 2024–28 TIP Amendment Five—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    FFYs 2024–28 TIP Amendment Five (pdf) (html)

E. Lapointe stated that Amendment Five proposes two modifications for the FFYs 2024 and 2025 Statewide Highway Program. This includes the delay of the Middleton—Bridge Replacement of Route 62 over Ipswich River project to FFY 2025 and the Boston—Bridge Preservation, 5 Bridges Carrying State Route 1A (East Boston) and Ramps project to FFY 2025. The amendment contains additional details for existing MBTA projects in TIP tables.

Vote

A motion to release the FFYs 2024–28 TIP Amendment Five for its 21-day public review period was made by the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (L. Diggins) and seconded by the MAPC (E. Bourassa). The motion carried.

10.  FFYs 2025–29 TIP Project Scores—Ethan Lapointe, MPO Staff

Documents posted to the MPO meeting calendar

1.    Project Scores (pdf) (html)

2.    Project Descriptions (pdf) (html)

E. Lapointe reviewed the TIP development timeline. E. Lapointe stated that staff received 30 project applications. There were 15 applications for the project design pilot, four for construction, one for Transit Transformation, and 10 for Community Connections. This does not include CATA and MWRTA fill-in projects, which are currently being scored.

Project scores can be found below:

·       Design Pilot: Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections

o   Cambridge: New Bridge and Shared-Use Path Connection over MBTA Fitchburg Line at Danehy Park Connector (613568): 78.1

o   Framingham: Chris Walsh Trail (Phase II): 73.9

o   Hudson: Massachusetts Central Rail Trail (MCRT) Extension: 61.7

o   Norfolk-Wrentham-Walpole: Shared-Use Path Installation, Metacomet Greenway (613644): 65

·       Design Pilot: Complete Streets

o   Acton: Great Road, from Harris Street to Davis Road Intersections, Complete Streets Project: 45.4

o   Arlington: Broadway Complete Streets 25% Design: 80.1

o   Boston: Reconstruction of Bennington Street, Porter Street to Wood Island Busway: 76.2

o   Malden: Route 60 Improvement Project: 71.15

o   Malden: Commercial Street Reconstruction: 62.25

o   Marlborough Reconstruction of Granger Boulevard (612285): 61.9

o   Salem: Broad Street and Dalton Parkway Corridor Project: 60.1

o   Southborough: Reclamation of Marlborough Road (Route 85) and Framingham Road from Marlborough City Line to Route 30 (612962): 52.5

·       Design Pilot: Intersection Improvements

o   Burlington: Intersection Improvements at Route 3A/Cambridge Street and Winn Street (613641): 62.5

o   Holliston: Intersection Improvements at Route 16 and Whitney Street: 42.8

o   Sherborn: Reconstruction of Route 27 and Route 16: 81.8

·       Construction: Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections

o   Sudbury–Framingham: Bike Path Construction of Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, from the Sudbury Diamond Railroad Crossing to Eaton Road West: Score to be determined

·       Construction: Complete Streets

o   Bellingham: Roadway Rehabilitation of Route 126 from I-495 Ramps to Medway Town Line: 54.3

o   Ipswich: Argilla Road Ecological Tidal Restoration Project: 37.9

·       Construction: Intersection Improvements

o   Quincy: Intersection Improvements at Willard Street and Ricciuti Drive (610823): 41.1

·       Transit Transformation

o   MWRTA: Procurement of Three 29-Foot Buses: 52.2

·       Community Connections

o   Arlington: Installation of 123 Bicycle Racks and Related Materials: 74.5

o   Boston: Installation of 1,600 Bicycle Racks: 82

o   Scituate: Installation of 25 Bicycle Racks: 45.5

o   Malden: Canal Street Bicycle Lanes: 51.25

o   Chelsea-Revere: Regional On-Demand Microtransit Pilot Project: 53.75

o   Revere: Bluebikes Expansion, Four Stations and 40 Pedal Bicycles: 63.5

·       Bikeshare Replacement Projects:

o   Boston: Replacement of 12 Stations and Station Electrification Pilot: 76.5

o   Brookline: Replacement of Three Stations and 62 Pedal Bicycles: 59

o   Cambridge: Replacement of Eight Stations and 65 pedal bicycles: 68.5

o   Somerville: Replacement of 13 Stations: 67.5

E. Lapointe stated that staff engaged regional transit authorities for fill-in projects in FFYs 2025 and 2026. CATA is proposing three projects for 2025: $65,000 in fare improvements for ADA and Dial-a-Ride service, $1,293,000 in operations facility upgrades, and $2,460,000 to replace four buses with hybrids. MWRTA seeks $2,500,000 to redesign its Blandin Hub. A list of MBTA projects is in development and will be shared with the board at a future date.

Discussion

E. Bourassa asked about the total dollar amount requested from design pilot applications. E. Lapointe stated that the total amount of design requests was $18.4 million, while $4 million was initially set aside for the pilot.

E. Bourassa asked about the available funding in FFYs 2028 and 2029. E. Lapointe stated that FFY 2028 would begin with a deficit, but proposed scenarios have reduced the deficit to a surplus of less than $1 million. In FFY 2029 there would be about $11 million in unprogrammed funding, after accounting for readiness and new project applications.

E. Bourassa requested that the MBTA and MassDOT Highway Division prepare lists of fill-in projects for available near-term funding.

E. Bourassa requested that project proponents are present at upcoming TIP Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee meetings.

Kristen Guichard, Minuteman Advisory Council on Interlocal Coordination (Town of Acton), asked what the process would be for communities to propose projects for fill-in funding. E. Lapointe stated that an appropriate project would need at least 25 percent design status with MassDOT.

L. Diggins asked what fare improvements CATA would implement as part of its fill-in project. E. Lapointe stated that these improvements would enhance abilities to accept cash as a form of payment on board.

Dennis Giombetti, MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham), asked what are the unprogrammed, available funds in FFYs 2025 and 2026. E. Lapointe stated that approximately $25 million and $10 million is unprogrammed in FFYs 2025 and 2026, respectively.

Ken Miller, Federal Highway Administration, asked for the Project Review Committee’s cost estimate of the Cambridge—New Bridge and Shared-Use Path Connection over MBTA Fitchburg Line at Danehy Park Connector project (613568). E. Lapointe stated that the most recent figure is $19 million, but the Project Review Committee’s figure has not been made public yet.

Sandy Johnston, MBTA, stated that updated cost estimates will be brought to the board soon and asked which forum the MBTA should provide information for.

J. Rowe stated that lists of fill-in projects would be helpful for the next TIP Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee meeting.

11.Members’ Items

There were none.

12. Adjourn

A motion to adjourn was made by the MAPC (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (L. Diggins). The motion carried.

 

Attendance

Members	Representatives and Alternates
At-Large City (City of Everett)	Jay Monty Eric Molinari
At-Large City (City of Newton)	David Koses
At-Large Town (Town of Arlington)	John Alessi
At-Large Town (Town of Brookline)	Erin Chute
City of Boston (Boston Planning & Development Agency)	Jim Fitzgerald
City of Boston (Boston Transportation Department)	Jen Rowe
Federal Highway Administration	Joshua Barber
Federal Transit Administration
Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville)	Brad Rawson
Massachusetts Department of Transportation	Steve Woelfel John Bechard
MassDOT Highway Division	John Romano
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)	Sandy Johnston
Massachusetts Port Authority	Sarah Lee
MBTA Advisory Board	Brian Kane
Metropolitan Area Planning Council	Eric Bourassa
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of Framingham)	Dennis Giombetti
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
South Shore Coalition (Town of Hull)	Chris DiIorio
South West Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Wrentham)	Rachel Benson
Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of Norwood)	Tom O’Rourke Steve Olanoff

 

 

Other Attendees	Affiliation
Stephanie Abundo	DOT
Sarah Bradbury	MassDOT District 3
Miranda Briseño	MassDOT
Tenzin Choephel	City of Cambridge
Heidi Doyle	Sherborn Town Planner
Daniela Espinosa	Boston Planning & Development Agency
JR Frey	Town of Hingham
Joy Glynn	MWRTA
Pam Helinek
Walter Heller	Pare Corporation
Kirstie Hostetter	Town of Milton
Kristina Johnson	Town of Hudson
Sean Killeen
Chris Klem	MassDOT
Josh Klingenstein	MBTA
Raissah Kouame	MassDOT
Derek Krevat	MassDOT
Marie L (no last name given)
Jackie LaFlam	CATA
Aleida Leza
Senator Joan Lovely	Second Essex District
Owen MacDonald	Town of Weymouth
Addie Mae Weiss	Town of Sherborn
Jeremy Marsette
Richard McCarthy	Town of Norfolk
Benjamin Muller	MassDOT District 6
Jim Nee	MWRTA
Sheila Page	Town of Lexington
Chris Reilly
Sarkis Sarkisian	City of Framingham
Gareth Saunders
Cara Seiderman	City of Cambridge
Cheryll-Ann Senior	MassDOT District 5
Angela Servello	MBTA
Derek Shooster	MassDOT
Cam Sullivan	MWRTA
Tyler Terrasi	MWRTA
Meghan Todd	City of Framingham
Frank Tramontozzi	City of Quincy
Paula Walsh
Andrew Wang	MassDOT

 

MPO Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff
Tegin Teich, Executive Director
Judy Day
Annette Demchur
Betsy Harvey
David Hong
Jia Huang
Ali Kleyman
Ethan Lapointe
Erin Maguire
Rebecca Morgan
Srilekha Murthy
Gina Perille
Sarah Philbrick
Sean Rourke
Samuel Taylor