Image of report cover.

Unified Planning Work Program
Federal Fiscal Year 2025

Boston Region MPO

 

 

Contents

Executive Summary
Chapter 1: 3C Transportation Planning in the Boston Region
Chapter 2: About the Unified Planning Work Program
Chapter 3: MPO Support and 3C Planning
Chapter 4: Boston Region MPO Discrete Studies and Technical Support
Chapter 5: Resource Management and Support Activities
Chapter 6: Metropolitan Area Planning Council Activities
Chapter 7: Boston Region MPO Budget and Operating Summaries

Appendices

Abbreviations


Prepared by
The Central Transportation Planning Staff:
Staff to the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization

Directed by the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization,
which is composed of the

Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
MBTA Advisory Board
Massachusetts Port Authority
Regional Transportation Advisory Council
City of Boston
City of Beverly
City of Everett
City of Framingham
City of Newton
City of Somerville
Town of Arlington
Town of Acton
Town of Brookline
Town of Burlington
Town of Hull
Town of Norwood
Town of Wrentham
Federal Highway Administration (nonvoting)
Federal Transit Administration (nonvoting)

This document was funded in part through grants from the US Department of Transportation. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the US Department of Transportation.


Map of the Boston Region MPO municipalities

 

Notice of Nondiscrimination Rights and Protections

CIVIL RIGHTS NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
Welcome. Bem Vinda. Bienvenido. Akeyi. 欢迎. 歡迎

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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 this information in a different language or format, 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.

 


Contact MPO staff:

By mail:

Srilekha Murthy
UPWP Manager, Central Transportation Planning Staff
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116

By telephone:

857.702.3700 (voice)

For people with hearing or speaking difficulties, connect through the state MassRelay service:

Relay Using TTY or Hearing Carry-over: 800.439.2370
Relay Using Voice Carry-over: 866.887.6619
Relay Using Text to Speech: 866.645.9870

For more information, including numbers for Spanish speakers, visit https://www.mass.gov/massrelay

By email: smurthy@ctps.org

 

 


Certification Letter

 


 

Executive Summary

The Boston Region MPO

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) are responsible for providing forums for making decisions about how to allocate federal transportation funds for capital projects and planning studies in a metropolitan area through a continuing, comprehensive, and cooperative (3C) planning process. Each metropolitan area in the United States with a population of 50,000 or more—also known as an urbanized area—is required by federal legislation to establish an MPO.

 

The Boston Region MPO’s planning area extends across 97 cities and towns from Boston north to Ipswich, south to Marshfield, and west to Interstate 495. Figure ES-1 shows the map of the Boston Region MPO’s member municipalities.

 

The MPO’s board has 22 voting members. Several state agencies, regional organizations, and the City of Boston are permanent voting members, while 12 municipalities are elected as voting members for three-year terms. Eight municipal members represent each of the eight subregions of the Boston region, and four represent at-large municipal seats. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) participate on the MPO board as advisory, nonvoting, members.

 

The MPO is supported by the Central Transportation Planning Staff, a group of planners, data analysts, engineers, and other professionals.

 

Figure ES-1

Municipalities in the Boston Region

This is a map of the cities and towns in the Boston Region. There are 97 cities and towns within the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s planning area

 

 

The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)

The MPO’s work is guided by a 20-year vision for a modern, safe, equitable, accessible, reliable, resilient, and sustainable transportation system for the region. This vision is described in the MPO’s current Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Destination 2050. The transportation planning work funded through the UPWP is integral to achieving this regional vision.

 

The UPWP is a one-year planning document and financial plan that explains how the Boston region will spend its federal transportation planning funds in a given federal fiscal year (FFY) in alignment with its long-term vision, goals, and objectives.

 

The development of the UPWP involves the prioritization of all potential tasks in the MPO’s ongoing transportation planning programs, studies, and technical analyses that could be undertaken to benefit the region in a given year. The scopes and budgets of the prioritized work are documented in the UPWP. The aim is to ensure that the work undertaken by the MPO supports the region’s transportation goals.

 

In addition to MPO-funded work, CTPS performs planning analyses and studies funded by state transportation agencies, including MassDOT, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), and the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport).

 

UPWP Programs and Studies

The total amount of funding (inclusive of federal funding and matching funds) programmed in this UPWP is $7,537,395. These funds come from both FHWA and FTA with MassDOT providing the required matching funds. Federal funds originating from FHWA, known as FHWA 3C Planning (PL) funds, are distributed across MPO regions using a formula developed by the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies. All federal funds programmed in the UPWP are allocated to the Boston Region MPO by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) as FHWA 3C PL funds. Federal funds originating from the FTA are known as FTA 3C Planning (Section 5303) funds. Both FHWA 3C PL funds and FTA 3C Planning funds programmed in this UPWP include a state match. Since 2019, MassDOT has transferred Section 5303 funds from FTA to FHWA to be administered as a Consolidated Planning Grant.

 

The MPO uses funding to conduct the following programs and plans:

 

Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP)

The LRTP guides transportation investments for the Boston region for at least the next 20 years and is updated every four years. It serves as the MPO’s guiding document by establishing the regional transportation vision, goals, objectives, and investment approaches that the MPO operates under. The MPO adopted the current LRTP, Destination 2050, in 2023, and expects to adopt the next LRTP in 2027.

 

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

The TIP is a five-year, financially constrained program of planned investments in the metropolitan area’s transportation system guided by the goals and objectives established in the LRTP and is updated annually.

 

Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)

The UPWP is developed annually and includes descriptions and budgets for work that MPO staff will conduct to support the MPO’s goals and objectives during the upcoming FFY.

 

Public Engagement Program

The MPO engages the public in the transportation planning process to improve decision-making by helping to illuminate the social, economic, and environmental impacts of transportation planning decisions. Staff coordinates public engagement efforts with the MPO’s Transportation Equity Program and the Regional Transportation Advisory Council to ensure that all members of the public have meaningful opportunities to participate in the transportation planning process that shapes the Boston region.

 

Performance-Based Planning and Programming (PBPP)

CTPS’s PBPP work involves using data to develop performance targets for roadway and transit safety, highway and transit assets, congestion management, travel time reliability, and air quality and emissions, in annual, two-year, and four-year horizons for the region's transportation system.

 

Transportation Equity Program

The equity program ensures that the needs of populations underserved by the transportation system and traditionally not represented in the transportation planning process are addressed throughout the planning process. These populations include minority populations, low-income populations, people with limited English proficiency, older adults, youth, and people with disabilities.

 

Air Quality Conformity and Support Activities

The air quality program ensures that the MPO complies with the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and provides expertise and support in air quality and climate matters.

 

Congestion Management Process Program (CMP)

The CMP program is responsible for monitoring the congestion, mobility, and safety needs of the transportation system.

 

Climate Resilience Program

The resilience program assesses vulnerabilities and coordinates resilience improvements to address risks to the region posed by flooding, sea level rise, and rising temperatures.

 

Freight Planning Support

The freight program plans for the policies and infrastructure that enable the movement of freight and goods by road, rail, water, and air.

 

Regional Model Enhancement

This program supports the research and development that leads to improvements to the regional travel demand model maintained by the MPO.

 

Data Program

The data program leads strategic efforts to improve how data are used, developed, and shared at the MPO.

 

Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program

This program uses data collection, analysis, and technical assistance to improve safety and comfort for people walking, bicycling, or using mobility-assisted devices.

 

Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program

This program conducts studies of roadways, corridors, and intersections to address regional and community transportation needs.

 

Support to the MPO and its 3C Process

Under this program, staff implement MPO policies, plan and coordinate the delivery of information for MPO decision-making, and support the operation of the MPO and its committees. It also involves providing support for MPO meeting management and agenda planning.

 

Vision Zero Action Plan

The Boston Region MPO is creating a Vision Zero Action Plan for the 97 cities and towns in the Boston region. This work is funded by a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning grant from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT). In developing the Vision Zero Action Plan, the MPO will adopt the Safe System approach that deems deaths and serious injuries unacceptable, focuses on safety for people, acknowledges that humans make mistakes, and builds redundancies to prevent severe crashes. The Vision Zero Action Plan will include analysis of crash data to identify trends and high-risk corridors, engagement with communities disproportionately impacted by roadway safety issues, and the formulation of evidence-based, data-driven policy and project recommendations.

 

Technical Assistance

In addition to the above programs and studies, the MPO funds and conducts technical assistance work through the Community Transportation Technical Assistance program and the Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Support program.

 

FFY 2025 Discrete Studies

Bluebikes and MBTA Connections

MPO staff will apply an analytical framework to examine the effect of transit service disruptions on Bluebikes usage, with the aim of understanding to what extent did regular transit users opt for Bluebikes when transit was either unavailable or perceived to be too difficult to use.

 

Roadway Pricing: Balancing the Need for a Transition to Sustainable Mobility with Equity Considerations

MPO staff will build on a recent Roadway Pricing study to look more closely at vehicle miles traveled at the municipality level and aim to provide estimates of revenue generated by different pricing strategies. Staff will also examine the disparate impacts of roadway pricing policies on Environmental Justice communities.

 

Decarbonizing the Freight Sector: Exploring the potential for using e-cargo bikes for first-/last-mile freight deliveries

MPO staff will explore the potential for establishing neighborhood freight hubs and using e-cargo bikes for first-/last-mile freight deliveries across the Boston region. This system could address the urgent need to decarbonize the freight sector.

 

Table ES-1 contains the budget allocated for the MPO’s 3C planning activities in FFY 2025. The table reflects the FHWA metropolitan PL funds and FTA Section 5303 funds, which CTPS and Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) expect to spend in FFY 2025. The table also reflects the work that CTPS will conduct with funds provided by other transportation agencies. The new studies chosen for funding in FFY 2025 are summarized below in Table ES-2.

 

Table ES-1

Unified Planning Work Program Budget for FFY 2025

 

3C Studies and Programs by Budget Categories Proposed FFY 2025 CTPS Budget
Resource Management and Support Activities $400,000
MPO Certification Requirements $4,922,017
Ongoing MPO-Funded Technical Analyses $148,500
New MPO-Funded Discrete Studies  $150,000
MassDOT-Directed PL Funds* $352,367
Direct Support $175,000
Total FFY 2025 CTPS Budget $6,147,884

 

3C Studies and Programs by MAPC Budget Categories Proposed FFY 2025 MAPC Budget
MAPC Planning Studies and Technical Analyses $817,511
MAPC Administration, Resource Management, and Support Activities $572,000
Total MAPC FFY 2025 UPWP Programmed Funds $1,389,511

 

Agency Supporting MPO/3C Work Proposed FFY 2025 Budget
CTPS $6,147,884
MAPC  $1,389,511
3C Budget Subtotal $7,537,395

 

FFY 2025 UPWP Budget $7,537,395

 

Note: This budget includes salary, overhead, and direct support costs.

* Projects in this category are conducted on behalf of MassDOT but funded through the MPO 3C contract.

 

 

Table ES-2

New Discrete Funded Studies in FFY 2025

 

Universe ID Project  ID Study or Program Proposed FFY 2025 CTPS Budget
M-2 13819 Bluebikes and MBTA Connections $60,000
M-4 13820 Roadway Pricing: Balancing the Need for a Transition to Sustainable Mobility with Equity Considerations $50,000
F-1 13821 Decarbonizing the Freight Sector: Exploring the Potential for Using E-cargo Bikes for First-/Last-mile Freight Deliveries $40,000
Total for New Discrete Studies blank blank $150,000

 

Developing the UPWP

The annual process of creating the UPWP includes both generating and evaluating ideas for discrete studies, as well as updating the scopes and anticipated deliverables for ongoing programs, technical analysis activities, certification requirements, and administrative support activities.

 

Ideas for studies, technical analysis activities, and deliverables for ongoing programs come from the following sources:

Public Engagement

Toward the end of the document development process, the MPO votes to release for public review a draft UPWP. MPO staff posts the document on the MPO’s website (www.bostonmpo.org) and publicizes its release via an email distribution list that includes municipal contacts, interested members of the public, and other stakeholders in the region, and via social media. MPO staff also solicit public input during open houses, meetings with stakeholders, and at public events. MPO staff compile comments received during the public review period and present them to the MPO board. The public comment period for the FFY 2025 UPWP began on May 17th and ended on June 8th.

 

Measuring Progress

The MPO monitors the progress of programs and studies by performing the following tasks:

 

 

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Chapter 1: 3C Transportation Planning in the Boston Region

Decisions about how to allocate transportation funds in a metropolitan area are guided by information and ideas gathered from a broad group of people, including elected officials, municipal planners and engineers, transportation advocates, and interested residents. Metropolitan planning organizations (MPO) provide a forum for this decision-making process. Each metropolitan area in the United States with a population of 50,000 or more is required by federal legislation to establish an MPO, which decides how to spend federal transportation funds for capital projects and planning studies in the area.

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization performs this function for the 97 municipalities in eastern Massachusetts that comprise the MPO’s planning area. This MPO develops plans for funding transportation projects and programs; maintains transportation models and data resources to support studies, system performance monitoring, and air quality determinations; and conducts an ongoing public engagement process.

The Transportation Planning Process

The federal government regulates the funding, planning, and operation of the surface transportation system through the federal transportation program, which was enacted into law through Titles 23 and 49 of the United States Code. Section 134 of Title 23 of the Federal Aid Highway Act, as amended, and Section 5303 of Title 49 of the Federal Transit Act, as amended.

 

The most recent reauthorization of the federal surface transportation law is the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).The BIL sets policies related to metropolitan transportation planning and requires that all MPOs carry out a continuing, comprehensive, and cooperative (3C) transportation planning process.

 

The Boston Region MPO, which is responsible for carrying out the 3C planning process in the Boston region, has established the following objectives for the process:

 

More information about the federal, state, and regional guidance governing the transportation planning process, and about the regulatory framework in which the MPO operates can be found in Appendix E.

 

The Boston Region MPO

Planning Area

The Boston Region MPO’s planning area extends across 97 cities and towns from Boston north to Ipswich, south to Marshfield, and west to Interstate 495.

 

Figure 1-1 shows the map of the Boston Region MPO’s member municipalities.

Figure 1-1
Municipalities in the Boston Region

 

This is a map of the cities and towns in the Boston Region. There are 97 cities and towns within the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s planning area.

 

 

MPO Board Members and Staff

The MPO’s board comprises 22 voting members. Several state agencies, regional organizations, and the City of Boston are permanent voting members, while 12 municipalities are elected as voting members for three-year terms. Eight municipal members represent each of the eight subregions of the Boston region, and there are four at-large municipal seats. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) participate on the MPO board as advisory (nonvoting) members. More details about the MPO’s permanent members can be found in Appendix F.

 

Figure 1-2 shows MPO membership and the organization of the Central Transportation Planning Staff, which serves as staff to the MPO.

 

Figure 1-2
Boston Region MPO Organizational Chart

 

Organizational chart showing the Membership of the Boston Region MPO and the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) staff. 

 

 

 A Vision for the Region

The following paragraph is the MPO’s vision statement, as adopted in Destination 2050, the MPO’s current Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), which was adopted in July 2023:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization envisions an equitable, pollution-free, and modern regional transportation system that gets people to their destinations safely, easily, and reliably, and that supports an inclusive, resilient, healthy, and economically vibrant Boston Region.

 

When developing this vision statement, the MPO members took into consideration the significant public input received during the drafting of the Needs Assessment for Destination 2050. This statement also reflects the desire to emphasize the maintenance and resilience of the transportation system while supporting the MPO’s six core goals: Transportation Equity; Safety; Mobility and Reliability; Access and Connectivity; Resiliency; and Clean Air and Healthy Communities.

 

More information on the MPO’s vision, goals, and objectives for the transportation system is available in Figure 1-3.

 

 

Figure 1-3
Vision, Goals, and Objectives

 

Vision Statement


The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization envisions an equitable, pollution-free, and modern regional transportation system that gets people to their destinations safely, easily, and reliably, and that supports an inclusive, resilient, healthy, and economically vibrant Boston region.

 

GOALS OBJECTIVES
EQUITY blank
Facilitate an inclusive and transparent transportation-planning process and make investments that eliminate transportation-related disparities borne by people in disadvantaged communities. • Facilitate an inclusive and transparent engagement process with a focus on involving people in disadvantaged communities.*
• Ensure that people have meaningful opportunities to share needs and priorities in a way that influences MPO decisions.
• Eliminate harmful environmental, health, and safety effects of the transportation system on people in disadvantaged communities.
• Invest in high-quality transportation options in disadvantaged communities to fully meet residents’ transportation needs.       * Disadvantaged communities are those in which a significant portion of the population identifies as an MPO equity population—people who identify as minority, have limited English proficiency, are 75 years old or older or 17 years old or younger, or have a disability—or has low income.
SAFETY blank
Achieve zero transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries and improve safety for all users of the transportation system. • Eliminate fatalities, injuries, and safety incidents experienced by people who walk, bike, roll, use assistive mobility devices, travel by car, or take transit.
• Prioritize investments that improve safety for the most vulnerable roadway users: people who walk, bike, roll, or use assistive mobility devices.
• Prioritize investments that eliminate disparities in safety outcomes for people in disadvantaged communities.
MOBILITY AND RELIABILITY blank
Support easy and reliable movement of people and freight. • Enable people and goods to travel reliably on the region’s transit and roadway networks.
• Prioritize investments that address disparities in transit reliability and frequency for people in disadvantaged communities.
• Reduce delay on the region’s roadway network, emphasizing solutions that reduce single-occupancy-vehicle trips, such as travel demand management.
• Prioritize investments that reduce delay on the region’s transit network.
• Support reliable, safe travel by keeping roadways, bridges, transit assets, and other infrastructure in a state of good repair, and prioritize these investments in disadvantaged communities.
• Modernize transit systems and roadway facilities, including by incorporating new technology that supports the MPO’s goals, such as electric-vehicle technologies.
ACCESS AND CONNECTIVITY blank
Provide transportation options and improve access to key destinations to support economic vitality and high quality of life. • Improve multimodal access to jobs, affordable housing, essential services, education, logistics sites, open space, and other key destinations.
• Prioritizing transportation investments that support the region’s and the Commonwealth’s goals for housing production, land use, and economic growth.
• Increase people’s access to transit, biking, walking, and other non-single-occupancy-vehicle transportation options to expand their travel choices and opportunities.  
• Prioritize investments that improve access to high quality, frequent transportation options that enable people in disadvantaged communities to easily get where they want to go.
• Close gaps in walking, biking, and transit networks and support interorganizational coordination for seamless travel.
• Remove barriers to make it easy for people of all abilities to use the transportation system, regardless of whether they walk, bike, roll, use assistive mobility devices, or take transit.
RESILIENCY blank
Provide transportation that supports sustainable environments and enables people to respond and adapt to climate change and other changing conditions. • Prioritize investments to make the region’s roadway and transit infrastructure more resilient and responsive to current and future climate hazards, particularly within areas vulnerable to increased heat and precipitation, extreme storms, winter weather, and sea level rise.
• Prioritize resiliency investments in disadvantaged communities and in areas that bear disproportionate climate and environmental burdens.
• Prioritize investments in transportation resiliency that improve emergency access and protect evacuation routes.
• Prioritize investments that include nature-based strategies such as low-impact design, pavement reduction, and landscape buffers to reduce runoff and negative impacts to water resources, open space, and environmentally sensitive areas.
CLEAN AIR AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES blank
Provide transportation free of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants and that supports good health. • Reduce transportation-related greenhouse gases, other air pollutants, and growth in vehicle-miles traveled by encouraging people and goods to move by non-single-occupancy-vehicle modes.
• Support transit vehicle electrification and use of electric vehicles throughout the transportation system to reduce greenhouse gases and other air pollutants.
• Prioritize investments that address air pollution and environmental burdens experienced by disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.
• Support public health through investments in transit and active transportation options and by improving access to outdoor space and healthcare.

 

 

Certification Documents

As part of its 3C process, the Boston Region MPO produces the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) annually, and the Long-Range Transportation Plan every four years. These documents, referred to as certification documents, are required for the federal government to certify the MPO’s planning process. This federal certification is a prerequisite for the MPO to receive federal transportation funds. An inclusive public engagement process accompanies the development of each certification document.

The Long-Range Transportation Plan

The LRTP guides decision-making on investments that will be made in the Boston region’s transportation system over the next two decades. It defines an overarching vision of the future of transportation in the region, establishes goals and objectives that will lead to achieving that vision, and allocates projected revenue to transportation projects and programs consistent with the established goals and objectives.

 

Destination 2050, the current LRTP, was endorsed by the MPO board in July 2023 and went into effect on October 1, 2023.

The Transportation Improvement Program

The TIP is a multimodal program of transportation improvements, consistent with the LRTP, that describes and prioritizes transportation projects that are expected to be implemented during a five-year period. The TIP contains a financial plan that shows the current or proposed revenue sources for each project.

The types of transportation projects funded include major highway reconstruction and maintenance, arterial and intersection improvements, public transit expansion and maintenance, bicycle paths and facilities, improvements for pedestrians, and first- and last-mile connections to transit or other key destinations.

 

An MPO-endorsed TIP is incorporated into the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for submission to the FHWA, FTA, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for approval. Investments programmed in the TIP and STIP are also reflected in Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) Capital Investment Plan, which shows capital expenditures in the state over a five-year period.

 

The Unified Planning Work Program

The UPWP contains information about transportation planning studies that will be conducted by MPO staff during the course of a federal fiscal year, which runs from October 1 through September 30. The UPWP describes all of the supportive planning activities undertaken by the MPO staff, including data resources management, preparation of the federally required certification documents, and ongoing regional transportation planning assistance.

 

The UPWP often offers a means to study transportation projects and alternatives before advancing to further design, construction, and possible future programming through the TIP. The studies and work products programmed for funding through the UPWP are integrally related to other planning initiatives conducted by the Boston Region MPO, MassDOT, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Massachusetts Port Authority, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and municipalities in the Boston region.

 

Figure 1-4 depicts the relationship between the three certification documents and the MPO’s performance-based planning and programming process, which is a means to monitor progress towards the MPO’s goals and to evaluate the MPO’s approach to achieving those goals.

 

 

Figure 1-4
Relationship between the LRTP, TIP, UPWP,
and Performance-Based Planning Process

 

This figure shows the relationships between the planning and programming documents that the MPO creates in order to guide transportation planning and investment throughout the region. The figure shows the relationships between the LRTP, TIP, and UPWP. Performance measures and performance targets allow the MPO to monitor progress and evaluate their approach to transportation planning and improvements in the region.  

 

 

 

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Chapter 2: About the Unified Planning Work Program

Background

This chapter explains the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) and its connection to the overall regional transportation vision developed in the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). As outlined in Chapter 1, the UPWP plays an integral part of achieving the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) vision and mandate by documenting how the federal funding that will be spent on surface transportation studies and work programs in the Boston region during a given federal fiscal year (FFY) support this vision. This plan also serves as the basis for financing the ongoing work of the staff to the Boston Region MPO.

 

What Does the UPWP Do?

The UPWP is a planning document that includes preliminary scopes of work and budgets that the MPO produces annually in compliance with the federally mandated continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive (3C) metropolitan planning process described in Chapter 1.

 

As the basis for transportation planning at the Boston Region MPO, the UPWP prioritizes federal funding for transportation planning work that will be implemented in the 97-municipality area of the Boston region. The Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) or the staff of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) conduct this work (CTPS is the staff of the MPO and MAPC is the Boston region’s regional planning agency). This work primarily consists of the following four parts.

 

Certification Requirements and Other MPO Support Activities. The UPWP includes activities that the federal government requires the MPO to conduct to remain certified as an MPO and to be eligible to receive and distribute federal transportation dollars. Work in this category includes preparing federally required plans such as the LRTP and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The LRTP, which is updated every four years, establishes a vision for the Boston region’s transportation system and allocates funding for transportation construction projects and programs over a 20-year period. The TIP, which is updated annually, allocates funding for the implementation of projects during the next five years. This section of the UPWP also includes air quality conformity and transportation equity-related compliance and other planning activities associated with the LRTP and TIP. In addition, the UPWP programs the MPO’s public participation activities, including support to the Regional Transportation Advisory Council (Advisory Council) and support to meetings of the MPO and its committees.

 

The UPWP also funds other activities that support MPO planning and certification requirements, including graphics and editing support; managing data and computer resources; and maintaining the MPO’s regional travel demand model, which is used to forecast the potential impacts that changes to the transportation system will have on traffic congestion and transit ridership. See Chapters 3 and 5 for more detail about these areas of work.

 

Technical Analysis and Support. Ongoing and continuing work programs support technical analyses and planning studies for cities and towns in the region. Examples of these activities include Roadway Safety Audits, Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Support, and Community Transportation Technical Assistance. See Chapter 4 for more detail about these studies.

 

Discrete Studies. Every year, funds are available for the MPO staff to perform discrete studies. CTPS conducts these studies to enhance staff’s and the MPO’s knowledge of transportation planning practices, augment analytical methods, and evaluate transportation planning strategies. Examples of these studies in the FFY 2025 UPWP include Bikeshare and MBTA Connections and Decarbonizing the Freight Sector. See Chapter 4 for more detail about these studies.

 

Agency Studies and Technical Analyses. CTPS conducts planning analyses and studies funded by state transportation agencies, including the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), and the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). CTPS also occasionally conducts planning analyses and studies funded by municipalities. See Appendix A for more details on these agency-funded studies

 

The Process of Creating and Monitoring the UPWP

MPO staff produce the UPWP each year under the supervision and guidance of the MPO’s UPWP Committee. The UPWP Committee, comprising a subset of MPO board members and supported by MPO staff, convened four meetings in FFY 2024 to consider and provide input on the FFY 2025 UPWP development process. Discussion included the following topics:

 

These meetings resulted in the committee’s recommendation for the Draft FFY 2025 UPWP. The MPO approved the UPWP Committee’s recommendations for public review of the Draft FFY 2025 UPWP on  May 16, 2024.

 

Below are details about the process for selecting studies and programs for the FFY 2025 UPWP.

 

Developing the New FFY 2025 UPWP

 

The UPWP development process begins with planning our ongoing work to meet federal requirements and support the MPO’s vision, goals, and objectives for transportation in our region. The ongoing programs and continuing activities include these sustained efforts and provide flexibility to be responsive to unforeseen changes and capitalize on opportunities to address emerging issues.

 

Updates to Ongoing Programs and Continuing Activities

 

MPO programs include the core, sustained work efforts carried out by MPO staff to meet federal requirements and advance the MPO’s vision for transportation in the region. They make up the majority of the work conducted by MPO staff. Each year, the MPO reviews activities for ongoing programs and work, and MPO staff identify and develop budgets for the continuing and new activities that will be carried out in these programs in the upcoming FFY. Program budgets may vary from year to year based on planned activities, agency priorities, and available resources. Staff propose program budgets each year based on planned activities.

 

Examples of ongoing and continuing activities comprise work that is required of the MPO, including work that the MPO completes to fulfill the continuous, comprehensive, and cooperative (3C) transportation planning process and to maintain its certification (see Chapter 3), ongoing technical assistance to municipalities (see Chapter 4), and resource management and support activities (see Chapter 5).

 

The annual program review and budget development process defines the amount of 3C funding (from federal grants that support the 3C process) that is available for discrete studies in the UPWP. After accounting for 3C-funded continuing and ongoing programs, the remaining funding is available for discrete studies.

 

To develop study ideas for the FFY 2025 UPWP, the MPO drew from the following sources to generate ideas for potential inclusion in program work or in a listing known as the Universe of Proposed Studies (see Appendix C) for evaluation by MPO staff and the MPO’s UPWP Committee.

 

  1. Public engagement: Staff held meetings to gain input from subregional planning groups and other stakeholders. Subregional groups—organized by MAPC—include municipal representatives who are focused on regional planning topics (Figure 1-1). Staff also provided opportunities for input into ongoing program work at UPWP committee and Advisory Council meetings. Furthermore, staff distributed a survey to members of the public to solicit study ideas and proposals.
  2. Advisory Council: MPO staff met several times with the Advisory Council throughout the development of the FFY 2025 UPWP to solicit ideas and priorities for study and program work, present preliminary drafts of the FFY 2025 Universe of Proposed Studies, and gain input on transportation planning priorities.
  3. UPWP Committee: MPO staff met with the UPWP Committee of the MPO throughout development of the UPWP. The committee oversaw the entire document development process and contributed to generating, analyzing, and prioritizing discrete study ideas. The committee additionally provided comment and input on activities planned within the MPO’s ongoing work programs.
  4. Existing planning documents: Various plans and programs developed and conducted by the MPO and state agencies document transportation issues that require further study. These include the regional Congestion Management Process, which monitors the transportation network to identify locations and sources of congestion; Focus40, the MBTA’s long-range capital plan; the MPO’s long-range planning documents, including the current LRTP, Destination 2050; MetroCommon, MAPC’s long-range plan for the region; MassDOT’s statewide modal plans; MassDOT’s Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan, Beyond Mobility, and other recent studies.
  5. Past guidance: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and MassDOT issue guidance on addressing the planning emphasis areas.
  6. FFY 2025 UPWP public comment letters and study proposals: MPO staff received numerous emails and letters from the public regarding potential study ideas, which were integrated into the Universe of Proposed Studies.
  7. Consultations with MassDOT, the MBTA, and MAPC: MPO staff consulted with its partner agencies to identify study ideas.
  8. MPO staff-identified needs: MPO staff shared a survey with other CTPS staff to encourage discussion and sharing of study concepts.

 

MPO staff works continuously to enhance public participation in the UPWP and other MPO activities, and strives to achieve continued improvements in the volume, diversity, and quality of public input. More information about the MPO’s public engagement process is available in Chapter 3, and at https://www.bostonmpo.org/public-engagement.

 

Evaluating and Selecting Discrete Studies

 

MPO staff evaluated each new proposal in the Universe of Proposed Discrete Studies based on how it helps the region accomplish the MPO’s goals as laid out in the LRTP, whether staff has the capacity to carry it out, and a variety of other factors.

 

In addition to conducting the study evaluation process, MPO staff defined general scopes and estimated costs for proposed planning studies and considered potentially feasible issues to study. Staff considered these factors with input from the public, the Advisory Council, MPO members, and partner agencies, along with the relevance of a given study proposal to one of the MPO’s ongoing programs (e.g., the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program or the Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program). Priority was given to study proposals that either align with ongoing MPO work or have the potential to inform future MPO work.

 

Proposed studies that did not align with one of the MPO’s ongoing work programs were considered for funding as a discrete study and presented for review to the UPWP Committee.

 

Table 2-1 shows the studies in the FFY 2025 universe that were selected for funding as discrete studies in FFY 2025. Chapter 4 provides detailed descriptions of these studies.

 

 

Table 2-1
FFY 2025 New Discrete Funded Studies

 

Universe ID Project  ID Study or Program Proposed FFY 2025 CTPS Budget
M-2 13819 Bluebikes and MBTA Connections $60,000
M-4 13820 Roadway Pricing: Balancing the Need for a Transition to Sustainable Mobility with Equity Considerations $50,000
F-1 13821 Decarbonizing the Freight Sector: Exploring the Potential for Using E-cargo Bikes for First-/Last-mile Freight Deliveries $40,000
Total for New Discrete Studies blank blank $150,000

 

 

 

 

Public Review of the Draft UPWP

 

MPO staff incorporates into the draft UPWP descriptive and financial information about ongoing and new UPWP studies, information about the UPWP development process, and other major transportation planning studies that will occur in the region during the relevant federal fiscal year. Appendix D provides an analysis of the distribution of UPWP-funded work products by subregion and municipality. Once the MPO votes to release the draft for public review, MPO staff posts the document to the MPO website (www.bostonmpo.org) and provides notice of its availability through various communication outlets.

 

As previously noted, public engagement forms a major part of the input to the UPWP each FFY. After the MPO releases the draft UPWP, there is a public comment period. During this time, MPO staff members solicit public input via the MPO email list, the MPO website, and social media outlets. Staff compiles all public comments received during this period and presents them to the MPO.

 

Information about the public review process for the Draft FFY 2024 UPWP is available in Appendix B.

 

Other Regionally Significant Transportation Planning Studies

 

The UPWP also includes a list (Appendix A) of other federally funded and/or regionally significant transportation planning activities active in the region during the relevant FFY. These activities are not funded with the MPO’s planning funds, but may be funded and implemented by individual transportation agencies, municipalities, or academic institutions. Often, these efforts make use of the expertise and tools that CTPS is uniquely able to provide.

 

Monitoring Progress of UPWP Studies

 

The MPO approved the following procedures for monitoring the studies in the FFY 2025 UPWP:

 

Amendments and Administrative Modifications to the UPWP

 

If necessary, MPO staff can make amendments and administrative modifications to the UPWP throughout the year. All 3C documents endorsed by MPOs, such as the TIP, LRTP, and the UPWP, must follow standardized procedures regarding amendments and/or administrative modifications. If an amendment is under consideration, MPO staff notifies the Advisory Council and other interested parties, including affected communities. The MPO follows the procedures specified in the MPO’s Public Engagement Plan.

 

The following are the guidelines regarding the conditions that constitute an amendment to the UPWP, as received from FHWA by MassDOT and the MPO in FFY 2025 for future UPWPs.

 

Amendments to the UPWP, defined as significant changes to the overall UPWP that require federal approval, include the following:

 

Administrative modifications to the UPWP, defined as minor adjustments to the overall UPWP that do not require federal approval, include the following:

 

Staff must present all proposed amendments and administrative modifications to the MPO for consultation prior to endorsement. The UPWP Committee will review both amendments and administrative modifications before forwarding them to the MPO. MPO members must vote to approve both amendments and administrative modifications. For amendments, the MPO will vote to either release the amendment for a 21-day public comment period or waive said comment period (upon recommendation from the UPWP Committee) prior to an endorsement vote. Members of the public may attend and provide comments at UPWP committee meetings and MPO meetings at which amendments and administrative modifications are discussed.

 

The MPO may make administrative modifications without a public review period at the MPO’s discretion, although information will be shared with MassDOT’s Office of Transportation Planning (OTP). When submitting the standard Budget Reallocation Request form to OTP, staff must complete all fields with clear indication that the MPO was consulted prior to submission. Staff must submit back-up documentation, including the UPWP description of task(s) affected, original budget, revised budget, and justification for the request. Amendments will go into effect after approval by FHWA. These procedures are additionally documented in the MPO’s Public Engagement Plan.

 

Funding the UPWP

The total federal funding programmed in this UPWP is $7,537,395. All federal funds programmed in the UPWP are allocated to the Boston Region MPO by MassDOT as FHWA 3C Planning (PL) funds. However, these federal funds initially come from two sources: the FHWA and the FTA. The federal funds, which are supplemented by a state match provided by MassDOT, include the following initial sources:

Contract Work

 

In addition to MPO-funded work, CTPS performs planning analyses and studies funded by state transportation agencies, including MassDOT, the MBTA, and Massport. More detail about these agency-funded studies can be found in Appendix A.

 

This will be added in May.

 

 

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Chapter 3: MPO Support and 3C Planning

Introduction

The activities described in this chapter broadly cover work that the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) completes to fulfill the continuous, comprehensive, and cooperative (3C) transportation planning process and to maintain its certification by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Activities are grouped into three areas: (1) those that support the core MPO planning and programming functions, (2) those that support the 3C planning process, and (3) those that support the MPO board and committee operations and their decision-making processes. Together, this body of work represents the agency’s priorities in allocating resources to provide an equitable, pollution-free, and modern regional transportation system that gets people to their destinations safely, easily, and reliably, and that supports an inclusive, resilient, healthy, and economically vibrant Boston region.

 

Table 3-1 presents the funding in federal fiscal year (FFY) 2024 and FFY 2024 for each of these activities and includes a brief description of their work, progress, and products. Although ongoing programs and work may generally comprise similar tasks from year to year, often there are variations in budgets that reflect greater or lesser emphasis in certain tasks or incorporation of new tasks. For example, MPO staff may undertake new analyses under specific line items; expand or change the form of public engagement; fold tasks undertaken in one year into an ongoing activity in a subsequent year; take on a new initiative of the MPO; or experience fluctuations in staffing levels that account for budget changes. Where appropriate, the table and individual descriptions explain these differences.

 

The budget tables that accompany each activity description include the associated salary and overhead costs. Direct costs associated with the activities are found in Chapter 5.

 

 

 

Table 3-1
FFYs 2024–25 MPO Support and 3C Planning

 

Name Project ID FFY 2024 CTPS UPWP Budget  FFY 2024 Work Progress and Products Proposed FFY 2025 CTPS Budget FFY 2025 Planned Work Progress and Products
Long-Range Transportation Plan 8125 $106,000 • Developed, sought public feedback on, and finalized the 2023 LRTP, Destination 2050. The plan is effective as of October 1, 2023, and will remain in effect for four years
• Finalized the Needs Assessment for
Destination 2050, shared results and materials, and developed processes for maintaining and updating information over time
• Reviewed and updated the MPO’s planning framework
• Continued public outreach to support
Destination 2050 activities, including scenario planning, creating a planning framework, and selecting investment programs and projects
• Identified, evaluated, and selected projects and programs for the recommended LRTP
• Analyzed the recommended plan with respect to greenhouse gas emissions and equity outcomes
• Addressed comments on
Destination 2050 from state and federal agencies
• Continued implementation of
Destination 2040 (the 2019 LRTP)
• Continued to monitor best practices in planning and communication, as well as developments in key issue areas
• Responded to changes to the SIP
$280,000 • Begin implementing Destination 2050, including by carrying out and refining investment programs and initiatives outlined in the LRTP
• Conduct public outreach on LRTP topics, including Needs Assessment updates and the MPO's vision, goals, and objectives
• Continue to monitor current state-of-the-practice communications methods, planning tools, and approaches
• Conduct research and analysis and continue developing materials for ongoing updates to the Needs Assessment
• Update the web page for the
Destination 2050
• Begin processes to develop and analyze scenarios to support the MPO's next LRTP
• Coordinate with MassDOT, the MBTA, the region's RTAs, other MPOs, and other stakeholders regarding LRTP development
Transportation Improvement Program 8225 $321,000 • Developed the FFY 2025–29 TIP
• Continued outreach to municipalities, subregions, regional transit authorities, MassDOT, and other partners to solicit ideas for inclusion in the FFY 2025–29 TIP and in the TIP Universe of Projects
• Implemented the Transit Transformation Program
• Solicited applications and selected projects for the FFY 2025 Project Design Pilot
• Held workshops and internal discussions to inform the development of the FFY 2026–30 and subsequent TIPs with an eye towards the project pipeline, project readiness challenges, discretionary grant applications, and long-term commitments to current and future major capital projects
$330,000 The TIP is updated annually, and in FFY 2025 will be updated to the FFYs 2026–30 TIP document.  This update will entail the repetition of some of the tasks performed in column D, including the deployment of the Project Design Pilot
Unified Planning Work Program 8325 $132,000 • Developed the FFY 2025 UPWP
• Conducted outreach to municipalities and other stakeholders in the region through MAPC subregional meetings, digital communications, and conversations with agencies to develop study ideas for the UPWP
• Discussed UPWP matters with Regional Transportation Advisory Council, including development of study ideas for the UPWP and education about the UPWP products and process
• Held internal discussions on updates to the UPWP process and document
$135,000 Activities generally remain the same year to year, with staff supporting the MPO in producing its annual (FFY 2026) UPWP.  
Public Engagement Program 9625 $338,000 • Engaged advocates, community groups, municipal and agency stakeholders, and the general public in the MPO's decision-making processes and planning work
• Provided timely communications and accessible engagement opportunities via public meetings and events, surveys, email, and social media
• Developed partnerships with community-based organizations to engage underrepresented communities and reduce barriers to engagement
• Conducted in-person engagement at community events with varied and accessible materials and activities
• Expanded the program to support additional engagement across MPO programs and projects
• Updated the Public Engagement Plan and Guidebook
• Tracked, evaluated, and reported to the MPO board on the scope and effectiveness of engagement activities
• Developed new data analysis and equity tools to identify and address gaps in engagement
• Managed the Regional Transportation Advisory Council, providing both administrative and strategic planning support
• Developed a pilot Community Leadership Institute educational program to engage underrepresented groups and create a pipeline for Advisory Council membership
• Conducted the FFY 2024 discrete study Strategies for Environmental Outreach and Engagement, applied findings to program planning
$397,000 Activities generally remain the same year to year, with staff supporting public engagement in the MPO's decision-making processes and planning work. In FFY 2025, engagement staff will support engagement activities related to the implementation of the Destination 2050 LRTP, the development of the next LRTP, the development of the FFY 2025 TIP and UPWP, and several transportation planning studies. Staff will also coordinate and support engagement for other MPO programs and projects, such as the Transportation Equity, Multimodal, Bicycle and Pedestrian, and Climate Resilience Programs and the Vision Zero Action Plan. The Public Engagement Program will continue managing and developing its sub-programs, the Regional Transportation Advisory Council and the Community Leadership Institute. Staff will continue to expand the program in coordination with the Transportation Equity Program to better reach communities underserved by the transportation system and those with limited English proficiency, and to increase the representation and participation of transportation equity communities in the planning process. The strategies and methods employed by engagement staff will continue to evolve with best practices to become more sophisticated. Changes to methodology will be included in updated versions of the MPO's Public Engagement Plan. 
Performance-Based Planning and Programming 8825 $179,500 • Developed annual, two-year, and four-year performance targets for several areas of measurement
• Incorporated performance targets and past performance into LRTP and TIP
• Replaced the Performance Dashboard with a new application that displays federally required performance measures and other regional performance data
• Published a Performance-Based Planning and Programming Resource Guide, detailing strategies that municipalities and stakeholders can use in projects to improve regional performance
• Explored areas for setting performance targets in addition to those mandated by FTA

$140,000 Activities generally remain the same year to year. Establishing performance targets for required measures in safety, infrastructure condition, asset management, congestion management, and air quality. Incorporating performance targets into TIP and LRTP processes. Exploring areas of performance target setting beyond those mandated by FTA. Exploring new tools and applications for performance reporting.
Transportation Equity Program 8525 $203,000 • Completed an update to the 2022 Title VI Triennial Report
• Completed an online equity dashboard that identifies inequitable outcomes in the transportation system
• Conducted DI/DB mitigation analysis
• Supported the MPO’s public engagement program in engagement with Title VI, EJ, and other nondiscrimination populations
• Provided technical support to the TIP and other MPO programs
• Maintained equity Census data for the MPO
• Updated documentation of the MPO's LRTP DI/DB analysis
• Presented on several conferences and panels to discuss accomplishments of the TE program
$215,000 • Activities generally remain the same year to year
• Respond to Title VI reporting requirements
• Update metrics on the MPO's equity dashboard
• Update the MPO's DI/DB Policy
• Conduct a DI/DB mitigation analysis for the TIP
• Monitor developments at USDOT regarding civil rights, Title VI, and EJ
• Participate in workshops and conferences related to transportation equity
Air Quality Program 8425 $55,000 • Coordinated with external partners such as MassDOT, FHWA, and EPA on topics related to air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and CMAQ
• Provided technical support for the air quality conformity and greenhouse gas sections of the TIP and LRTP
• Assessed regional projects in eSTIP for greenhouse gas reporting requirements
• Conducted project-level air quality analysis for projects in the TIP
• Prepared material and voted on behalf of the Boston Region for CMAQ consultation committee meetings
• Attended webinars and collected information related to new greenhouse gas performance measure
$50,000 Activities generally remain the same year to year, and will include coordination with external partners on air quality topics, performing project-level analyses to estimate emissions for the TIP and determine CMAQ eligibility, attending CMAQ consultation committee meetings, supporting a regional greenhouse gas analysis for the LRTP if needed, updating the air quality conformity language to reflect the most recent regulations, and other tasks as needed.
Congestion Management Process 2125 $113,500 • Attended monthly MassDOT/INRIX meetings
• Hosted CMP committee meetings, including one that served as a workshop for the roadway pricing study
• Completed the Learning  From Roadway Pricing Experiences study
• Completed the TIP Before-and-After study to examine the impact of TIP funded projects on the region
$125,000 With new staff leading the CMP, 2025 will be a year of reassessment and growth. Staff will create a three- to five-year plan for the program in addition to performing regularly scheduled work such as monitoring the CMP for all modes. The main objective is to complete an online CMP dashboard, which will show a snapshot of congestion on the CMP network. In addition, the CMP committee will meet several times a year to help promote the Boston Region MPO’s CMP.
Core MPO Functions blank $1,448,000 blank $1,672,000 blank
Climate Resilience Program 8725 $114,000 • Provided technical support for the TIP and the LRTP’s Needs Assessment
• Held a stakeholder workshop to collaboratively reevaluate the TIP's resilience project evaluation criteria
• Developed new TIP resilience criteria and interactive guidance to support implementation
• Began evaluating performance of new TIP resilience criteria
• Began scoping a framework for assessing climate vulnerability and programming solutions
• Developed new partnerships with regional organizations
• Leveraged the Massachusetts Coast Flood Risk Model (MC-FRM) and other climate data to support analyses of transportation infrastructure exposed to climate hazards
• Coordinated internally to discuss resilience themes, data sources, engagement, and resilience in the MPO’s certification documents
• Coordinated with external partners such as MAPC, the MBTA, MA EOEEA, and MassDOT on resilience topics
• Attended external events related to resilience and adaptation
• Developed text and material to create a resilience-focused page on the MPO’s website
$100,000 • Maintain connections with external partners
• Continue collaboration among staff
• Leverage new platforms and connections with regional stakeholders to drive program scope and discrete work
• Continue scoping a framework for assessing climate vulnerability and programming solutions, including reviewing usability, data needs, outputs, and credibility of vulnerability assessment tools
• Continue evaluating performance of new TIP resilience criteria
• Provide technical support for the TIP
Freight Planning Program 2225 $119,000 • Completed an initial study on sustainability and decarbonization in the freight and logistics sector, focusing on the North Suffolk area
• Conducted outreach and coordinated with stakeholders
• Redesigned the landing page for the Freight Program to increase awareness of ongoing activities among stakeholders
$125,000 • Multi-year work plan for the Freight Planning Program
• A follow-up study on the potential opportunities and challenges to decarbonizing the freight sector
• An interactive and user-friendly landing page for the Freight Program. Exploratory work on freight TDM to understand travel behavior, freight demand and community impact
• Ongoing outreach and coordination with stakeholders
• Coordination with municipalities to identify freight project candidates that could be eligible for TIP funding
Regional Model Enhancement 7125 $837,000 • Released TDM23.1.0 with updated socioeconomic data, roadway and transit networks, Logan enplanement projections, bugfixes, and refined calibration
• Developed model user agreement and external sharing process to provide access to TDM23.1.0 for external stakeholders
• Enhanced model summary report platform, content, and developed a user interface to select scenarios for comparison
• Developed report of  model structure and performance to document TDM23.1.0 parameters, organization, and validation results
• Produced an online model users guide with background information on the model operation as well as specific installation, configuration, and use guidance
• Presented "TDM 23 Unveiled" webinar and “TDM23 Release Workshop” webinar and in-person training
• Produced model program webpage
• Developed a mode shift utility to facilitate identification of mode share changes for and between specific subarea of the model region
• Developed a parking demand estimate utility. Categorized and updated parking costs based on employment density and transit accessibility
• Assessed VisionEval for use in MPO applications
• Initiated development of a post-pandemic base year

$850,000 • Release, document, and support TDM23.1.1 with updated socioeconomic data, roadway and transit networks, bugfixes, and refined calibration
• Promote understanding and application of TDM23 through  external model users workshops to share experiences in model application, exchange ideas on model enhancements, and communicate changes in TDM23 model platform
• Develop methodology to prioritize maintenance and feature tasks for future model releases
• Update model roadmap needs and refine plans for future model adoption and development
• Complete high level design for TDM27, the next generation travel demand model to support the 2027 LRTP
• Conduct exploratory analysis of household survey data as it becomes available. Initial estimates of TDM27 demand components
• Support LRTP scenarios with development of additional pre/post-processors and new components as needed
• Continue development of new Transportation Analysis Zone (TAZ) boundaries consistent with 2020 Census block boundaries
Data Program 5025 $568,000 • Maintained the data vision
• Engaged staff with standards for cataloguing data and documenting analysis processes
• Developed internal procedures for application development
• Created model frameworks for dashboard applications
• Established authoritative reference socioeconomic data sets and processing
• Responded to data requests from external stakeholders
• Piloted web infrastructure for analytical tools
• Launched Data User Group to explore data opportunities and challenges
$575,000 • Develop guidelines for data request process for external stakeholders
• Develop data publication standards and explore new methods for sharing data publicly
• Ensure application of documentation standards within CTPS
• Deploy web infrastructure for analytical tools
• Research new data sources and analytic techniques
Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program* 2525 $152,000 • Launched the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Group
• Engaged the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Group to coordinate regional planning efforts and ensure the Boston Region MPO’s plans align with the vision and goals outlined in the Massachusetts Bicycle and Pedestrian Statewide Transportation Plans
• Began collecting continuous bicycle and pedestrian count data for two-week periods at selected locations throughout the Boston MPO region
• Published updates to the 2014 regional bicycle network gap analysis
• Coordinated with state agencies, MAPC, other MPOs, MassDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program, WalkBoston, MassBike, LivableStreets, municipalities, and other groups regarding bicycle and pedestrian planning for the region
• Provided ongoing technical support to communities for current tools and practices regarding bicycle and pedestrian issues, with particular focus on promoting safety
$185,000 • Engage the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Group to help inform the direction of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program
• Collect data on bicycle and pedestrian volumes at on-road and off-road facilities in the Boston region, and post collected count data to the Boston Region MPO’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Database for public use
• Gather input and identify the needs and goals for a regional bicycle and pedestrian plan for the Boston MPO region that combines the vision and goals of the Boston MPO with the priorities outlined in the Massachusetts Bicycle and Pedestrian Statewide Transportation Plans and considers municipalities’ existing bicycle and pedestrian plans
• Reassess gaps in the regional bicycle network to update the locations where bicycle facilities are needed in the Boston region
• Select the first bicycle and pedestrian guidebook topic; begin research and development
• Coordinate with state agencies, MAPC, other MPOs, MassDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program, WalkBoston, MassBike, LivableStreets, municipalities, and other groups regarding bicycle and pedestrian planning for the region
• Provide ongoing technical support to communities for current tools and practices regarding bicycle and pedestrian issues, with a particular focus on promoting safety
Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program* 2825 $332,000 • Updated the project selection criteria for corridor and intersection studies
• Evaluated corridors and intersections for project selection
• Conducted study of Route 37 in Braintree to develop concepts with short-term and long-term recommendations for the corridor
• Conducted study of Freeman Square in Lynn to develop concepts with short-term and long-term recommendations for the intersection
• Conducted study of the Washington Street (Route 129) at Hanover Street/Beacon Hill Avenue intersection in Lynn to develop concepts with short-term and long-term recommendations for the intersection
• Completed exploratory investigation of roadway pricing case studies
• Explored large-scale mobility data to evaluate feasibility for high-resolution applications focused on people walking and biking
$370,000 • Multi-year work plan for the Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program
• Automating the project selection workflow for corridor and intersection studies
• Recommendations for selected corridor improvements
• Recommendations for selected intersection improvements
• Ongoing contributions to transit service access, and priority assessments
• Guidebook(s) to support multimodal infrastructure studies
• Regional studies that support strategies to reduce auto-dependence and enhance multimodal travel opportunities for all residents
Programs Supporting the 3C Process blank $2,122,000 blank $2,205,000 blank
Support to the MPO and its Committees 9124 $460,186 Continued support to the meetings and activities of the MPO board and its committees. Work entailed
• Preparing meeting and information materials, including agendas, minutes, notices, document translations, memoranda, reports, correspondence, summaries, website content, maps, charts, illustrations, and other visual materials as needed to support MPO discussion and actions
• Posting meeting materials in digital form on the MPO meeting calendar webpage and in hard copies that are provided at meetings as appropriate
• Hosting approximately 24 MPO meetings and 18 MPO subcommittee meetings, and performing the associated tasks and pre- and post-meeting logistics
• Conducting activities to support compliance with federal requirements and guidance, including coordination with neighboring MPOs, MassDOT, and federal partners
$475,017 Tasks and work products generally remain the same from year to year, with variations to the level of effort based on the specific requests by the MPO and state and federal partners.

Generally, the expected effort includes
• Hosting approximately 24 MPO meetings and 10 MPO subcommittee meetings, and performing the associated tasks and pre- and post-meeting logistics
• Coordinating 3C planning and programming activities and programs
• Coordinating with state and federal partners
• Coordinating with neighboring MPOs
• Supporting the Transportation Policy Task Force
General Graphics 9224 $309,500 Provide graphics support to the MPO and its member agencies. This includes
    • Designing and producing maps, charts, illustrations, report covers, brochures, slides, and photographs
    • Applying other visualization techniques
    • Creating standards and proof all MPO products both printed and online
    • Producing finished layouts of MPO Documents
    • Creating other products that improve communication within the agency and its member agencies
    • Produce accessible materials in PDF and HTML formats for posting on the Boston Region MPO website
    • Assist in producing materials, including meeting minutes, work scopes, memoranda, reports, and other public materials
    • Review accessibility requirements and current CTPS standards and processes
    • Implement standards within memorandum and report templates
$314,000 Tasks and work products generally remain the same from year to year.
General Editorial  9724 $230,000 Provide editorial support to the MPO staff. Review public-facing documents and make revisions to correct grammar and formatting, improve clarity and organization, and maintain consistent style. Products reviewed include certification plans, reports, memoranda, work scopes, meeting minutes, presentations, job advertisements, and other materials as required. Maintain and update document templates for use in the creation of accessible documents. Set editorial standards and maintain the CTPS Editorial Style Guide for staff’s use. $233,000 Tasks and work products generally remain the same year to year.
Transit Working Group Support 8924 $22,500 • Hosted four working group meetings and a series of small discussion groups ("coffee chats") and managed pre- and post-meeting communications and logistics
• Updated the MPO about Transit Working Group development and activities
• Updated the Transit Working Group web page
• Summarized meeting discussions
• Hosted a forum on microtransit in cooperation with MAPC and the MBTA Advisory Board
• Researched topics and issues that may be relevant to future Transit Working Group meetings
$23,000 • Host quarterly working group meetings
• Host one to two coffee chats per month
• Host one-off additional events as proposed
• Manage pre- and post-meeting logistics
• Develop materials and resources to support working group meeting and activities, as needed
• Provide updates to the MPO about the transit working group
• Support communication for and about the group using email, social media, and the MPO website
• Prepare documentation about pilot working group meetings, activities, and participant feedback for the MPO

Support to the MPO and its 3C Process blank $1,022,186 blank $1,045,017 blank
Support to the MPO and its 3C Process Subtotal blank blank blank $4,922,017 blank

 

  

*Indicates that program fulfills Federal Highway Administration Complete Streets requirement.

 

 

Core MPO functions

The programs and activities included in this section include the core products required by the MPO’s federal partners and related federally required reporting and monitoring activities for carrying out the MPO’s 3C planning and programming functions. Programs supporting the 3C planning process, such as the Data Program and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, can be found in the following section, Programs Supporting the 3C Process.

 

Long-Range Transportation Plan

 

Project ID Number

8125

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$280,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

The LRTP establishes a vision for the Boston region’s transportation system and guides both capital investments and research studies to support that vision. The LRTP guides transportation investments for at least the next 20 years and must be updated every four years per federal regulations. It serves as the MPO’s guiding document, and it establishes regional transportation goals, objectives, and investment approaches that the MPO operates under. The MPO adopted the current LRTP, Destination 2050, in July 2023, and will continue early development activities for the next LRTP, which is anticipated to go into effect October 1, 2027.

 

Approach

LRTP Needs Assessment

 

The Needs Assessment provides a holistic view of the transportation needs of the Boston region through data analysis and public engagement. It guides the development of the LRTP and informs project investment decisions in the TIP and study selection in the UPWP. It also shapes the development of MPO programs, such as in the selection of corridor study locations.

 

In FFY 2025, staff will use the findings of the Needs Assessment to inform the development of land use and transportation options and scenarios for the next LRTP update. Staff will also update the Needs Assessment with new information as it becomes available and perform further analyses to keep the Needs Assessment current and provide updated information for future studies, reports, and deliberations. Staff will build on resources created as part of the Destination 2050 Needs Assessment, with a focus on expanding the availability of data and findings to the public. This may involve integrating information from other MPO applications, data resources, and programmatic work into the Needs Assessment. Staff will also develop a process for maintaining and updating the Needs Assessment over time, in coordination with the LRTP’s four-year release cycle.

 

Implement Destination 2050 and Amendments

 

Staff will continue implementing Destination 2050 in FFY 2025 through the development of the TIP and UPWP (see these respective program descriptions). This will include supporting initiatives to develop guidelines for MPO investment programs and updating TIP project selection criteria, where applicable. MPO staff will also support public engagement about the adopted Destination 2050 plan and its implementation, as needed.

 

If changes are made to the regionally significant projects funded in the FFYs 2025–29 TIP that meet criteria for being included in the LRTP, an amendment to Destination 2050 may be required. Staff will prepare the informational materials for MPO decision-making and follow MPO procedures for informing and engaging the public, including posting materials on the MPO website.

 

Scenario Planning

 

In FFY 2022, MPO staff began exploratory scenario planning work to help the MPO envision multiple possible futures for the Boston region; understand the effects on transportation, air quality, climate change, mode shift, the economy, and land use; and assess how to best prepare for uncertainties while pursuing an overarching vision for the transportation network. Some findings from this process were incorporated into activities to develop Destination 2050. Continuing in FFY 2025, MPO staff will lead exploratory scenario work in partnership with Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) staff. This work is expected to make use of alternative socioeconomic and land use scenarios provided by MAPC, as well as tools such as the MPO’s travel demand model. Staff will develop and analyze scenarios of interest to MPO members, staff, MAPC, and other stakeholders; assess the effects of potential options for changes to the transportation network; develop materials to effectively communicate results; and engage MPO members and others in the process. This work will support MPO decision-making and lay the groundwork for future long-range transportation plans.

 

Monitoring Planning Best Practices

 

The LRTP program plays an important role in keeping the MPO abreast of the current state-of-the-practice communications methods, transportation issue areas, and planning tools. This information also supports work in other MPO programs. In collaboration with MAPC, staff will continue to explore effective ways to assess and address the Boston region’s needs, analyze transportation and land-use options, and apply best practices in long-range transportation planning.

 

Development of Next LRTP

In developing the next LRTP, staff will research, plan, coordinate with interested parties, and review the priorities of the MPO and other state and regional agencies. This includes coordinating development of the LRTP with other state and regional long-range planning efforts, such as MassDOT's Beyond Mobility, the MBTA's Focus40, and MAPC's MetroCommon. Staff will also begin compiling qualitative, quantitative, and public engagement data. Input will be shared through a periodic update to the MPO’s Needs Assessment, updates to the MPO board, and deliberations to shape the MPO’s stated vision, goals, and objectives for the region in the future. Through updating the Needs Assessment and scenario planning, MPO staff will generate information that will guide the investment strategies for the next LRTP.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes


 

Transportation Improvement Program

 

Project ID Number

 8225

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$330,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

The Boston Region MPO’s TIP is a five-year, financially constrained program of planned investments in the metropolitan area’s transportation system. Although federal regulations require that the TIP be updated every four years, Massachusetts MPOs produce annual updates.

 

Approach

Municipal Engagement and Compilation of the Universe of Projects

 

Staff communicate with the MPO region’s municipalities through online TIP informational sessions and workshops, MAPC subregional meetings, and correspondence with municipal TIP contacts, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) staff, and elected officials to gather information on existing and new TIP project-funding requests. Staff then compile the projects into a Universe of Projects list for consideration by the MPO.

 

Project Evaluation

 

The MPO uses TIP project evaluation criteria to identify projects that help the region attain the vision, goals, and objectives established by the LRTP. The criteria support decision-making for the programming of transportation projects in the region by establishing a transparent, inclusive, and data-driven process through which funds are allocated. Staff updated project review criteria following the adoption of the MPO’s LRTP, Destination 2050, in Summer 2023 and will utilize these evaluation criteria in the FFYs 2025–29 TIP cycle and future ones. Following the initial employment of this criteria, staff may revise and refine these measures in future TIP cycles, and work with project proponents to better navigate the criteria and project application process.

 

Project Prioritization

 

Staff develop a recommendation that proposes how to prioritize the MPO’s Regional Target funding. Staff prepare a list of projects containing the evaluation scores and project-readiness information, then develop programming recommendations that include a selection of these projects, taking into consideration the project scores, geographic distribution of investments across the region, project design status, LRTP-identified needs, and cost. Staff present the programming recommendations and work with board members to define the final program.

 

In addition to preparing the recommendation, staff prepare and present MassDOT state-prioritized projects and the capital programs for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, and the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority for the MPO’s consideration.

 

TIP Document Preparation and Endorsement

 

Staff prepare a draft TIP that maintains compliance with federal regulations and requirements for a public review and comment period. During the public comment period, staff compile and summarize comments on the draft TIP and relay the comments to the MPO for consideration before endorsing the final TIP document.

 

Implementing Performance-Based Planning

 

The TIP document reports on the MPO’s implementation of its performance-based planning program in Chapter 4. It highlights the results of monitoring trends in the region and notes any progress made toward established performance targets. The performance measures and targets, all of which are in alignment with federal Transportation Performance Management requirements, show relation to MPO goal areas, including safety, mobility and reliability, access and connectivity, clean air and healthy communities, and resilience.

 

Implementing Clean Air Analyses and Resilience Planning

 

The TIP document reports on the MPO’s implementation of its Air Quality Program and Climate Resilience Programs in Chapter 5 and Appendix B. These sections indicate progress towards achieving regional goals such as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and advancement of resilience-centered investments.

 

Implementing Transportation Equity Metrics

 

The TIP document reports on the MPO’s implementation of its transportation equity program in Chapter 6. The MPO employs transportation equity criteria in its evaluation of projects considered for regional prioritization, and conducts comprehensive equity analyses for the entire TIP.

 

Amendments and Administrative Modifications

 

In a typical year, various projects experience cost or schedule changes that require an amendment or administrative modification to the TIP. Staff prepare for the possibility of several amendments and/or administrative modifications to the FFYs 2025–29 TIP and manage public review processes as needed, including posting TIP materials on the MPO website.

 

TIP Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee

Staff will continue to leverage the MPO’s TIP Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee to inform and report on the development of the FFYs 2026–30 TIP and create a forum for deeper discussion of key program themes and challenges. FFY 2025 will mark the second year of this committee. Staff will work to incorporate feedback received from committee members and the public as part of the FFYs 2025–29 TIP development cycle to improve future TIP development processes.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 


 

Unified Planning Work Program

 

Project ID Number

 8325

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$135,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

The UPWP, a federally required document that supports the 3C transportation planning process, has two main purposes:

 

The UPWP document includes descriptions and budgets for work that MPO staff will conduct during the upcoming federal fiscal year, including 3C-funded work conducted by Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) for the MPO; and 3C-funded work executed by MAPC, which receives approximately 20 percent of the Boston region’s allotment of 3C funding. Appendix A provides supplementary information about transportation studies happening in the Boston region that are regionally significant, and work conducted by CTPS and funded by state agencies or other entities.

 

Approach

 

Work on the UPWP is ongoing throughout the year, with the twin goals of developing the coming year’s UPWP and supporting staff, the MPO, and its UPWP Committee in monitoring implementation of the current UPWP. Staff coordinates and prepares materials for all phases of development of the upcoming UPWP, including

 

In support of the implementation of the current year’s UPWP, staff

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

Public Engagement Program

 

Project ID Number

 9624

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$397,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

 

Purpose

Public engagement is one of the core functions of an MPO. Engaging the public in the transportation planning process improves decision-making by helping to illuminate the social, economic, and environmental impacts of transportation planning decisions. Continuous engagement supports a communication loop that allows the MPO to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders, including advocates, community leaders, and members of the public. The MPO’s vision for public engagement in the region is to hear, value, and consider, throughout all planning work, the needs and views of the full spectrum of the public and incorporate this input into decision-making.

 

Staff coordinates public engagement efforts with the MPO’s TE Program to ensure that all members of the public—including populations that have been traditionally underserved by the transportation system and have historically lacked access to the decision-making process—have meaningful opportunities to participate in the transportation planning process that shapes the Boston region.

 

Approach

Implement the Public Engagement Program

 

Staff implement the MPO’s Public Engagement Program according to the MPO’s Public Engagement Plan through proactive engagement efforts tailored to varying audience needs, through meaningful relationship-building, and timely and accessible communications. This process provides information to individuals, organizations, and community representatives. The process also creates avenues for providing input and participating in the MPO’s planning and decision-making. Staff continually evaluate the Public Engagement Plan and program activities to ensure that they reflect current best practices and agency and LRTP goals, and address transportation inequities and gaps in participation.

 

Methods

 

Staff provide convenient, timely, and meaningful opportunities for members of the public to participate in the MPO’s transportation planning process. These opportunities include the following:

 

To ensure that opportunities to participate in the transportation-planning process are equitable, accessible, and transparent, staff create content and disseminate information that is concise, current, and accessible regardless of ability. Staff regularly hold and attend events at convenient times and locations for various audiences, provide varied engagement activities and materials for different learning styles and abilities, and strive to provide incentives and compensation to reduce resource-related barriers to engagement and acknowledge the time and expertise of underrepresented populations.

 

Program Administration

 

Staff continually evaluate and refine the Public Engagement Program to increase public understanding of the MPO’s work, improve its efforts to break down barriers to participation, and ensure that all MPO activities meet or exceed federal requirements for public participation. In consultation with the TE program, staff provide accommodations for people with disabilities at MPO-sponsored meetings as requested and all materials—both digital and paper—in accessible formats.

 

Staff provide language access (both interpreter and translation services) at MPO-sponsored meetings and engagement events where engagement with populations with limited English proficiency is expected, and as requested. Staff also provide translations of engagement documents, surveys, emails, the MPO website, and other materials that allow for participation that is comparable to those with English language fluency. (These accommodations are funded as direct costs; see Chapter 6.)

 

Regional Transportation Advisory Council (Advisory Council)

 

Staff plan and facilitate monthly Advisory Council meetings in collaboration with the Advisory Council Chair and Vice Chair. This includes administrative support (handling meeting logistics, scheduling speakers, and preparing and distributing agendas, meeting notices, materials, and minutes) as well as strategic planning to advance the Advisory Council’s mission and goals in coordination with Public Engagement Program, agency, and LRTP goals. Staff regularly provide information, updates, and briefings on MPO activities at meetings and solicit feedback and advice from members on programs and projects. Staff also manage the administration of the Advisory Council by soliciting new members, implementing and updating bylaws, coordinating Advisory Council elections, and maintaining contact and attendance lists. During public comment periods on MPO documents, staff work with the Advisory Council and its committees as they develop and submit their comments.

 

Community Leadership Institute

 

Staff manage the Community Leadership Institute, an educational program that empowers stakeholders representing communities whose voices are currently underrepresented in the planning process to more effectively engage with the MPO, primarily via the Advisory Council, by equipping them with the knowledge and tools to effectively engage with the MPO planning process and developing a pipeline for soliciting and onboarding new Advisory Council members. The Community Leadership Institute, piloted in FFY 2024, will continue to develop in FFY 2025.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes


 

Performance-Based Planning and Programming

 

Project ID Number

 8825

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$140,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

PBPP applies data to inform decisions aimed at helping to achieve desired outcomes for the region’s transportation system. Federal legislation directs states, public transportation providers, and MPOs to use this performance-driven, outcome-based approach in their transportation planning processes. The Boston Region MPO can use PBPP practices to help achieve its goals for providing an equitable, pollution-free, and modern regional transportation system that gets people to their destinations safely, easily, and reliably, and that supports an inclusive, resilient, healthy, and economically vibrant Boston region.

 

Approach

Develop Targets for Federally Required Performance Measures

 

Staff provides information and recommendations to MPO members as they set, revisit, or update targets for federally required performance measures. This includes annual updates to targets pertaining to roadway safety, transit asset management, and transit safety, as well as targets that have two-year or four-year time horizons, including those related to National Highway System infrastructure condition, travel time reliability, congestion, and transportation-related emissions. MPO staff review and respond to federal regulations and guidance; gather and analyze data; develop performance baselines; and explore ways to improve target-setting methodologies. Staff coordinate with MassDOT, federal agencies, other MPOs and states, the region’s public transportation providers, and other stakeholders as part of this work.

 

Continue to Integrate PBPP Elements into MPO Planning

 

Building upon prior work to integrate PBPP into the TIP and LRTP, MPO staff examine the links between capital projects that the MPO funds and potential improvements in various performance areas. Activities include

 

Monitor and Report on Performance 

The MPO reports on performance in Destination 2050 and TIP documents, through the CMP, and on its web-based Performance Dashboard. To do so, staff

 

Staff enhance these existing reports and tools by adding and/or updating baseline and trend data and may create additional reports or tools. When developing these resources, staff incorporate information on performance targets and, to the extent practicable, describe the effect that MPO investments may have on performance.

 

Enhance the MPO’s PBPP Practice

 

The MPO’s PBPP practice can expand beyond meeting federal requirements to address other aspects of the MPO’s goals and objectives. These efforts include

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

Transportation Equity Program

 

Project ID Number

 8525

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$215,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

The TE program facilitates progress toward the MPO’s equity goal, which is to

facilitate an inclusive and transparent transportation-planning process and make investments that eliminate transportation-related disparities borne by people in disadvantaged communities.

 

Both within the program and by collaborating with staff across the agency, staff in the TE program advance this goal by ensuring the transportation needs of populations underserved by the transportation system and underrepresented in the planning process are addressed throughout all of the MPO’s activities. These populations—referred to as TE populations—include minority populations, low-income populations, people with LEP, older adults, youth, and people with disabilities.1 These populations are covered by the federal mandates below:

 

The goal of the program is to not only ensure that the MPO complies with minimum federal regulations, but also advances an equitable transportation system in the Boston region that serves all people, regardless of their background, age, and disability status, while working toward eliminating harmful disparities in transportation impacts and access.

 

Approach

Implement MPO Title VI Program

 

Staff implements the MPO’s Title VI program and responds to MassDOT requests regarding program updates and submission of a Title VI report as requested. The report documents the MPO’s compliance with FTA and FHWA’s Title VI, EJ, and other nondiscrimination requirements, as well as civil rights-related areas of focus of import to MassDOT.

 

Support Equitable Public Engagement

 

Staff work in collaboration with the MPO’s Public Engagement Program to expand meaningful opportunities to TE populations for participation in the MPO’s planning processes. Staff continue to expand engagement through providing translated written and digital materials, establishing relationships with new organizations and supporting existing ones, focusing on TE populations, and developing nontechnical materials that are accessible and easily digestible. These engagement activities are described in more detail in the Public Engagement Program in this chapter.

 

Develop and Refine Equity-Related Analytical Techniques

 

To improve the effectiveness of equity analyses and expand understanding of the impact of transportation on TE populations, staff refine current analysis methods and develop new ones to further the TE goal. Staff collaborate with programs across the agency to develop analyses appropriate for that work, focusing on analyses that help the MPO board and other decision-makers make more informed and equitable transportation decisions. Anticipated work includes but is not limited to

 

Enhance the Equity Dashboard

 

In FFY 2024, staff will release an equity dashboard that tracks transportation outcomes in the Boston Region for different demographic groups to better understand how the transportation system affects people in the region and where inequities exist. In FFY 2025, staff will update the dashboard with additional metrics, as resources allow, and refine existing ones. The dashboard was developed in collaboration with the Data Management Program and supports efforts to establish consistency with how the MPO analyzes equity-related data and how the results are reported and visualized on data dashboards.

 

Refine the Disparate Impact and Disproportionate Burden (DI/DB) Analysis and Policy

 

Staff will continue work to refine the DI/DB mitigation analysis for the TIP, begun in FFY 2024, and conduct the analysis on the FFYs 2026–30 TIP. Disparate impacts and disproportionate burdens on minority and low-income populations, respectively, were identified in the 2023 LRTP, Destination 2050, necessitating the MPO to mitigate these impacts. Staff will also update the MPO’s DI/DB Policy to reflect the agency’s approach to DI/DB mitigation, as well as update metrics that are analyzed for disparate impacts and disproportionate burdens.

 

Coordinate with and Support Other Agencies

 

Staff coordinate with MassDOT’s Office of Diversity and Civil Rights to promote consistency of MPO Title VI-related processes, procedures, and activities with MassDOT’s own practices. Staff also continue to support the MassDOT Rail and Transit Division in its evaluation of applications for funding from the Community Transit Grant Program.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes


 

Air Quality Program

Project ID Number

8425

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$50,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

This program maintains technical expertise and supports MPO work related to air quality, air pollution, and climate change, including conformity with federal air quality requirements, the state’s climate change policies, and regional air quality trends. It also ensures that the MPO’s plans, programs, and projects comply with the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990 to secure federal funding for the Boston Region MPO’s transportation system.

 

Approach

Federal and State Requirements

 

Staff demonstrate that the MPO meets federal air quality conformity requirements for the TIP and for the LRTP. Under the CAAA, states must monitor emissions from transportation vehicles and other sources to determine whether ambient emissions levels exceed allowable levels of air pollutants. Areas in which emissions exceed these levels are designated as nonattainment areas. For nonattainment areas, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) must develop a State Implementation Plan (SIP) that establishes emissions budgets and shows how the plan would reduce emissions in the area sufficiently to comply with national ambient air quality standards. MPOs with nonattainment areas must complete air quality conformity determinations to demonstrate the conformity of transportation plans, programs, and projects with the Massachusetts SIP. The Boston region was reclassified as an attainment area under the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2008 ozone standard. The Boston region also recently achieved attainment for carbon monoxide (CO) after the 20-year maintenance period for CO in Waltham expired in April 2022. Even though the MPO is in attainment for the EPA’s criteria pollutants, it must still show that it is complying with transportation control measure requirements outlined in the SIP. This program provides support for this conformity determination and for any future determinations if the region’s attainment status changes.

 

The program also provides support for greenhouse gas emissions reporting required by the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act, as well as eligibility determination for the use of Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funding for select transportation projects. This includes coordination with MassDOT and municipalities on the emissions reduction potential of new projects, project-specific air quality analyses, and organization of results in the TIP.

 

Additional Air Quality Support

 

Staff provide expertise in air quality and climate change so the MPO can respond to changing requirements and trends in air quality in its planning, analysis, and reporting. This includes current initiatives, such as the state’s goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and the ability to participate in issues that might emerge during the year. Staff also support the implementation of air quality-related transportation programs and projects, and provide consultation, research, and coordination between the MPO and federal, state, local, and private entities.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

 

Congestion Management Process

 

Project ID Number

 2125

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$125,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

The MPO’s CMP is a federally mandated requirement to monitor congestion, mobility, and safety needs of the Boston region’s transportation network. Within the program, staff recommend strategies for reducing congestion while accounting for equity, uncertainty, and resiliency of the MPO’s multimodal transportation network. The CMP is developed in an integrated manner along with the MPO’s certification documents (LRTP, TIP, and UPWP) to ensure a cohesive strategy for evaluation and implementation of program priorities.

 

Approach

 

In the Boston Region MPO area, the CMP follows federal guidelines and recommendations from the MPO’s CMP Committee to fulfill the following activities:

 

Depending on CMP Committee recommendations, staff monitor and analyze data for highways, arterial roads, transit, park-and-ride lots, freight movements, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities. CMP activities include using electronic travel-time and speed data to monitor roadways and transit, identify existing conditions, and recommend appropriate improvements in accordance with federal guidelines.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes


 

Programs Supporting the 3C Process

These programs are designed to supplement and enhance the MPO’s core 3C planning and programming activities. The programs in this section include the following:


 

Climate Resilience Program

 

Project ID Number

8725

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$100,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

Climate resilience describes an entity’s, such as a transportation system, ability to anticipate extreme weather events under uncertainty, absorb impacts, recover in a timely and efficient manner, and adapt to better withstand future disturbances. The Climate Resilience Program assesses vulnerability and coordinates regional resilience improvements in the face of climate change, which brings increasing risk to transportation assets in the Boston region from flooding, sea level rise, and rising temperatures. Investments in resilience can reinforce equity and safety goals by prioritizing improvements in disadvantaged areas and supporting a more reliable, safe system for all transportation users.

 

Climate resilience was listed as one of the MPO’s six goals for the Boston region’s transportation system as part of the current LRTP, Destination 2050, indicating the priority of ensuring the Boston region and its people are able to withstand the impacts of climate change.

 

Approach

 

The 2015 FAST Act, or Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, requires agencies to consider climate resilience in transportation planning, which has been interpreted by staff to include

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

 

Freight Planning Program

 

Project ID Number

 2225

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$125,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

Freight planning at the Boston Region MPO is a mandatory part of the federal 3C (continuing, comprehensive, and cooperative) planning process. Freight movements are interregional and require coordinated efforts across MPO staff, regional stakeholders, and decision-makers. The goals for the MPO freight planning program are to

Approach

 

The MPO’s freight planning activities are guided by the 2013 Freight Planning Action Plan and its 2019 update, and are aligned with the 2023 Massachusetts State Freight Plan and the newly released National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy. MPO staff plan to leverage data and stakeholder input from the updated statewide plan in regional freight planning efforts. In addition to this, staff aim to identify regional freight bottlenecks as part of the Freight Planning Action Plan update in FFY 2025, while building on the 2023 MassDOT Freight Plan. The MPO’s freight planning and analysis is ongoing and conducted on a multi-year basis. Typical activities include

 

Freight planning at the MPO focuses on freight movement between municipalities in the Boston metropolitan area, as well as regional and local distribution of goods and packages (first- and last-mile deliveries). Freight planning frequently includes investigation, analysis, and classification of truck movement, including commercial and service vehicles.

 

Specific study topics for FFY 2025 are chosen based on

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

 

Regional Model Enhancement

 

Project ID Number

 7125

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$850,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

The long-term goal of the travel demand modeling practice at CTPS is to have a reliable, robust set of well-documented travel demand tools, data, and procedures that address a diverse set of needs for transportation planning in the Boston region and statewide with engaged and informed stakeholders and a coordinated team of modelers who have the skills, knowledge, and experience to effectively

 

Through the Regional Model Enhancement Program, CTPS supports the research, maintenance, and development aspects of the long-term goal. This has been realized through the development and maintenance of a regional travel demand model (TDM23) as well as the preparation for the next generation model (TDM27) along with support of other tools for assessing the area’s transportation needs and evaluating alternatives to improve the transportation system.

 

The regional travel demand model estimates the millions of individual decisions that generate travel throughout the region and simulates the impact of those decisions on an abstracted representation of the region’s roadway and transit networks. Through variations of the inputs and assumptions, the regional travel demand model provides planners with insights to current and future travel activity and conditions. Metrics produced by the model aid in developing policy, performing technical and equity analyses, and meeting federal reporting requirements, including the MPO’s certification requirements. Regional travel demand models are also used by the MPO and state and regional agencies to support planning and policy analysis.

 

Approach

 

Model enhancement work is balanced across research of new model components, approaches, and data; development of new tools to enhance and complement the regional model; and maintenance of the regional model for MPO and application needs.

 

CTPS will continue to refine the modeling roadmap with a framework to evaluate and prioritize new model investments, maintenance and feature priorities for existing models, and the key design and development milestones for the next generation travel demand model (TDM27). The roadmap is refined with input from the model steering committee, which is composed of stakeholders internal and external to the agency, as well as a broader group of stakeholders including other public agencies, researchers, and consultants.

 

Research

 

The TDM23 development process began with the identification of planning needs for model support. Not all of the identified needs will be met by TDM23 because of time and resource constraints as well as the limitations intrinsic in the model structure. CTPS will work to address those needs through complementary tools and data and endeavor to maintain a suite of next generation practices and tools that will serve regional transportation planning needs. The suite will define practice areas, procedures, and tools for common activities. The potential tools and data to be included in this suite include

 

CTPS Staff will also work to advance exploratory model applications, leveraging the integration of TMIP-EMAT with TDM23 to support testing scenarios across a range of potential inputs and evaluating programs in a robust manner.

 

Development

 

Development activities will include refinements and enhancements to TDM23 as identified through the development and calibration process and by stakeholders.

 

Development of TDM27 will begin with a high-level design that will specify key features of the model and determine broad functionality and implementation requirements. The high-level design will answer questions around

 

Several model components have a long development lead time and thus must be started well in advance of assembling the full model. An area of focus for FFY 2025 will be to update the transportation analysis zones and the associated roadway and transit networks to be consistent with the 2020 Census Block boundaries.

 

Maintenance

 

The major maintenance activity will be to define, document, and release versions of TDM23 on a regular basis. Versions will include bug fixes, network updates, and enhancements.

 

As part of maintenance, CTPS staff will also continue to develop model documentation and training materials to promote proper use of TDM23.

 

CTPS will continue development of a post-pandemic model base year to complement the 2019 pre-pandemic calibration year. A post-pandemic model base year would be useful for growth rate calculations and project applications. Model adjustments needed to develop the post-pandemic base year will provide valuable insights for TDM27 development.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes 

 

Staff will continue to develop and refine accessible materials to communicate the TDM23 capabilities to various stakeholders and advance a model roadmap for future enhancements and complementary model tools. Documented versions of TDM23 will be released throughout the year to deploy the latest enhancements, bug fixes, and new inputs. A high-level design of TDM27 will be developed and shared with model stakeholders. Staff will continue work to develop and define exploratory modeling approaches to support the LRTP scenario analysis and enhance the MPO’s ability to provide state-of-the-practice support for MPO staff, member agencies, and partner organizations.

 


Data Program

 

Project ID Number

5025

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$575,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

The Data Program is a set of consolidated efforts to improve how data are obtained, developed, used, and shared at the agency. The purpose of the program is to support the data needs of the MPO and its stakeholders. There are four main areas of focus for this program:

 

This program allows MPO staff to effectively

 

Approach

Data Vision, Strategy, and Roadmap

 

Staff review the program’s data vision, strategy, and roadmap for CTPS and assess where changes are needed. These guiding documents are updated each year to ensure the Data Program meets the current needs of the MPO and its stakeholders and keeps up with the evolution of data and analysis in the industry.

 

Manage and Respond to Data Requests

 

Data requests are one of the services CTPS provides to municipalities, peer agencies, private sector consultants, research institutions, and the broader public. While CTPS has made more data publicly available, there is still a need to respond to ad hoc, quick-response data gathering, processing, and analysis requests throughout the year. Staff continue to review established policies, procedures, and structures in this area.

 

Data Exploration

 

The goal of this ongoing effort is to conduct coordinated, strategic assessments of continuously evolving data sources and analytical techniques to address current and future needs. These assessments inform CTPS’s long-term investments in the staff skills that are required to meet the evolving needs of the MPO and its stakeholders. This work allows MPO staff to explore new data and analysis methods, consider how they apply to MPO work, document findings, and develop best practices around the management and use of these data.

 

Data Management, Coordination, and Support

 

Staff conduct foundational work that supports data users across CTPS. Consolidating this effort under this program ensures that staff is making decisions about key datasets in a thoughtful, collaborative manner. Datasets and work activities managed under this program include the following:

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes


 

Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program

 

Project ID Number

2525

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$185,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program aims to improve accessibility, safety, convenience, and comfort for people walking, bicycling, and rolling in the Boston metropolitan region. The program leverages the MPO’s unique position as the regional transportation planning agency to study bicycle and pedestrian travel in the Boston metro area as a whole and facilitate connections between and across neighboring municipalities. We seek to empower communities to better plan for people walking, bicycling, and rolling within their municipalities and provide recommendations to increase the use of active travel modes for daily trips by residents, employees, and visitors.

 

We prioritize the needs of disadvantaged populations through this work to improve regional active transportation because every community deserves to be able to walk, bike, and roll safely within their neighborhood and enjoy the numerous benefits associated with living in walkable and bikeable areas. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program strives to reduce auto congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, increase physical activity, and shape more livable communities by increasing the safety and comfort of people walking, bicycling, and rolling. Our work is aimed at facilitating greater adoption of active modes and informing investment in climate-resilient active transport infrastructure throughout the Boston metro region.

 

Approach

 

In FFY 2025, the program will learn from its first year of convening the Bicycle and Pedestrian Steering Committee to solidify member expectations and guidelines. MPO staff will engage the Steering Committee to learn its preferences and determine the roles and responsibilities that best suit the purposes of the group. Members will help inform the direction of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program, ensure that the interests of people walking, biking, and rolling in the region are represented in work produced through the Program, provide insight into how the Program can best serve municipalities in the region, and guide the development of a regional bicycle and pedestrian transportation plan. MPO staff will also engage the Steering Committee to help select the topic for the first bicycle and pedestrian guidebook.

 

In FFY 2025, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program will begin to analyze the data gathered through the first year of continuous bicycle and pedestrian count collection efforts. MPO staff will study temporal variations and compare volumes at sites while considering various characteristics as potential factors that influence people’s decisions to walk, roll, or bike at a location.

 

While the direction of future bicycle and pedestrian work will be influenced by conversations with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Steering Committee, MPO staff plan to complete the following work as part of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program during FFY 2025:

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 


Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program

 

Project ID Number

2825

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$370,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

The Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program aims to address gaps in both regional and community multimodal transportation needs, and identify opportunities to advance towards a safe, integrated, sustainable, and accessible regional multimodal transportation system. Communities often identify transportation problems and issues relating to safety, congestion, bottlenecks, and lack of access to multimodal transportation facilities in their areas. One of the major focus areas of this program is to develop conceptual design recommendations that address identified regional multimodal transportation needs with an emphasis on the most vulnerable roadway users. Another key focus area of the program is to explore potential strategies to mitigate the challenges that hinder residents from using multimodal transportation, especially non-auto modes such as walking, rolling, biking, and transit. The program strives to provide tools and resources to build capacity among stakeholders to enhance the planning and design of multimodal transportation infrastructure in the region.

 

Approach

Site-specific studies

 

Each year, the MPO undertakes two to three site-specific studies as part of the Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program. Staff use a range of factors to determine which particular studies to undertake. For targeted study selection, MPO staff typically reach out to MAPC subregions, municipalities, and other groups to identify corridors, intersections, curbs, and other areas of interest. MPO staff also refer to the LRTP Needs Assessment, MassDOT’s IMPACT portal, multimodal travel data, and other tools to identify further candidate locations. Study locations are screened by staff drawing on criteria used in the TIP scoring process, with particular emphasis placed on safety and equity. Final study selections are made in coordination with selected stakeholders. In addition to Complete Streets guidelines and operational and safety considerations, the analysis will concentrate on transit services, nonmotorized modes of transportation, curb usage, and truck activity along roadway segments.

 

Site-specific studies will provide communities with the opportunity to review the requirements of a specific study area, starting at the conceptual level, before committing design and engineering funds to a project. If the project qualifies for federal funds for construction of the recommended upgrades, the study’s documentation will be useful to MassDOT and the community.

 

Capacity-building tools and resources

 

Although MPO staff can study only two to three locations in a single year, staff have created a large repository of corridor and intersection studies over the last two decades. One goal through the Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program is to build capacity among our stakeholders, primarily municipal partners, to enable them to conduct similar studies on their own, especially if the scope of the study is relatively small. To that end, staff plan to develop a guidebook for designing and implementing a Complete Streets corridor, improved intersections, curb management, and other multimodal infrastructure projects. This guidebook will be provided to communities and implementing agencies, who may choose to fund improvements through various federal, state, and local sources, either separately or in combination.

 

Regional studies

 

Regional studies will explore various roadblocks to achieving a well-functioning multimodal transportation system. MPO staff plan to conduct one to two regional studies every year. Potential study topics will be selected with an eye towards supporting multimodal transportation and reducing auto-dependence. In addition to focusing on surface transportation modes (such as transit, walking, biking, and vehicles), staff plan to include marine transportation modes (such as ferries and water taxis) in the scope of our exploration to identify opportunities to shift more people away from using cars. MPO staff also plan to begin exploring connections between transportation and land use at a regional level, with a particular focus on transit-proximate areas in light of the recently passed MBTA Communities Act (Section 3A of MGL c. 40A).

 

Potential regional study topics may include exploring how people walking and biking may be exposed to dangerous levels of heat during heatwaves, understanding how bikesharing can facilitate higher public transit ridership, learning from mode shift efforts by peer agencies, and examining the effects of car-free streets.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes 

 

Anticipated FFY 2025 efforts include

 


 

Support to the MPO and its 3C Process

 

The activities described in this section support core MPO programs as well as those supporting the 3C planning process in general, collaboration with other agencies, and compliance with federal requirements. These activities include technical and administrative support to the MPO and its committees, as well as the development of materials supporting all MPO work.

 

Project ID Number

9125 (Support to the MPO and its Committees)

9225 (General Graphics)

9725 (General Editorial)

8925 (Transit Working Group Support)

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$1,045,017

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

Under this program, staff implement MPO policies, plan and coordinate the delivery of information for MPO decision-making, and support the operation of the MPO and its committees. It also involves providing support for MPO meeting management and agenda planning.

 

Approach

Support to the MPO and its Committees

 

MPO staff perform the following tasks related to MPO board and committee meetings.

 

Technical and process support is provided to the MPO’s UPWP Committee; Administration and Finance (A&F) Committee; CMP Committee; TIP Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee; and other ad hoc committees. These committees conduct their work as follows:

 

Staff also provide administrative activities that ensure the MPO’s compliance with federal requirements. This includes researching, analyzing, and reporting information on 3C planning topics and responding to federal recommendations from the MPO’s Certification Review, among others. Staff also implement federal and state legislation, such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law requirements (see Chapter 2 and Appendix E).

 

This work also includes collaboration with other agencies involved in 3C planning activities, other Massachusetts MPOs (particularly those in the Boston region urbanized area), and MAPC subregional municipal groups. To support this collaboration, staff support updates to governing Memoranda of Understanding between the Boston MPO and partner agencies when necessary.

 

Other activities include overseeing 3C program-related activities, collecting and fielding comments and inquiries, and responding to requests for information and support.

 

General Graphics

 

The graphic design staff develop presentations, maps, charts, illustrations, reports, guidebooks, and a range of other public-facing designed materials in support of MPO programs and projects. Staff monitor the consistent use of the MPO name, logo, and color palette in print and digital products. The MPO conducts its transportation planning activities and public engagement process in accordance with federal regulations governing accessibility standards. Staff produce materials that adhere to these regulations as appropriate to ensure all people have access to MPO materials and therefore can meaningfully engage with the transportation planning process, regardless of background or ability.

 

General Editorial

 

The editorial staff review and edit reports, memoranda, work scopes, guidebooks, presentations, meeting agendas, and other public-facing materials, as well as documents internal to CTPS. The editorial process focuses on producing clear and understandable content, making improvements to document structure, correcting grammar, ensuring proper word usage, and adhering to accessibility requirements. The editorial staff apply the Chicago Manual of Style rules and guidelines from the CTPS Editorial Style Guide when reviewing copy. Other guidelines are produced as needed for staff to refer to when producing documents.

 

Transit Working Group Support

 

The TWG meets as needed to discuss trending topics in transportation or pressing issues around the region. MPO staff support includes the following activities:

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

 

 


 

1 Equity populations are as follows:

 

 

 

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Chapter 4: Boston Region MPO Discrete Studies and Technical Support

Introduction

 

As described in Chapter 1, each federal fiscal year (FFY), the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) receives federal transportation planning funds from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Combined with the local Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) matching amount, these funds form the budget that allows the MPO staff—Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS)—to accomplish the MPO support and 3C planning activities described in Chapter 3; the discrete studies and technical support activities described in this chapter; and the administrative tasks and information technology resource management described in Chapter 5.

 

This chapter describes two types of work—the discrete studies that are selected for the fiscal year based on the engagement process described in Appendix C, and the ongoing technical analysis and support studies that staff will conduct for communities or transportation providers in the region. Each UPWP documents progress on the previous year's studies and describes upcoming discrete studies and types of work to be undertaken in the ongoing technical analysis and support activities. The MPO tracks the progress of these studies, which are categorized as follows:

 

In addition, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), an MPO member organization, conducts planning studies and technical assistance throughout the region (see Chapter 6, Metropolitan Area Planning Council Activities).

 

The project descriptions throughout this chapter describe new transportation planning studies chosen for funding in FFY 2025. They also provide detailed descriptions for the FFY 2025 funding and work products for the MPO’s ongoing programs.

 

Some titles of these products and activities may change as they are finalized. All certification documents and many other work products are, or will be, available for download from the MPO website (www.bostonmpo.org). Work products not found on the MPO website may be requested by contacting CTPS at 857.702.3700 (voice), 711 (MassRelay), or ctps@ctps.org (email).


 

Table 4-1
Completed MPO Funded Discrete Transportation Planning Studies,
FFYs 2023–24

 

Project Name ID Total Budgeted Funding Work Products (reports, technical memoranda, and other work products or activities)
FFY 2024 Studies  blank blank blank
Lab and Municipal Parking Phase II 14001 $45,000 Technical memorandum detailing the results from the data collection and analysis of parking at lab and life sciences facilities, as well as recommendations for policy makers and municipal planners who make decisions about parking requirements at these types of properties
Parking in Bike Lanes: Strategies for Safety and Prevention 14002 $20,000 StoryMap and report summarizing findings of literature review and outreach, with recommendations for interventions that could be piloted by Boston area municipalities
Strategies for Environmental Outreach and Engagement 14003 $25,000 Memorandum summarizing the results of the literature review and outreach, with recommendations on how to incoporate regular engagement on environmental topics into the MPO's existing programs
Applying Conveyal to TIP Project Scoring 14004 $60,000 Technical memorandum detailing the process for using Conveyal to examine TIP projects, as well as a GitHub repository for technical documentation
FFY 2023 Studies  blank blank blank
Learning from Roadway-Pricing Experiences 13807 $45,000  Memorandum summarizing the results of the interviews, workshops, MPO’s intended goals for roadway pricing, and ways to incorporate roadway pricing into the various MPO planning processes
Sustainability and Decarbonization in the Freight and Logistics Sector in the North Suffolk Region 13808 $67,500  StoryMap or technical memorandum with stakeholder identified needs, data gaps, and recommendations for next steps
Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Database Update 13803 $80,000  An updated web application for bicycle and pedestrian counts and recommendations for updating current counting practices
Lab and Municipal Parking Study 13806 $80,000  A technical memorandum that recommends a methodology for conducting parking utilization studies at lab and life science facilities

 

 

 

 

Table 4-2
FFY 2025 Boston Region MPO Technical Analyses and Support

 

Project Name ID FFY 2024 Funding FFY 2024 Work Products and Progress FFY 2025 Funding FFY 2025 Planned Work Products and Progress
CTPS Activities blank blank blank blank blank
Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program* 2425 $67,000 Responded to various communities' inquiries related to transportation issues:

• Wrentham—Provided assistance regarding recommendations for truck exclusion at the intersection of Route 1 (Washington Street) and Hawes Street

• Sharon—Provided assistance regarding the redesign of the intersection of Massapoag Avenue and Pond Street at Quincy Street and East Street

• Hamilton/Ipswich—Provided assistance regarding traffic calming at the intersections of Highland Street at Waldingfield Road, Waldingfield Road at Goodhue Street, and Goodhue Street at Highland Street
$70,000 Provide technical assistance to municipal staff in the Boston region on challenges associated with multimodal transportation planning and design
Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Support 4125 $40,500 Provided support to municipal staff and attended meetings to support regional transit planning ideas and address challenges $63,500 Provide technical assistance to municipal staff in the Boston region on regional transit planning
Roadway Safety Audits 2325 $17,000 Provided support to MassDOT and communities for roadway safety audits conducted in Dedham, Milton, Quincy, Randolph, Weymouth, Boston, Holbrook, Rockland, and Hingham $15,000 Provide support to MassDOT and communities for safety audits conducted in the Boston region

 

 

*This program is shared between MAPC and CTPS. The description for this work can be found in Chapter 4, while the funding amount shown here reflects the combined funding from MAPC and CTPS.

 


 

Table 4-3
FFY 2025 MPO-Funded Discrete Transportation Planning Studies

 

Universe ID

Project  ID

Study or Program

Proposed FFY 2025 CTPS Budget

M-2

13819

Bluebikes and MBTA Connections

$60,000

M-4

13820

Roadway Pricing: Balancing the Need for a Transition to Sustainable Mobility with Equity Considerations

$50,000

F-1

13821

Decarbonizing the Freight Sector: Exploring the Potential for Using E-cargo Bikes for First- and Last-mile Freight Deliveries

$40,000

Total for New Discrete Studies

blank

blank

$150,000

 

Discrete Planning Studies

The project descriptions in this section describe the discrete studies chosen by the MPO for funding in FFY 2025. As described in Chapter 2 and Appendix B, CTPS gathers discrete study ideas each year and classifies them into the following categories: active transportation; land use, environment, and economy; multimodal mobility; transit; other technical work; resiliency; and transportation equity. Each of the project descriptions on the following pages begins with a funding table that shows the project identification number, category, funding sources, and total budget.

 


 

Bluebikes and MBTA Connections

 

Project ID Number

13819

Category

Multimodal Mobility

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$60,000

Schedule

October 2024 through September 2025

 

Purpose

 

One of the most often cited challenges to using urban rail transit is the lack of first- and last-mile connections. Public bikesharing systems, such as Bluebikes, have the potential to address this concern by making it easier for some people to access rail transit stations. Of course, much depends on where the stations are located and who has the ability and willingness to bike (amidst valid concerns about safety and inclement weather). In recent years, MPO staff have engaged in several projects relating to bikesharing use in the region. Building on these prior efforts, it is time to examine several questions: What is the relationship between Bluebikes and the MBTA? Do Bluebikes improve connectivity to the MBTA and, if so, what are the conditions that enable such a relationship? Do people use Bluebikes as an alternative to the MBTA and, if so, what kinds of transit trips are most likely to be substituted?

 

This study is a fundamental exploration to gain a better understanding of multimodality in the region, so that a more efficient regional transportation system that accounts for the complementary as well as competitive nature of other non-auto modes can be designed. MPO staff will build on the learnings from the Bluebikes project funded through FFY 2024 MassDOT-directed PL funds to shape this study. Extending this exploration, MPO staff aim to apply an analytic framework to examine the effect of transit service disruptions (such as the Orange Line shutdown or more recent service disruptions, especially along the Green Line) on Bluebikes usage. This exploration could reveal to what extent regular transit riders use Bluebikes when transit is not available or simply too onerous to use.

 

Approach

 

MPO staff will leverage openly accessible Bluebikes trip data and station location data, in addition to transit station location and route data from the MBTA, to construct a framework that can classify which Bluebikes trips can be categorized as complementary and which ones seem to be substituting for transit. We intend to apply this framework to understand how these relationships change by space (across different neighborhoods) and time (across seasons). Time permitting, we may also explore the application of this framework to examine the effect of recent transit service disruptions.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

The anticipated outcome of this study is a report that describes the framework and outlines the findings from the application of this framework. In addition, the report will include recommendations about how more complementary connections can be designed between Bluebikes and transit, which will help inform the expansion of the Bluebikes network to new municipalities.

 

 


Roadway Pricing: Balancing the Need for a Transition to Sustainable Mobility with Equity Considerations

 

Project ID Number

13820

Category

Multimodal Mobility

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$50,000

Schedule

October 2024 through September 2025

 

Purpose

 

MPO staff recently presented their takeaways from interviews with a range of roadway-pricing program administrators around the country and proposed key recommendations for things to consider if a similar strategy were to be adopted in the Boston region. With the possibility of widespread adoption of electric vehicles looming on the horizon (and being encouraged by both the State and the Federal administrations), the gas tax may not remain a viable fiscal source to support public transit. While electric vehicles may have lower tailpipe emissions than their fossil fuel-fueled counterparts, they are unlikely to entirely solve the many challenges associated with auto-dependence. MPO staff will build on their recent study to further explore the idea of roadway pricing but with more focused attention to the Boston region. The objective of this study is to analyze current driving patterns and explore the effects of hypothetical roadway-pricing scenarios on revenue generated, reduction in vehicle-miles traveled, and equity.

 

Approach

 

Using data from the Massachusetts Vehicle Census and Replica (a large mobility data provider), MPO staff intend to examine vehicle-miles traveled by different communities within our region. Such an analysis will allow us to provide estimates of revenue generated by different pricing strategies (such as cordon pricing around a particular central zone, or a direct tax on miles traveled). It would also be possible to examine the disparate impacts of such policies on different communities and, thereby, advocate for targeted discounts or subsidies for environmental justice communities and those who are forced into car ownership by a lack of high-quality alternatives.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

The anticipated outcome of this study is an interactive visual document (such as a StoryMap) or report describing the different hypothetical roadway-pricing scenarios that were considered and summarizing the results of the scenario analysis.

 


 

Decarbonizing the Freight Sector: Exploring the Potential for Using E-cargo Bikes for First- and Last-Mile Freight Deliveries

 

Project ID Number

13821

Category

Freight

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$40,000

Schedule

October 2024 through September 2025

 

 

Purpose

 

Globalization coupled with a post-pandemic shift to online shopping has increased our dependence on freight, especially in urban areas. While freight vehicles deliver a wide variety of products, including food, consumer goods, and fuel, residents in the Boston region have expressed concerns about the growing number of trucks as well as small- and medium-sized freight delivery vehicles passing through and stopping in their neighborhoods. Some regions, both within the U.S. and around the world, are experimenting with a regional freight delivery system. Such a system depends on the establishment of neighborhood freight hubs where freight vehicles transport cargo that is then transported by e-cargo bikes to final destinations and peoples’ homes.

 

In addition to “traditional” freight deliveries, e-cargo bikes are also thought of as a promising alternative to car-oriented food delivery systems. The City of Boston is currently running a pilot called ‘Boston Delivers” for local businesses in Allston and Brighton. Building on this recent effort, MPO staff will explore the potential for establishing neighborhood freight hubs and using e-cargo bikes for first- and last-mile freight deliveries across the Boston region (or in the Inner Core of the region, at the very least). This system could help address the urgent need to decarbonize the freight sector and mitigate the various other concerns residents regularly voice over the increased presence of freight vehicles near their homes.

 

 

Approach

 

MPO staff will identify past, ongoing, and planned e-cargo bike pilots and programs across the country. Having created this list, staff will reach out to key personnel involved in these efforts to interview them about their experience of the key challenges and opportunities associated with such initiatives. These interviews will inform a follow-up analysis of which locations in the Boston region (or the Inner Core) might be suitable for establishing neighborhood freight hubs. Finally, MPO staff will provide recommendations for municipalities aiming to establish such hubs and use e-cargo bikes for first- and last-mile freight deliveries. This study will complement the ongoing effort by MAPC and the City of Boston to raise awareness and provide guidelines about how e-cargo bikes can be leveraged for first- and last-mile freight deliveries.

 

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

The anticipated outcome of this study is a report that will describe past, ongoing, and planned e-cargo bike pilots across the country, summarize the key findings from the interviews, and provide recommendations for the establishment of neighborhood freight hubs supported by e-cargo bikes for first- and last-mile freight deliveries in the Boston metropolitan region.

 

Technical Analysis and Support

 

The project descriptions in this section consist of ongoing MPO programs that provide technical planning assistance, support, and analyses to cities, towns, and other entities throughout the region. The major areas of technical analyses include transit service planning and community-level transportation planning and technical assistance.

 

Roadway Safety Audits

 

Project ID Number

2325

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$15,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

This program supports MPO staff participation in roadway safety audits (RSA).

 

Approach

 

An RSA, as defined by FHWA, is a formal safety performance examination of an existing or future road or intersection by an independent audit team. MassDOT guidelines require RSAs to be conducted where Highway Safety Improvement Program-eligible crash clusters are present. The program has expanded to cover additional high-crash locations and individual crash types, such as pedestrian- and bicycle-crash hot spots. The RSA examines the location to develop both short- and long-term recommendations to improve safety for vehicles, for people walking, and for people biking. These recommendations help communities identify safety improvements that can be implemented in the short term and determine if more substantial improvements are needed as part of a larger, long-term improvement process.

 

Audit teams include MassDOT headquarters and district office staff, MassDOT consultants, municipal planners and engineers, local and state police, local emergency response personnel, and CTPS personnel, as requested. In the RSA process, the audit team (1) reviews available crash data; (2) meets and communicates with local officials, planners, engineers, and other stakeholders; (3) visits the site to observe traffic operations and identify safety issues; and (4) develops and documents recommendations.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

Anticipated outcomes include the following:


 

Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program

 

Project ID Number

2425, MAPC5

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$70,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

Through this ongoing program, MPO staff and MAPC staff provide technical advice to municipalities throughout the region on local transportation issues of concern.

 

Approach

 

In this program, a team of MPO staff and MAPC engineers and planners will meet with community officials to learn more about the transportation problems that the community identified, such as those related to parking, traffic calming, freight movement, walking, bicycling, and transit locations.

 

Technical assistance activities may include the following:

 

The number of technical assistance cases will depend on the funding amount and the complexity of the specific technical assistance requests from municipalities. MAPC and CTPS will coordinate and collaborate on a case-by-case basis.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

MPO staff will provide technical assistance to municipalities as described above and will document the work, recommendations, and outcomes of these consultations in the form of technical memoranda.

 


 

Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Support

 

Project ID Number

4125

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$63,500

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose

 

Through this ongoing program, the MPO provides technical support to regional transit authorities (RTA), municipalities, MAPC subregions, and transportation management associations (TMA). This work is focused on improving or expanding transit service and reducing single-occupancy-vehicle (SOV) travel in the region.

 

Approach

 

The MPO’s policy is to support transit services and reduce SOV travel in the region. As such, MPO staff provide technical support to RTAs to promote best practices and address issues of ridership, cost effectiveness, route planning, first- and last-mile strategies, and other service characteristics. The MPO also extends support to TMAs, MAPC subregions, and municipalities seeking to improve the transit services that they operate or fund. Past technical assistance work has resulted in memoranda such as MetroWest Regional Transit Authority Sunday Service Feasibility Report (FFY 2020), Analysis of Potential Shuttle Service in Hingham (FFY 2020), City of Peabody Transit Feasibility Study and Survey on Transit Demand (FFY 2022), as well as support to the Town of Sudbury (FFY 2023).

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

MPO staff will provide technical assistance to RTAs, municipalities, MAPC subregions, and TMAs as described above and will document the work, recommendations, and outcomes of these consultations in the form of technical memoranda.

 

 

 

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Chapter 5: Resource Management and Support Activities

Introduction

 

Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) conducts ongoing information technology (IT) and other activities to support the core activities and studies of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

 

For each activity described in this chapter, we cite the purpose of the work, explain how the work is accomplished, and provide a summary of the anticipated federal fiscal year (FFY) 2025 work products. The budget tables at the head of each project description give salary and overhead costs associated with the projects. The Direct Support section includes direct costs related to the projects. 

 

Table 5-1 provides a summary of the funding assigned to each of the activities described in this chapter that were also assigned in FFY 2024, a summary of the work products and/or progress made in FFY 2024, the funding proposed for each of these activities in FFY 2025, and the anticipated work products and/or progress in FFY 2025.

 

Although many of the activities in this chapter generally comprise similar tasks from year to year, budget variations often reflect more significant or lesser emphasis on certain efforts. Where appropriate, these differences are explained in Table 5-1.

 


 

 

Table 5-1
CTPS Ongoing Resource Management and Support Activities, FFY 2025

 

Project Name

ID

FFY 2024 Funding

FFY 2024 Work Products and Progress

FFY 2025 Funding

FFY 2025 Planned Work Progress and Products 

CTPS Activities

blank

blank

blank

blank

blank

Information Technology Resource Management

6025

$315,500

Provided maintenance and enhancements to CTPS’s laptops, workstations, server systems, network infrastructure, and printers. Migrated server systems into the cloud.

$320,000

Tasks and work products generally remain the same from year to year.

Professional Development

9525

$85,500

Covered the labor expenses of staff attending conferences and seminars related to MPO work.

$80,000

Cover the labor expenses of staff attending conferences and seminars related to MPO work.

 

 


CTPS Activities

 

The following sections contain details on the administration, resource management, and support activities undertaken by CTPS each FFY.

 

 

Information Technology Resource Management

 

 

Project ID Number

6025

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$320,000

 

Purpose

 

Managing IT resources involves inventory management, resource allocation, performance monitoring, cost management, security implementation, disaster recovery planning, compliance adherence, vendor management, and user support to optimize utilization, mitigate risks, and align IT strategies with agency needs.

 

Approach

 

CTPS performs the following subtasks as part of information technology resource management.

 

6025 Information Technology (IT) Resource Management

 

01 Project Coordination

 

Meetings are held with internal staff and occasionally MAPC staff to coordinate and discuss IT-related projects.

 

02 System Administration

 

System administration encompasses the setup, configuration, maintenance, and optimization of IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, operating systems, and databases, to ensure their reliability, availability, and performance in support of agency goals and user requirements. Based on the IT strategy plan, the implementation of these tasks, including updating the disaster recovery plan for the agency, are included in system administration.

 

03 Security Administration

 

Security administration involves overseeing the setup, maintenance, and protection of IT systems, networks, and data through user management, system configuration, patch management, access control, vulnerability scanning, incident response, and security policy enforcement to ensure optimal performance and security against cyber threats. Review all reports generated from cybersecurity-related tools.

 

04 IT Documentation

 

IT documentation involves creating, maintaining, and organizing comprehensive records and guides detailing IT systems, networks, applications, configurations, procedures, and policies to facilitate effective communication, troubleshooting, knowledge transfer, and compliance adherence within the agency.

 

05 IT Resource Management

 

IT resource management entails strategically allocating, optimizing, and overseeing IT assets, including hardware, software, personnel, and budget, to support agency objectives and maximize efficiency.  It also requires managing relationships with IT vendors to ensure timely delivery of products and services. This includes negotiating contracts, evaluating vendor performance, and resolving disputes. This also includes creating an implementation plan for the IT strategy and website infrastructure accessibility review.

 

06 User Support and Assistance

 

This subtask includes providing technical support to end-users to help them resolve IT-related issues. This may involve troubleshooting hardware or software problems, training on new technologies, and providing user manuals.

 

07 Website Administration

 

Website administration consists of managing and maintaining the technical aspects of a website, including server configuration, content updates, user management, security protocols, performance optimization, and troubleshooting, to ensure its functionality, accessibility, security, and overall effectiveness in meeting agency goals and user needs. Staff will research and evaluate alternatives for a new website platform. Other distribution channels for information delivery may also be considered.

 

08 Database Administration

 

Database administration involves tasks such as user management, monitoring database performance, allocating storage, and applying patches and upgrades.

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

In addition to working on the above-mentioned tasks, staff will produce an updated disaster recovery plan and implement the recommendations from the IT strategy plan.


 

Professional Development

 

Project ID

9525

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$80,000

Schedule

Ongoing

 

Purpose and Approach

 

CTPS maintains its technical expertise in part by participating in courses, programs, and workshops offered by the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the Transportation Research Board, the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO), the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and other public, private, and nonprofit organizations. Previous professional development endeavors have been related to topics such as performance-based planning, traffic engineering issues and applications, regional modeling, bicycle and pedestrian issues, transit planning, public involvement, environmental justice, air quality, computer operations and maintenance, database applications, and other areas related to the provision of technical support services.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

Staff will attend conferences, peer exchanges, training, and other enrichment and professional advancement opportunities.

 

 


 

Direct Support

 

Project ID Number

Varies

MPO 3C Planning Funds

$175,000

3C-Funded Work Direct Support Total

$175,000

MBTA Funds

$1,500

Safe Streets for All Grant Funds

$967,800

Agency-Funded Work Direct Support Total

$969,300

 

Purpose

 

Through this activity, CTPS provides integral direct support for all CTPS projects and functions.

 

Approach

IT Equipment

 

IT needs are included in the CTPS Three-Year Plan for IT Resource Development. The three-year plan includes hardware and software that are considered major reinvestments or that cost more than $5,000 per single item.

 

Consultants

 

Consultants are hired periodically to perform specialized, time-specific tasks as project work demands.

 

Membership Dues

 

Annual membership dues are paid to the AMPO, which is the transportation advocate for the metropolitan regions, committed to enhancing the MPOs’ abilities to improve metropolitan transportation systems.

Printing

 

Project-specific printing costs, such as those for surveys, maps, reports, presentation boards, and other informational materials, are included in this budget.

 

Travel

 

Periodically, the US Department of Transportation, AMPO, Transportation Research Board, and other organizations sponsor courses and seminars that enhance staff’s ability to do project work. The costs of registration, travel, and lodging associated with attending such programs are direct-support expenditures. Mileage, tolls, and parking expenses related to project work are also charged as direct-support expenditures.

 

Translation and Interpretation Services

 

To meet the needs of people with limited English proficiency, CTPS translates vital documents into the six most widely spoken non-English languages in the MPO region, currently Chinese (both traditional and simplified), Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Translation expenses are considered a direct cost. CTPS also provides real-time interpretation of meetings and events upon request with one week of advance notice, which is also considered a direct cost.

 

Other

 

Other expenditures may become necessary during the term of this Unified Planning Work Program, such as software for particular project work, equipment for conducting passenger surveys, or data collection equipment, which may be funded through this line item.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

Direct costs include computers, AMPO membership dues, in-state project-related travel, out-of-state travel associated with staff attendance at professional and training conferences, translation and interpreter services, and other appropriate costs.

 

 

 

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Chapter 6: Metropolitan Area Planning Council Activities

INTRODUCTION

 

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) receives approximately 20 percent of the Boston region’s annual combined 3C PL and §5303 funding. With this funding, MAPC staff conduct various studies, technical analyses, and outreach and support activities to help fulfill the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) functions as a regional planning body. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) provides the match to both the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration funds described in this chapter.

 

 

 

Table 6-1
UPWP-Funded MAPC Activities, FFY 2025

 

Project Name ID FFY 2024 Funding FFY 2024 Work Products and Progress FFY 2025 Funding FFY 2025 Planned Work Products and Progress
MAPC Planning Studies and Technical Analyses blank blank blank blank blank
Corridor/Subarea Planning Studies MAPC1 $260,000 Local parking management plans; data collection and analysis to repurpose on-street parking spaces for dedicated bus and bike lanes; planning products and engagement support for MBTA Better Bus Project; multimodal transportation plans for select corridors or subregions. $260,000 Parking use data collection, analysis of data, and recommendations to municipalities in the form of a report; coordination meetings, corridor level data collection and technical memos, community engagement meetings, survey information, and data visualization; identifying mobility solutions, conceptual designs, pilot projects, data and analysis to inform recommendations, and a technical report summarizing findings; new zoning and transportation plans that enable transit-oriented housing.
Active and Carbon-Free Planning and Coordination MAPC2 $245,000 Planning to support the advancement of zero-emission vehicles; bicycle- and pedestrian-planning support; expansion of the LandLine regional greenway system through planning and mapping efforts. $275,000 Planning to support deployment of ZEVs and related infrastructure; data collection, research, and analysis to support completed bicycle and pedestrian plans in selected municipalies; technical support for bicycle and pedestrian improvements; support for regional trail and greenway development; support, technical analysis, coordination, and research in support of the Bluebikes bikeshare system.
MetroCommon 2050 MAPC3 $120,000 Final updated plan with policy recommendations and identification of planning needs to mitigate impacts of scenarios. $135,000 Anticipated outcomes include a stronger constituency for sustainable land use and transportation investments and programs; case studies or best practices for regional and local mobility; and local commitments to implement the regional plan’s recommendations. 
Land Use Development Project Reviews MAPC4 $94,942  Technical memos with transportation recommendations for development projects and large transportation infrastructure projects with a land use component. $97,511 Analyses and reports of MEPA reviews, development of mitigation recommendations, coordination with municipalities and transportation agencies, maintenance and updates of MAPC’s development database, and input into the project evaluations for the TIP and LRTP. In addition, MAPC will continue to review and respond to notices of offered railroad property.
Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program* MAPC5 $50,000 Responded to various communities' inquiries related to transportation issues:

• Wrentham—Provided assistance regarding recommendations for truck exclusion at the intersection of Route 1(Washington St.) and Hawes St.

• Sharon—Provided assistance regarding the redesign of the intersection of Massapoag Avenue / Pond Street at Quincy Street and East Street

• Hamilton/Ipswich—Provided assistance regarding traffic calming at the intersections of Highland Street at Waldingfield Road, Waldingfield Road at Goodhue Street, and Goodhue Street at Highland Street
$50,000 Provide technical assistance to municipal staff in the Boston metro region on challenges around multimodal transportation planning and design.
MAPC Administration and Support Activities blank blank blank blank blank
MPO/MAPC Liaison and Support Activities MAPC6 $190,000  Continue to support the MPO process to develop the TIP, UPWP, and LRTP with robust public engagement, as well as participate in related regional planning efforts conducted by MassDOT, MBTA, municipalities, or federal partners.  $198,000 Outcomes of this program will result in interagency coordination; work scopes and agendas; participation in advisory and corridor committees; public participation and outreach; reports to the MAPC executive committee, MAPC Council members, MAPC subregions, and MAPC staff; MPO elections; PBPP targets and data; LRTP scenarios; TIP criteria update and project evaluations; and attendance at relevant meetings.
UPWP Support MAPC7 $15,000 Support the UPWP development process and attend relevant meetings. $15,000 Tasks and work products generally remain the same from year to year.
Land Use Data and Forecasts for Transportation Modeling MAPC8 $120,000 Improved land use allocation model; multiple demographic and land use scenarios for transportation modeling; updated development data and analysis; documentation; and mapping products to support advanced transportation modeling year to year. $125,000 New data sources; an improved land use allocation model; multiple demographic and land use scenarios for transportation modeling; updated development data and analysis; documentation; and mapping products to support advanced transportation modeling. 
Subregional Support Activities MAPC9 $220,000  Support subregional groups. Includes preparing agendas, coordinating with transportation agencies, reviewing transportation studies in subregions, and helping to set subregional transportation priorities. $234,000 Tasks and work products generally remain the same from year to year.

 

 

 

 

* Asterisk denotes that this section is also included in Chapter 5.

 

 


 

MAPC PLANNING STUDIES AND TECHNICAL ANALYSES

 

MAPC conducts transportation planning studies through four ongoing programs: Corridor/Subarea Planning Studies, Alternative Mode Planning and Coordination, MetroCommon 2050 Implementation, and Land Use Development Project Reviews. MAPC and Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) also collaborate on the Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program (MAPC5), which is described in Chapter 4.

 

 

Corridor/Subarea Planning Studies

 

Project ID Number

MAPC1

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$260,000

 

Purpose

 

These studies include funding to support MAPC’s work on several corridor and subarea studies in the region. Some of these projects will be funded jointly through the UPWP and other funding that MAPC receives through its assessment on municipalities, state contracts, and other planning grants.

 

Approach

 

This task is accomplished through the following subtasks.

 

Parking Planning and Research in Selected Communities ($55,000)

 

The goal is to address the challenges that municipalities face from both requiring too much parking through local regulation and not managing their existing parking supply, both on and off-street. This work may also identify whether space that is currently dedicated for parked cars could be more efficiently used for other transportation or land use purposes. MAPC will work with selected municipalities to conduct research and data collection to develop parking plans and policy changes to build more housing, stimulate local economic prosperity, reduce congestion caused by circling vehicles, help municipalities plan for greater land use density, and encourage mode shift away from single-occupant vehicle trips. This work will involve on- and off-street parking, as well as understanding trade-offs associated with repurposing on-street parking for dedicated bus lanes, bike lanes, or wider sidewalks. This work would benefit local air quality and congestion by managing parking supply and demand and creating places where people can park once and then walk to multiple destinations. In locations where parking requirements can be reduced, the number of households with one or more vehicles could decline, which could result in higher percentages of walking, biking, and transit ridership.

 

Supporting MBTA Bus Network Redesign Implementation ($55,000)

 

MAPC will support the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Bus Network Redesign, a multifaceted planning effort to improve the bus system through bus priority infrastructure, a redesigned bus network with changed and new routes, and improved bus stops. MAPC will help convene municipal officials and other stakeholders to coordinate planning. MAPC will provide technical assistance at the corridor level to understand the trade-off of repurposing parking or travel lanes for more dedicated bus space. MAPC will support community engagement and related planning at the corridor level. 

 

Corridor/Subarea Multimodal Transportation Planning ($75,000)

 

MAPC will work in a selected subregion or roadway corridor to coordinate multimodal transportation planning, safety improvements, and transit service operations to be implemented by MassDOT, MBTA, regional transit authorities, transportation management agencies, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), employers, and/or municipalities with local land use planning to achieve livability and smart growth goals. This work will also include identification of areas in the region that face “transportation insecurity” with low auto ownership rates, lack of convenient public transit, and poor pedestrian infrastructure. The goal is to provide more mobility options for a variety of different users and trip types, as well as safer conditions for all users.

 

Coordinated Housing and Transportation Planning ($75,000)

 

MAPC will work with selected municipalities to help them comply with the new state requirement to allow for multifamily residential development near MBTA transit stations. MAPC will support zoning, transportation planning, transportation demand management, and other activities to establish transit-oriented housing as required by Section 3A of M.G.L. Chapter 40A. MAPC will also conduct regional research on topics related to this new state law to support more cities and towns to comply with the requirement and create transit-oriented neighborhoods. MAPC selects municipalities that respond to the Technical Assistance Program’s annual call for concepts.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 


 

Active and Carbon-Free Planning and Coordination

 

Project ID Number

MAPC2

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$275,000

 

Purpose

MAPC provides alternative-mode transportation-planning support to the Boston Region MPO and municipalities that focuses on non-single-occupancy vehicle modes and promoting zero emission vehicles (ZEV). This work benefits bicycle and pedestrian transportation, encourages transit in areas that currently are underserved by existing regional transit authorities, improves the region’s understanding of transportation network companies, advances ZEVs, and identifies and supports transportation demand management strategies.

 

Approach

 

This area of work is accomplished through the following subtasks.

 

Zero Emission Vehicle Support ($95,000)

 

MAPC will support municipalities in planning for ZEVs, such as electric vehicle charging infrastructure, transitioning or retrofitting municipal fleets, advancing electric school buses and electric cargo bikes, promoting zero emission car sharing and ride-hailing, and other initiatives. This work will increase the number of ZEVs in the region, thereby helping the state meet greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals.

 

Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning ($30,000)

 

MAPC will work with municipalities to identify local bicycle and pedestrian improvements with a focus on closing sidewalk gaps, implementing separated bicycle facilities, supporting bike and pedestrian safety plans, complete streets prioritization plans, and other improvements at the local level. This work will lead to safer infrastructure, increase the rate of cycling and walking in the region, and decrease bicycle and pedestrian injuries.

 

Regional Bike Share Planning ($40,000)

 

MAPC will continue to support municipalities in the region to plan for the implementation and expansion of the Bluebikes bicycle sharing program. This work will include analyzing trip data, coordinating funding opportunities, planning for additional electric bikes, and supporting the next procurement process for a system operator.

 

Regional Greenway Planning and Mapping ($110,000)

 

MAPC will continue to work with MassDOT, CTPS, DCR, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, municipalities, other regional planning agencies, and trail organizations to plan, map, design, and implement portions of a regional bicycle and pedestrian network of off-road and on-road connections (a greenway) that form a contiguous system around greater Boston. In 2015, MAPC worked with the above-cited partners to develop the branding of this system named the LandLine. The trails consist of shared-use paths along former railroad rights-of-way, hiking trails through conservation land, and historic corridors that connect points of interest. The binding theme of the proposed and completed corridors is creating attractive places to walk, bike, or otherwise travel through low-traffic or no-traffic green areas.

 

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 


 

MetroCommon 2050: Greater Boston’s Next Regional Vision 

 

Project ID Number

MAPC3

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$135,000

 

Purpose

 

This task continues to support the ongoing coordination and implementation of our regional plan, MetroCommon 2050, the Boston region’s 30-year comprehensive plan (through the year 2050) for sustainable, equitable growth and development. The new plan establishes goals for topics including mobility, climate mitigation, and resiliency, as well as actionable recommendations needed to accomplish these goals. The agency is developing a new strategic plan and aligning its annual workplan and technical assistance priorities to implement the recommendations of MetroCommon.

 

Approach

 

This work is accomplished through the following subtasks.

 

MetroCommon 2050 Implementation and Education ($45,000)

 

Changing demographics and location preferences, planned investments in public transportation, and emerging transportation technologies will have a profound influence on the Boston region in the decades ahead. The regional plan includes recommendations for improving mobility, reducing GHG emissions from the transportation sector, and expanding the access, capacity, and affordability of public and active transportation. This task will include outreach and education to municipal leaders about the mobility-focused recommendations, including opportunities to identify transportation investments that will help unlock redevelopment in mixed-use locations. Examples of planning processes that we will be supporting include the MBTA, 3A Communities rezoning work, and regional development and preservation priority plans.

 

Building Constituencies for Local, Regional, and State Decisions that Enable Livable Communities and Sustainable Transportation ($45,000)

 

MAPC will continue to work with municipal and state officials and residents to seek changes in land use that will support livable communities and sustainable transportation. This will include engaging the public in planning and dialogue that enhances equitable transit-oriented development planning, and influences other decision-making to improve development outcomes, transportation opportunities, and reduction of GHG emissions. As part of the plan update, MAPC will hold regional discussions regarding challenges and opportunities in making long-term improvements to the Boston region’s transportation system, including restoring and expanding service to equitable transit-oriented development locations. This is especially critical with the new state law that requires cities and towns to zone for multifamily districts around transit stations. Task outputs are expected to include engaging at least 500 people with a focus on diverse and underserved communities and partnering with organizations that serve those communities. Outputs also include hosting at least 10 different events or activities as part of the engagement.

 

Research and Evaluation that Support Livable Communities and Sustainable Transportation ($45,000)

 

Incorporation of best practices and evaluation is important to improving MAPC’s work and for advancing implementation at the local and state levels. Transportation and integrated land use planning practices will be evaluated to determine if improvements can be made to our practices, with a particular emphasis on evaluating the equity outcomes and processes of these plans. Best practices from other regions will also be evaluated for their applicability in Greater Boston.

 

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

Anticipated outcomes include a stronger constituency for sustainable land use and transportation investments and programs; case studies or best practices for regional and local mobility; and local commitments to implement the regional plan’s recommendations.

 


 

Land Use Development Project Reviews

 

Project ID Number

MAPC4

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$97,511

 

Purpose

 

This task supports MAPC’s review of potential development projects in the region. In particular, MAPC will review projects for consistency with its sustainable land use and transportation goals, impacts on the transportation network and projects identified in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), and consistency with the MPO’s Economic Vitality goals.

 

Approach

 

MAPC tracks all projects reviewed in the region under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and provides a regional-planning analysis to MassDOT and the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs for all developments considered to have significant impact. Special attention is given to mitigation and planning requirements that serve to reduce auto travel by encouraging carpooling, transit, parking regulations, and other travel demand management techniques. MAPC coordinates these reviews with MassDOT and the municipalities, and works with MassDOT to identify updated requirements to be included in the transportation impact assessments that must be conducted by developers.

 

MAPC also reviews notices of offered railroad property from MassDOT, consults with municipalities as necessary, and provides appropriate input. Often, these notices involve rail trails, but they also may involve other types of proposed developments.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

Anticipated outcomes include analyses and reports of MEPA reviews, development of mitigation recommendations, coordination with municipalities and transportation agencies, maintenance and updates of MAPC’s development database, and input into the project evaluations for the TIP and LRTP. In addition, MAPC will continue to review and respond to notices of offered railroad property.


 

MAPC ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORT ACTIVITIES

The following section contains details on the administration, resource management, and support activities undertaken by MAPC every federal fiscal year.

 

 

MPO/MAPC Liaison and Support Activities

 

Project ID Number

MAPC6

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$198,000

 

Purpose

 

This task includes working with MPO members and staff to establish work priorities and meeting agendas. It also includes implementing the continuous, comprehensive, and cooperative (3C) transportation planning process and engagement in regional transportation planning led by MassDOT, the MBTA, or municipalities in the region. It also includes reporting to the MAPC executive committee, MAPC council members, MAPC subregions, and MAPC staff on MPO activities to ensure strong coordination of land use and transportation planning across the region.

 

Approach

Statewide and Regional Planning Committees and Processes ($108,000)

 

In addition to participating in the Boston MPO process, MAPC actively participates in and attends statewide and regional planning committees, task forces, working groups, and commissions to represent the interests of the region, with a particular focus on the critical links between land use and transportation. These committees include the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies; Regional Coordinating Councils; MassDOT and MBTA board meetings; and various MassDOT, MBTA, or municipally led transportation working groups or study advisory committees. MAPC will also be actively involved in regional transportation plans and programs related to land use and transportation. Advisory committees may change from year to year as studies are started or completed, but participation in various advisory committees is an ongoing task.

 

Support the Public Participation Process for Metropolitan Planning Documents ($10,000)

 

MAPC provides education and outreach for a wide variety of transportation-related and land use-related topics in the region, with emphasis on outreach through the subregions to municipal officials. MAPC also supports CTPS in its outreach to environmental justice communities, older adults, and people with disabilities.

 

MPO Elections ($10,000)

 

Working with the MBTA Advisory Board, MAPC will coordinate and implement annual elections for municipal representatives in the MPO.

 

Performance-Based Planning and Programming (PBPP) ($10,000)

 

MAPC will review PBPP targets and follow progress toward meeting targets and objectives, with a focus on coordinating state, local, and regional safety planning and goal setting.

 

TIP Development and Project Evaluation ($35,000)

 

MAPC will work with CTPS to advance the Transportation Improvement Plan via an annual process that is transparent and engaging for MPO members and the public. MAPC will support CTPS to update the TIP scoring criteria as necessary and to advise CTPS about the land use and economic-development aspects of the TIP evaluation. MAPC will evaluate and work with municipalities to advance TIP projects.

 

MPO Agenda Setting, Meetings, and Coordination ($25,000)

 

MAPC will work with CTPS and MassDOT to develop MPO meeting agendas and presentations and participate in MPO processes.

 

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

Outcomes of this program will result in interagency coordination; work scopes and agendas; participation in advisory and corridor committees; public participation and outreach; reports to the MAPC executive committee, MAPC Council members, MAPC subregions, and MAPC staff; MPO elections; PBPP targets and data; LRTP scenarios; TIP criteria update and project evaluations; and attendance at relevant meetings.


 

UPWP Support

 

Project ID Number

MAPC7

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$15,000

 

Purpose

 

This task supports MAPC’s management and oversight of UPWP-funded planning studies, projects, and programs, including preparing updates and budget information in monthly reports to MassDOT.

 

Approach

 

MAPC assists with the annual development of the UPWP and coordinates with MassDOT and CTPS to support development of UPWP project ideas and specific work scopes. Through community liaison and subregional support activities, MAPC staff also help communities identify and develop studies for inclusion in the UPWP.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

MAPC staff will prepare UPWP project listings and monthly reports on UPWP activities. MAPC will assist with annual development of the UPWP and support development of specific project proposals and work scopes. MAPC staff will also assist communities in identifying and developing studies to be included in the UPWP through community liaison and subregional support activities.

 

 


 

Land Use Data and Forecasts for Transportation Modeling

 

Project ID Number

MAPC8

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$125,000

 

Purpose

 

This task allows MAPC to support the MPO’s planning and decision-making by providing CTPS with detailed population, household, employment, and land use data (current conditions and scenarios of future growth) for transportation modeling and project evaluation. It also supports forecasting applications for municipal and subregional planning initiatives throughout the MPO and RPA region such as Housing Production Plans.

 

Approach

 

MAPC will continue to investigate, acquire, and improve additional sources of employment and built environment data to inform land use allocation modeling. MAPC will continue to refine and improve Zoning Atlas data and corresponding development capacity estimates that serve as key inputs to the land use allocation model. A major focus this year will be on collecting information about new zoning districts adopted pursuant to the MBTA Communities Multifamily mandate as they are approved and released by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

 

MAPC will continue to monitor development projects that are being planned across the region and will maintain an up-to-date development database in an online portal at https://www.massbuilds.com/map. MAPC will support CTPS and MassDOT in applying these data for project evaluation or updates to the regional travel demand model.

 

MAPC will maintain the UrbanSim land use allocation model and will make incremental improvements as necessary. MAPC has developed methods to prepare updated land use forecasts on an as-needed basis for transportation project analysis, environmental permitting (MEPA modeling), or scenario modeling. As the 2027 Long-Range Transportation Plan socioeconomic projections update process approaches, MAPC will coordinate with UrbanSim on larger necessary upgrades and improvements to the model.

 

MAPC will continue frequent and regular communication and coordination with the CTPS modeling staff to support travel model improvements and integration of the land use allocation and travel demand models. MAPC will also help to plan and participate in webinars and other peer exchange opportunities, such as the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations Socioeconomic Forecasting subgroup quarterly meetings, involving other state, regional, and local agencies to improve our understanding of the state of the practice regarding demographic and land use forecasting.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

Anticipated outcomes include new data sources; an improved land use allocation model; multiple demographic and land use scenarios for transportation modeling; updated development data and analysis; documentation; and mapping products to support advanced transportation modeling.

 

 


Subregional Support Activities (MAPC)

 

Project ID Number

MAPC9

FFY 2025 Total Budget

$234,000

 

Purpose

 

The Boston Region MPO area consists of 97 cities and towns. The region is subdivided into eight geographic areas that are represented by subregional councils comprising municipal officials, business leaders, community-based organizations, and other local participants. MAPC staff planners are assigned as coordinators to each of the subregional groups to help members develop an understanding of subregional and regional transportation and land use issues. This project supports community involvement in the development of transportation planning documents.

 

Approach

 

Subregions jointly identify and review the transportation priorities in their areas and recommend subregional projects and priorities for the TIP, LRTP, UPWP, and the MassDOT and MBTA capital investment plans.

 

Subregional coordinators and MAPC transportation staff report to the MPO through formal and informal communications. MAPC subregional groups will continue to participate in local corridor advisory committees whenever these committees are appropriate vehicles for working on projects in their areas. The subregions will continue to identify priority transportation needs, plan for first- and last-mile connections to transit, identify regional trail connections, pilot new technology to support increased mobility, and support planning for transit-oriented housing around MBTA stations.

 

MAPC staff ensures timely discussions of transportation-related issues by placing the topics on meeting agendas, leading and participating in the discussions, and distributing appropriate documents and notices relating to region and statewide transportation meetings.

 

FFY 2025 Anticipated Outcomes

 

Outcomes of this program include preparing monthly meeting agendas for transportation topics at subregional meetings; coordinating with transportation agencies; reviewing transportation studies in subregions; supporting subregional and corridor advisory committee meetings; generating public input on MPO processes and certification documents; and helping to set subregional transportation priorities.

 

 

 

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Chapter 7: Boston Region MPO Budget and Operating Summaries

This chapter contains overall budget information for the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) federal fiscal year (FFY) 2025 activities. The information is organized according to the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) categories described in Chapters 3 through 6. Recipient agencies and funding sources are indicated.

 

The funding for the projects, programs, and activities listed in Chapters 3 through 6 comes from the following sources, which are described in Chapter 2.

 

UPWP Work Areas

Total Budget

MPO Support and 3C Planning

$4,922,017

MassDOT-Directed PL Projects

$352,367

Ongoing MPO-Funded Technical Analyses

$148,500

MAPC Planning Studies and Technical Analyses

$817,511

New MPO-Funded Discrete Studies

$150,000

Resource Management and Support Activities

$400,000

MAPC Resource Management and Support Activities

$572,000

Direct Costs (3C)

$175,000

Total

$7,537,395

 

Funding Source

Total Programmed Funds

FHWA 3C PL/MassDOT Local Match

$4,660,818

FTA 3C PL (Section 5303)/MassDOT Local Match

$2,876,577

Total

$7,537,395

 

 

Tables 7-1 through 7-9 on the following pages summarize the funding information presented in the preceding chapters. There is one table for each UPWP category of work conducted by Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS), and one for each UPWP category of work conducted by Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC).

 

The total federal funding programmed in this UPWP is $7,537,395. All federal funds programmed in the UPWP are allocated to the Boston Region MPO by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) as Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 3C Planning (PL) funds. However, these federal funds initially come from two sources: the FHWA and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The federal funds, which are supplemented by a non-federal match provided by MassDOT, include the following initial sources:

 

Project status and financial data reported in the following tables are subject to change.

 

 

Table 7-1
UPWP Budget—MPO Support and 3C Planning for FFY 2025

 

Project ID

Name

FFY 2024 CTPS UPWP Budget 

Expected Project Status as of 10/1/2024

Proposed FFY 2025 CTPS Budget

8125

Long-Range Transportation Plan

$106,000

Ongoing

$280,000

8225

Transportation Improvement Program

$321,000

Ongoing

$330,000

8325

Unified Planning Work Program

$132,000

Ongoing

$135,000

9625

Public Engagement Program

$338,000

Ongoing

$397,000

8825

Performance-Based Planning and Programming

$179,500

Ongoing

$140,000

8525

Transportation Equity Program

$203,000

Ongoing

$215,000

8425

Air Quality Program

$55,000

Ongoing

$50,000

2125

Congestion Management Process

$113,500

Ongoing

$125,000

Core MPO Functions Subtotal

blank

$1,448,000

blank

$1,672,000

8725

Climate Resilience Program

$114,000

 Ongoing 

$100,000

2225

Freight Planning Support

$119,000

Ongoing

$125,000

7125

Regional Model Enhancement

$837,000

 Ongoing 

$850,000

5025

Data Program

$568,000

 Ongoing 

$575,000

2525

Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program

$152,000

Ongoing

$185,000

2825

Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program

$332,000

Ongoing

$370,000

Programs Supporting the 3C Process Subtotal

blank

$2,122,000

blank

$2,205,000

9125

Support to the MPO and its Committees

$460,186

Ongoing

$475,017

9225

General Graphics

$309,500

Ongoing

$314,000

9725

General Editorial

$230,000

Ongoing

$233,000

8925

Transit Working Group Support

$22,500

 Ongoing 

$23,000

Support to the MPO and its 3C Process Subtotal

blank

$1,022,186

blank

$1,045,017

Certification Requirements Subtotal

blank

$3,144,186

blank

$4,922,017

 

 

 

Table 7-2
UPWP Budget—Ongoing Technical Analyses for FFY 2025

 

Project ID

Name

FFY 2024 CTPS UPWP Budget 

Expected Project Status/Completion as of 10/1/2024

Proposed FFY 2025 CTPS Budget

2325

Roadway Safety Audits

$17,000

 Ongoing 

$15,000

2425

Community Transportation Technical Assistance

$67,000

Ongoing

$70,000

4125

Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Support

$40,500

Ongoing

$63,500

MPO-Funded Ongoing Technical Analyses Subtotal

blank

$124,500

blank

$148,500

 

 

 

 

Table 7-3
UPWP Budget—MPO New Discrete Studies for FFY 2025

 

Universe ID

Project  ID

Study or Program

Proposed FFY 2025 CTPS Budget

M-2

13819

Bluebikes and MBTA Connections

$60,000

M-4

13820

Roadway Pricing: Balancing the Need for a Transition to Sustainable Mobility with Equity Considerations

$50,000

F-1

13821

Decarbonizing the Freight Sector: Exploring the Potential for Using E-cargo Bikes for First-/Last-mile Freight Deliveries

$40,000

Total for New Discrete Studies

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blank

$150,000

 

 

 

 

Table 7-4
UPWP Budget—Resource Management and Support Activities for FFY 2025

 

Project ID

Name

FFY 2024 CTPS UPWP Budget 

Expected Project Status as of 10/1/2024

Proposed FFY 2025 CTPS Budget

6025

IT Resource Management

$315,500

 Ongoing 

$320,000

9525

Professional Development

$85,500

Ongoing

$80,000

Resource Management and Support Activities Subtotal*

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$401,000

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$400,000

 

*Does not include Direct Support.

 

 

 

Table 7-5
UPWP Budget—MAPC Planning Studies and Technical Analyses
for FFY 2025

 

Project ID

Name

Proposed FFY 2024 MAPC Budget 

Proposed FFY 2025 MAPC Budget 

MAPC1

Corridor/Subarea Planning Studies

$260,000

$260,000

MAPC2

Active and Carbon-Free Planning and Coordination

$245,000

$275,000

MAPC3

MetroCommon 2050

$120,000

$135,000

MAPC4

Land Use Development Project Reviews

$94,942

$97,511

MAPC5, 2424*

Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program*

$50,000

$50,000

MAPC Planning Studies and Technical Analyses Subtotal

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$769,942

$817,511

 

* This project is shared with MAPC.

 

 

 

Table 7-6
UPWP Budget—MAPC Resource Management and Support Activities for FFY 2025

 

Project ID

Name

Proposed FFY 2024 MAPC Budget

Proposed FFY 2025 MAPC Budget

MAPC6

MPO/MAPC Liaison and Support Activities

$190,000

$198,000

MAPC7

UPWP Support

$15,000

$15,000

MAPC8

Land Use Data and Forecasts for Transportation Modeling

$120,000

$125,000

MAPC9

Subregional Support Activities

$220,000

$234,000

MAPC Resource Management and Support Activities

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$545,000

$572,000

 

 

 

 

Table 7-7
UPWP Budget—Summary of FFY 2025 Budgets for CTPS

 

3C Studies and Programs by Budget Categories

Proposed FFY 2025 CTPS Budget

Resource Management and Support Activities

$400,000

MPO Certification Requirements

$4,922,017

Ongoing MPO-Funded Technical Analyses

$148,500

New MPO-Funded Discrete Studies 

$150,000

MassDOT-Directed PL Funds*

$352,367

Direct Support

$175,000

Total FFY 2025 CTPS Budget

$6,147,884

 

Note: Budget figures include salary, overhead, and direct support.

* This project is conducted on behalf of MassDOT but funded through the MPO 3C contract.

 

 

Table 7-8
UPWP Budget—Summary of FFY 2025 Budgets for MAPC

 

3C Studies and Programs by MAPC Budget Categories

Proposed FFY 2025 MAPC Budget

MAPC Planning Studies and Technical Analyses

$817,511

MAPC Administration, Resource Management, and Support Activities

$572,000

Total MAPC FFY 2025 UPWP Programmed Funds

$1,389,511

 

 

 

 

 

Table 7-9
UPWP Budget—3C Budget and Overall Budget for FFY 2025

 

Agency Supporting MPO/3C Work

Proposed FFY 2025 Budget

CTPS

$6,147,884

MAPC 

$1,389,511

3C Budget Subtotal

$7,537,395

 

FFY 2025 UPWP Budget

$7,537,395

 

 

 

 

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Appendices