Draft FFY 2026 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Program Descriptions
For discussion at the April 10, 2025 UPWP Committee Meeting
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
The development of a Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is a federally required element of the metropolitan transportation planning process. The LRTP describes the region’s existing multimodal transportation system and establishes a 20-year vision for that system based on extensive engagement with members of the public, advocates, agency partners, and board members. The plan provides a framework of goals and objectives that guides the projects the MPO funds and the work the MPO undertakes to advance the vision. While the LRTP is formally updated and endorsed on a four-year cycle, its development is a continuous and robust process—work on implementing and updating it includes monitoring system performance and needs across the four years between plan endorsements. The development of the vision, goals, and objectives; investment programs; future scenarios; and project evaluation criteria is supported by research and analysis, drawing from the diverse expertise of staff across the agency. In developing the LRTP, staff research, plan, coordinate with interested parties, and review the priorities of the MPO and other state and regional agencies. The current plan, Destination 2050, was endorsed in July 2023, and the MPO is anticipating that it will endorse its successor in the summer of 2027.
The federal requirements for the metropolitan transportation planning and programming process are described in Title 23 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 450 Subpart C, including the development of a metropolitan transportation plan. The specific requirements for the “metropolitan transportation plan” are laid out in 23 CFR 450.324.
In Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2026, MPO staff will continue work to develop the MPO’s 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 Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) Beyond Mobility, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Focus40 and the development of its next long-range plan, and Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s (MAPC) MetroCommon. This work will include, but is not limited to, preparing content for deliberations at board meetings, facilitating conversations internally and with peer agencies, and engaging with stakeholders throughout the region. Conversations will cover the vision and goals for transportation in the region, an exploration of potential performance measures to assess progress toward the goals, scenario planning to assess the potential impacts of strategies to advance the goals, and general priorities for MPO investments and studies. Due to the wide breadth of topics explored in the development of the long-range plan, ongoing coordination is required with the other ongoing programmatic work and strategic initiatives that the MPO pursues.
Producing a Needs Assessment: Continuing efforts from FFY 2025, MPO staff will finalize and publish an update to the latest Needs Assessment. The Needs Assessment compiles quantitative and qualitative information about the condition and anticipated needs of the Boston region’s transportation system. The Needs Assessment provides baseline data that will be referenced throughout the development of the 2027 long-range plan.
Exploring long-range performance measures: Guided by priorities established by the MPO board and ongoing discussions about the vision, goals, and objectives, MPO staff will explore approaches—including those used by peer MPOs—to track progress towards the regional vision. Staff will begin the process of identifying available data and determining the feasibility of adopting long-range performance measures associated with the MPO’s objective statements. Once potential performance measures have been identified, staff may analyze current trends in the metrics. This is anticipated to be a multiyear effort that continues beyond the development of the 2027 long-range plan. Staff will focus initial efforts on establishing a structure for the performance measures by piloting these explorations through priority goal areas identified by the MPO board.
Identifying strategies to address goals: Staff will explore a variety of strategies and action steps to address the MPO’s goals and objectives identified in the long-range plan. This effort will focus on identifying strategies in areas where the MPO has an ability to influence. Initial discussions will be guided by previous explorations that were developed to support Destination 2050 in addition to policy and action recommendations from recent MPO work products. Potential strategies could include the development of project scoring criteria for the MPO's investments to better prioritize multimodal safety principles, or the exploration of policy areas in the local context to further enhance goals, such as roadway pricing.
Understanding future forces through scenario planning: Through exploratory scenario planning, MPO staff will develop and analyze up to three alternative futures of the Boston region in 2050. Work will build on findings from the Needs Assessment and a prior discrete study, “Big Ideas,” which discussed leading factors affecting the region’s future transportation system and strategies that can be employed to respond to these forces. Staff will analyze the impacts of various policies and strategies on the range of futures to support decision-making and development of the long-range plan.
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
The Boston Region MPO’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a five-year, fiscally constrained program of planned investments in the metropolitan area’s transportation network. The TIP aims to realize the vision and goals of the Boston Region MPO, identified in the long-range plan, by funding and delivering transportation projects that address regional needs. Although federal regulations require that the TIP be updated every four years, Massachusetts MPOs produce annual updates.
Under 49 U.S.C. 5303(j), MPO’s are required to develop a Transportation Improvement Program at least every four years with a time horizon of at least four years. The federal requirements for the development and content of the TIP include the following:
Municipal Engagement and Compilation of the Universe of Projects: Staff communicate with the MPO region’s municipalities through TIP informational sessions, MAPC subregional meetings, Subregional Readiness Days, correspondence with municipal contacts, MassDOT staff, and elected officials to gather information on TIP project-funding requests. Staff compile the projects into a Universe of Projects list for consideration by the MPO. MPO staff are developing a dashboard to display the Universe of Projects in a manner that is more accessible to the public.
Project Evaluation: The MPO uses TIP project evaluation criteria to identify projects that advance 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.
Project Prioritization: Staff prepare a list of programming recommendations that include a selection of candidate projects, taking into consideration the project scores, project readiness, cost, geographic distribution of investments across the region, and LRTP-identified needs. Staff discuss the programming recommendations and work with board members to define the final program. MassDOT state-prioritized projects and the capital programs for the MBTA, the Cape Ann Transportation Authority, and the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority are also presented for the MPO’s consideration.
TIP Document Preparation and Endorsement: Staff prepare a draft TIP that maintains compliance with federal requirements for a public review and comment period. During the public comment period, staff compile and summarize comments on the draft TIP to be relayed to the MPO for consideration before endorsing the final TIP document.
The TIP document reports on the MPO’s implementation of its Performance-Based Planning, highlighting the results of monitoring regional trends and noting progress made toward established performance targets. The performance measures and targets, which align 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 risk mitigation. The TIP also documents analyses of the distribution of transportation investments across the region and comprehensive analyses of changes in transportation access for the entire program of projects. In addition, the TIP reports progress towards achieving regional transportation impact mitigation goals, such as reductions in emissions and advancement of investments that mitigate risks associated with natural hazards and extreme weather events.
In a typical year, various projects experience cost or schedule changes that require an amendment, adjustment, or administrative modification to the TIP. Staff prepare for the possibility of actions to the FFYs 2026–30 TIP and manage public review processes.
MPO staff have identified a need to improve information availability and distribution for statuses of currently programmed and completed TIP projects. The MPO prioritizes expanding resources for municipalities to advance projects to minimize disruptive delays or cost changes, and staff are working to improve access to project design funding, identify funding resources beyond the TIP, and develop policies that help mitigate volatility across the program of projects.
Staff will continue to leverage the MPO’s TIP Process, Engagement, and Readiness Committee to inform the development of the FFYs 2027–31 TIP and as a forum for deeper discussion of key program challenges. Feedback received from committee members and the public as part of the FFYs 2026–30 TIP development cycle will be considered for development of the FFYs 2027–31 TIP.
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) demonstrates the MPO’s progress towards achieving the vision, goals, and objectives outlined in the LRTP. Updated annually, the UPWP establishes how MPO staff will use federal planning funds to conduct transportation planning projects in the upcoming federal fiscal year and describes staff work that is funded by partner agencies or through grants. It also provides information to government officials, local communities, and the general public about regionally significant planning projects that are executed by partner agencies and municipalities in the Boston Region.
Under 23 CFR 450.308 (b), metropolitan planning organizations are required to document transportation planning activities funded through Title 23 of the United States Code (USC) and Title 49, Chapter 53 of the USC in a unified planning work program. In the UPWP, the MPO is federally required to
Staff provide support to the MPO’s UPWP Committee, which plays an important role in shaping the upcoming UPWP. Members provide direction to the MPO’s ongoing work and choice of discrete studies to fund in the next FFY and offer feedback on methods to improve the UPWP development process. MPO staff also report to the committee on the progress made to the work objectives outlined in the current UPWP.
Under the guidance of the UPWP Committee, MPO staff work to coordinate and prepare materials for all phases of development of the upcoming UPWP. These include
Together, these products are synthesized into one document that clearly describes how the MPO is working towards its vision for transportation in the Boston region over the next year. In FFY 2026, staff will refine the document’s narrative and provide more opportunities for committee feedback on the MPO’s ongoing work. Overall, these changes will improve readability of the UPWP to the public and broaden the type of input that is gathered from board members. A draft and final version of the UPWP is reviewed by the public and endorsed by the MPO Board on a yearly basis.
Throughout the year, amendments and administrative modifications to the current UPWP are executed to reflect program budget adjustments, to reprogram federal planning funds from previous years, and to document discretionary grants won by member municipalities and other partners in the region in the appendix of the UPWP.
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
The Public Engagement Program aims to ensure that all people in the Boston region, and particularly communities who have not historically participated in transportation planning and who might lack access to the transportation system, have meaningful opportunities to participate in the MPO’s process and inform planning and policy decisions.
The Public Engagement Program supports all of the MPO’s long-term goals by building stakeholder and public awareness of and support for the MPO’s work in these areas, and collecting, analyzing, and sharing data on public input to help illuminate challenges and opportunities to advance the MPO’s long-term vision and goals. In particular, the Public Engagement Program is responsible for ensuring that the MPO’s planning process is inclusive, transparent, and responsive to needs and priorities shared through engagement.
The Public Engagement Program ensures all of the MPO’s work complies with federal public participation regulations.
The Public Engagement Program is implemented in accordance with the MPO’s Public Engagement Plan, federal public participation requirements, and the MPO’s long-term vision and goals. Many of the Program’s plans and projects span a multiyear time horizon. In FFY 2026, the Public Engagement Program will focus on
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
The MPO uses a performance-based planning and programming (PBPP) process to assess how its spending decisions support progress toward its vision outlined in the Long-Range Transportation Plan. PBPP processes include three phases:
PBPP activities help the MPO make informed decisions in accountable, transparent ways. PBPP reports performance targets and related progress in the MPO’s LRTP and TIP. PBPP is also integrated into the MPO’s decision-making on planning emphasis areas such as those in the LRTP’s vision statement, and studies conducted via the UPWP. Data and analyses from the CMP support the PBPP process by identifying areas of concern across the region.
Currently, the MPO’s PBPP uses the framework and metrics established in federal requirements. These metrics support the MPO’s long-term goals for safety, mobility and reliability, and clean air and healthy communities. The PBPP process is always evolving as the MPO works toward refining its approaches to drive performance and attain meaningful outcomes in support of the MPO’s vision for transportation in the region.
MPOs are federally required to establish and use a performance-based approach to transportation decision-making to support the national goals described in 23 U.S.C. 150(b) and the general purposes described in 49 U.S.C. 5301(c). The Boston Region MPO’s PBPP has several annual and recurring activities that support the following federal requirements for data-driven regional transportation investment decision-making:
In FFY 2026, staff will work to strengthen the objectives of its Plan, Invest, and Monitor and Evaluate phases and continue efforts to integrate PBPP principles with MPO investment selection processes by aligning long-range goals with the expected outcomes of MPO-funded investments and through more frequent reporting of short- and medium-term transportation performance measures. To achieve these objectives, staff will take the following approach:
Continue to explore integrating PBPP principles with investment selection processes: MPO staff will continue to work to incorporate elements of PBPP into MPO project selection criteria for the TIP and LRTP by considering performance areas in which the MPO has established performance targets and monitored progress.
Enhance reporting on regional transportation performance: MPO staff will add more performance data metrics to the Performance Dashboard and enhance functionalities to improve the display and utility of performance data. Staff will prioritize coordination with other programs and processes, such as the CMP, for setting collaborative performance targets. Staff will also explore additional software platforms for collecting and displaying performance targets and results.
Report on performance metrics in the next LRTP’s Needs Assessment: Staff will showcase its performance reporting in the next Needs Assessment by documenting dozens of data analyses across MPO long-range goal areas.
Establish regional safety performance targets: In alignment with the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, staff will work to establish regional safety performance targets. These regional targets will be driven by the recommendations of the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan and converted into the format required by FHWA on the five federally required performance metrics.
Develop a methodology for monitoring air quality performance related to MPO investments: As part of an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of past MPO-funded projects, staff will work to develop and administer a methodology for monitoring the air quality performance impacts of TIP projects. Such monitoring activities will be designed to evaluate the effects of MPO-funded projects on community air quality.
Research Additional Performance Metrics and Monitoring Methodologies: MPO staff will research monitoring methodologies and performance metrics to assess the impact of completed transportation improvement projects in relation to the agency’s long-range goals and objectives.
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
The Community Transportation Access (CTA) Program supports the MPO’s investment in a transportation system that meets the needs of the people of the Boston region. As such, the program focuses on assessing the various impacts of the MPO’s transportation investments on residents’ economic well-being and quality of life. It also strives to communicate the results of these assessments to the MPO and members of the public in a transparent manner such that it supports informed project investment decisions and informs the development of future LRTP goals and objectives. As part of this work, the CTA Program also administers the MPO’s Civil Rights/Title VI Program to ensure the MPO complies with existing state and federal civil rights regulations throughout its work.
Work throughout the year primarily focuses on (1) ensuring MPO compliance with civil rights regulations, (2) tracking transportation outcomes at the regional and local level, centering on access to destinations that support economic vitality and high quality of life, and (3) ensuring the development of these measures is in consultation with the public, MPO members, and other stakeholders so that analyses reflect the transportation needs of the Boston region. This work is conducted cross-programmatically, particularly with those that carry out the federally required 3C metropolitan planning process, to integrate assessments of transportation investments.
The CTA Program supports the following federal mandates:
The CTA Program’s activities are guided by the federal directives listed above and are aligned with the MPO’s priorities as articulated in the LRTP. Through collaboration with staff across the agency, the program ensures these goals are incorporated and progress toward them, evaluated throughout the MPO’s many programs.
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
The CMP supports the MPO’s transportation planning efforts by developing a comprehensive process for congestion mitigation in the Boston Region through a data-oriented, performance-based approach and strategic recommendations for improvement. The CMP aims to formulate solutions for congestion management by establishing performance metrics, analyzing congestion on the regional transportation network using the metrics, identifying problem areas, recommending strategies to reduce congestion, and evaluating the recommendations and effectiveness of projects. The CMP may identify multiple strategies, such as improving regional access and cross-modal connectivity, travel demand management, policies to encourage mode shift, and other effective mitigation strategies. The CMP also considers strategies that can address other related transportation concerns such as traffic safety and environmental considerations.
To maintain program focus on the most relevant issues and community needs, CMP staff engage with various stakeholders affected by traffic congestion. This includes consistent engagement with the CMP Committee, other internal and external collaboration, as well as improving accessibility of CMP materials to the MPO board, regional transportation agencies, and members of the public by publishing them online in interactive formats.
The CMP is required for metropolitan areas with populations greater than 200,000, designated as Transportation Management Areas. The MPO supports the FHWA vision for the CMP, defined in federal regulation as, “intended to serve as a systematic process that provides for safe and effective integrated management and operation of the multimodal transportation system.”
Federal requirements also state that the CMP shall be developed and implemented as an integral part of the metropolitan transportation planning process, emphasizing the importance of coordination between different transportation plans and programs. While there are no other specific requirements for how to create or implement a CMP, the MPO develops its CMP in alignment with Federal guidance, which states that the CMP should be formulated with the following primary aims:
Staff have undertaken a comprehensive update to the MPO’s CMP to include the most recent and relevant regional transportation trends, which have changed significantly since the last full CMP update in 2004. The CMP will be formulated in accordance with guidelines in the FHWA CMP Guidebook, which lists an eight-step cyclical process for an effective CMP. Staff have identified the following goals for the CMP in FFY 2026:
Performance measures are crucial to assess change in conditions over time and to accordingly formulate improvement strategies. MPO staff will select potential performance metrics for the CMP network identified in FFY 2025 and prioritize coordination with the PBPP for setting collaborative performance targets, where applicable. Staff will work with the CMP Committee to define processes for selecting the most relevant and feasible metrics. Staff will also establish procedures for documenting data sources, calculations, and visualizations, which would act as a data inventory for subsequent CMP updates.
MPO staff will work with the CMP Committee to create a framework for a performance measurement data dashboard within the Boston Region MPO’s CMP web page. The framework would include ideas on content, interface design, and visualizations, such as interactive maps. The dashboard is intended to offer a quick and easy way to communicate various congestion-related statistics and useful performance measures, such as travel time and cost of congestion delays, to stakeholders including the MPO board, CMP committee, municipalities, and members of the public.
CMP program staff will continue to engage with the CMP committee for its insight on congestion-related issues as crucial stakeholders in the regional transportation planning process. Congestion management is also tied with much of the transportation planning work done by the MPO including community transportation access, performance-based planning, transportation impact mitigation, multimodal planning, corridor studies, and the agency’s LRTP, UPWP, and TIP work. The CMP objectives are aligned with the LRTP goal areas, and the program identifies congestion-related community needs, which in turn inform LRTP goals. Identifying congested areas can form the basis for other MPO work, including UPWP discrete studies, which can lead to projects to be proposed in the TIP. Traffic data analyzed as part of the CMP is also useful in TIP project evaluations. MPO staff will continue these collaborations across programs and projects as expanded exposure for the CMP program.
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
The Transportation Impact Mitigation (TIM) program supports the MPO’s efforts to evaluate and address risks of natural hazards that may impact the regional transportation system. The program is focused on assessing possible threats that can impede progress toward achieving the goals and objectives of the LRTP. It also seeks to develop a planning process for mitigating the impact of severe weather on transportation assets, and offer technical support to assist communities in the region to adapt to and withstand these potential adverse effects.
The program activities support the MPO’s long-term goals by: (1) prioritizing investments that make the region’s roadway and transit infrastructure more safe, reliable, and able to recover from severe weather events, particularly through improvements to emergency access and evacuation routes; (2) prioritizing transportation investments that mitigate adverse effects in communities at risk and incorporate nature-based solutions to reduce runoff and negative impacts to water resources, air quality, open space, and environmentally sensitive areas; and (3) engaging diverse stakeholders to ensure an inclusive and transparent planning process that provides an opportunity for communities to share their needs and priorities.
The TIM program will strengthen and support the MPO’s efforts to adopt a vulnerability assessment framework, elevate the consideration of resilience across MPO work efforts, improve regional coordination, and explore funding opportunities that will expand the MPO’s capacity to mitigate adverse effects through its investment decisions.
MPOs are federally required to assess environmental mitigation activities, consider strategies that preserve the existing and projected future metropolitan transportation infrastructure, and reduce the vulnerability of the existing transportation infrastructure to natural disasters in the development of long-range transportation plans. They are also required to reflect these investment priorities in the development of their TIP. In addition, MPOs are federally required to conduct air quality conformity analyses and determine project eligibility for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program funding for their long-range transportation plans, TIPs, and amendments in accordance with the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) transportation conformity regulations, and the processes described in 23 CFR 450.326(a), 23 CFR 450.324(m), 23 CFR 450.324(f)(9), and 23 CFR 450.326(g)(6). The Boston Region MPO’s TIM Program activities ensure that the MPO follows these federal requirements, including the following activities:
In FFY 2026, the TIM Program will focus on:
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
The Freight Planning Program is a federally required program to explicitly consider, analyze, and reflect freight facilities and movements in the planning process. Freight and logistics play a vital role in the multimodal transportation system and regional economy. Planning for freight includes planning movements of goods and services by land (road and rail), air, and water. Freight Planning Program activities support the MPO’s long-term goals by: (1) analyzing freight-related safety data, assessing safety concerns, and researching freight policies to identify actionable recommendations (safety goal); (2) engaging stakeholders to promote freight transportation efficiency, intermodal connectivity, and workforce mobility (access and connectivity goal); and (3) developing strategies to reduce the environmental impacts of freight vehicles/warehouses and the consequent negative impacts on communities (clean air and healthy communities goal).
The Freight Planning Program recognizes ongoing and new developments in the freight sector, identifies key issues, sets priorities, encourages the expansion of sustainable modal choices, and supports the efficient movement of goods within the Boston metropolitan region and beyond. As the freight sector is regional and multi-jurisdictional, the Freight Planning Program requires coordinated efforts across the Boston Region MPO, regional stakeholders, and decision-makers, making it one of the program’s primary focus areas.
The Freight Planning Program supports the following federal requirements for the MPO-related freight activities:
The MPO’s freight planning activities are guided by the 2013 Freight Planning Action Plan and its 2019 update, and are aligned with MassDOT 2023 Massachusetts State Freight Plan and the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy. In FFY 2026, the Freight Planning Program will focus on the following tasks:
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
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 a coordinated community of modelers within and beyond CTPS.
The regional travel demand model is at the core of the travel modeling tools. It can be programmed to represent projections of population and employment in the region and used to evaluate the efficacy and key metrics of long-range plan projects. The LRTP relies on a calibrated and current travel demand model to produce the metrics required to complete this certification activity. In addition to the LRTP, the regional travel demand model is used for statewide emissions estimates and to support specific planning and policy analysis by the MPO, municipalities, and state agencies as well as to support state and federal grant applications and EPA filings.
The regional travel demand model is most useful in concert with other tools that provide different sensitivities and metrics. This program aims to identify, design, develop, and support the modeling tool that best meets the MPO needs.
This program prioritizes the development, maintenance, and enhancement of a regional travel demand model, with major versions produced for each LRTP cycle (the current major version is TDM23, and the next will be TDM27). The program also supports the development and maintenance of complementary modeling tools that are purpose-built for specific studies and incorporate different sensitivities and input levels such as VisionEval and the FTA STOPS models. These tools and the regional model enhance transportation planning insights and facilitate reliable quantitative analysis for regional and statewide projects and policies. Finally, this program supports research and prototyping of new modeling tools and practices that will further improve our analytical capabilities.
The model research, development, and maintenance efforts are guided by a modeling roadmap that provides a framework to evaluate and prioritize new model investments, maintenance and feature priorities for existing models, and the key design and development milestones for future modeling tools. 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. The roadmap key deliverables are listed in the Anticipated Outcomes section below.
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
The Data Program is a set of consolidated efforts to improve how data are obtained, developed, used, and shared in support of the MPO and its stakeholders. Guided by a vision of valuable, reliable, and accessible data managed through transparent, collaborative, and resilient practices, the program enables MPO staff to
The Data Program supports the following federal requirements for MPOs related to data:
In FFY 2026, the Data Program will focus on the initiatives below, the first three of which are special initiatives and the remainder of which are ongoing efforts:
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
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 MPO leverages its role as a regional transportation planning agency to study active mobility 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 using active modes within their municipalities and provide recommendations to increase the use of these modes for daily trips by residents, employees, and visitors.
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program strives to reduce congestion, increase physical activity, and shape more livable communities. Our work is aimed at facilitating greater adoption of active modes and informing investment in sustainable active transport infrastructure throughout the Boston metro region. We prioritize the needs of people living in communities that are less likely to have access to motorized vehicles and rapid transit stations within the region, making active modes of transportation all the more critical to mobility in these communities.
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program supports the following federal requirements for metropolitan planning organizations related to bicycle and pedestrian travel.
In FFY 2026, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Program, informed by the participation of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Steering Committee and the broader goals of the MPO’s LRTP, will focus on the following tasks:
FFY 2026 Total Budget | $xxx,xxx |
Schedule | Ongoing |
The Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program (MMIP) 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, including walking, rolling, biking, and transit. The program strives to provide tools and resources to increase capacity among stakeholders to enhance the planning and design of multimodal transportation infrastructure in the region.
Under Title 23, Chapter I, Subchapter E, Part 450, Subpart C, it is stated in § 450.318 that “an MPO(s), State(s), or public transportation operator(s) may undertake a multimodal, systems-level corridor or subarea planning study as part of the metropolitan transportation planning process.” Furthermore, among the Federal planning factors described in Title 23, Section 134, of the US Code, the activities within the MMIP address the following:
In FFY 2026, the MMIP will focus on the following initiatives:
of
[1] Publicly available through the Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Data Application.