WORK PROGRAM
All-Hazards Planning Application Update
January 21, 2021
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) votes to approve this work program.
Boston Region MPO Planning Studies and Technical Analyses
Boston Region MPO
Principal: Jonathan Church
Manager: Ariel Patterson
MPO Planning and §5303 Contract #112310
Schedule and budget details are shown in Exhibits 1 and 2, respectively.
The Boston Region MPO elected to fund this study with its federally allocated metropolitan planning funds during federal fiscal year (FFY) 2021. The work completed through this study will address the following goal area(s) established in the MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP): system preservation and clean air and clean communities.
As the effects of climate change intensify and become more frequent, communities must identify transportation facilities that would benefit from protective and adaptive measures. Protecting these facilities would also allow residents to safely evacuate from potentially life-threatening weather events. Top concerns for the transportation sector include heavy precipitation, coastal and inland flooding, and extreme heat, all of which are detailed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s current State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan (SHMCAP). The SHMCAP contains assessments of 14 potential climate hazards and serves as a blueprint for the Commonwealth’s planning initiatives and emergency protocols. Many state agencies are developing tools to assess future conditions under different climate change scenarios, but data sharing and collaboration are still in its infancy.
The purpose of this study is to update the All-Hazards Planning application, one of the MPO’s interactive tools that helps users identify various climate hazards relative to the Boston Region MPO area’s transportation network. The application was first conceptualized over 10 years ago in the “Emergency Evacuation and Hazard Mitigation Mapping” project, funded through the FFY 2010 UPWP. Since then, climate change projections have become more accurate, and some of the information in the data layers is outdated. As the field of resilient transportation continues to evolve, it is essential to incorporate the most up-to-date datasets in the application.
An anticipated outcome of this study is a well-designed, user-friendly interactive application, based on the existing All-Hazards Planning application, that informs users of climate hazards in relation to the transportation network. The revised application could help planners, municipalities, and the general public visualize climate change effects on transportation infrastructure, and inform building a more resilient system. MPO staff could use the application for Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) project evaluations; especially important given the revised scoring criteria which place a greater emphasis on resiliency and climate change. It can also be used by staff for MPO work, such as ongoing planning studies and updates to the LRTP Needs Assessment.
This work may provide the basis for future projects for the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS), either through the LRTP scenario-planning process or a future UPWP study. The work is intended to complement current work at CTPS, such as the recent FFY 2020 UPWP study, “Exploring Resilience in MPO-Funded Corridor and Intersection Studies.” Additionally, this work may complement efforts undertaken at the state level through the Resilient Massachusetts Action Team’s (RMAT) collaborative work, which MPO staff participants in.
This work program has two primary objectives:
This work consists of the following tasks:
MPO staff will conduct a thorough review of the current version of the All-Hazards Planning application to gain a better understanding of its capabilities and limitations. This knowledge will help MPO staff identify opportunities for functional improvements.
An inventory of the application’s capabilities and limitations
Staff will research feasible modifications to the application. Staff will also review RMAT’s interactive applications and state and regional data to coordinate the collective efforts.
A brief memorandum of proposed changes to the All-Hazards Planning application and potential opportunities to link this work with state and regional projects
MPO staff will revise features of the All-Hazards Planning application. Activities in this task include the following:
A revised All-Hazards Planning application
MPO staff will present the revised All-Hazards Planning application to MPO board members for feedback.
A presentation to the Boston Region MPO Board of the updated All-Hazards Planning application
Staff will incorporate MPO member feedback, finalize, and release the application for public use.
All-Hazards Planning application, which can be accessed by staff and the public through the MPO website
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) operates its programs, services, and activities in compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related statutes and regulations. Title VI prohibits discrimination in federally assisted programs and requires that no person in the United States of America shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency), be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives federal assistance. Related federal nondiscrimination laws administered by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, or both, prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, and disability. The Boston Region MPO considers these protected populations in its Title VI Programs, consistent with federal interpretation and administration. In addition, the Boston Region MPO provides meaningful access to its programs, services, and activities to individuals with limited English proficiency, in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation policy and guidance on federal Executive Order 13166. The Boston Region MPO also complies with the Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, M.G.L. c 272 sections 92a, 98, 98a, which prohibits making any distinction, discrimination, or restriction in admission to, or treatment in a place of public accommodation based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or ancestry. Likewise, the Boston Region MPO complies with the Governor's Executive Order 526, section 4, which requires that all programs, activities, and services provided, performed, licensed, chartered, funded, regulated, or contracted for by the state shall be conducted without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, disability, veteran's status (including Vietnam-era veterans), or background. A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO or at http://www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination. To request this information in a different language or in an accessible format, please contact Title VI Specialist |
| Task |
Month | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
1.
Review the Current All-Hazards Planning Application |
From Month 1, Week 1 to Month 1, Week 4.
|
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2.
Research Potential Add-on Features and Application Revisions |
From Month 1, Week 2 to Month 3, Week 1.
|
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3.
Revise Current Application with Updated Datasets |
From Month 2, Week 1 to Month 5, Week 4.
|
||||||
4.
Present Findings to Boston Region MPO Board Members |
From Month 6, Week 1 to Month 6, Week 4.
|
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5.
Release Application for Public and Agency Use |
From Month 7, Week 1 to Month 7, Week 4.
Deliverable
A
Delivered by Month 7, Week 4.
|
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| Task |
Person-Weeks | Direct Salary |
Overhead (106%) |
Total Cost |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-1 | P-5 | P-4 | P-2 | Total | ||||
1.
Review the Current All-Hazards Planning Application
|
0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | $423 | $448 | $872 |
2.
Research Potential Add-on Features and Application Revisions
|
0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | $1,375 | $1,457 | $2,832 |
3.
Revise Current Application with Updated Datasets
|
0.2 | 4.6 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 6.5 | $11,215 | $11,887 | $23,102 |
4.
Present Findings to Boston Region MPO Board Members
|
0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | $675 | $715 | $1,390 |
5.
Release Application for Public and Agency Use
|
0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | $816 | $865 | $1,680 |
Total
|
0.2 | 4.8 | 0.2 | 4.2 | 9.4 | $14,503 | $15,374 | $29,876 |