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)
MBTA Advisory Board
Massachusetts Port Authority
Regional Transportation Advisory Council
City of Beverly, North Shore Task Force
City of Boston
City of Everett, At-Large City
City of Framingham, MetroWest Regional Collaborative
City of Newton, At-Large City
City of Somerville, Inner Core Committee
Town of Acton, Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination
Town of Arlington, At-Large Town
Town of Brookline, At-Large Town
Town of Burlington, North Suburban Planning Council
Town of Medway, SouthWest Advisory Planning Committee
Town of Norwood, Three Rivers Interlocal Council
Town of Rockland, South Shore Coalition
Federal Highway Administration (nonvoting)
Federal Transit Administration (nonvoting)

Source: Boston Region MPO.

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS

Meeting locations are accessible to people with disabilities and are near public transportation. Upon request (preferably two weeks in advance of the meeting), every effort will be made to provide accommodations such as assistive listening devices, materials in accessible formats and in languages other than English, and interpreters in American Sign Language and other languages. Please contact the MPO staff at 857.702.3700 (voice), 617.570.9193 (TTY), 617.570.9192 (fax), or eharvey@ctps.org.

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
Boston Region MPO
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116
civilrights@ctps.org

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

Contact MPO staff:

By mail:

Boston Region MPO

Certification Activities Group, 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 fax:

617.570.9192

By email:

TIP@ctps.org

This document was funded in part through grants from the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

[Certification Statement]

These pages will list the eleven requirements of the transportation planning process to be conducted by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and certify that the Boston Region MPO complies with these requirements. The certification of the Transportation Planning Process will be signed by the chair of the Boston Rsolution Actegion MPO after the final endorsement of the FFYs 2022–26 TIP.]

These pages will list the eleven requirements of State Regulation 310 CMR 60.05: Global Warming Solutions Act to be conducted by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and certifies that the Boston Region MPO complies with these requirements. The certification of State Regulation 310 CMR 60.05: Global Warming Solutions Act will be signed by the chair of the Boston Region MPO after the final endorsement of the FFYs 2022–26 TIP.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations

Executive Summary

introduction

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) five-year capital investment plan, the Federal Fiscal Years (FFYs) 2023–27 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), is the near-term investment program for the region’s transportation system. Guided by the Boston Region MPO’s vision, goals, and objectives, the TIP prioritizes investments that preserve the current transportation system in a state of good repair, provide safe transportation for all modes, enhance livability, promote equity and sustainability, and improve mobility throughout the region. These investments fund arterial roadway and intersection improvements, maintenance and expansion of the public transit system, bicycle path construction, infrastructure improvements for pedestrians, and major highway reconstruction.

The Boston Region MPO is guided by a 22-member board with representatives of state agencies, regional organizations, and municipalities. Its jurisdiction extends roughly from Boston north to Ipswich, south to Marshfield, and west to municipalities along Interstate 495. Each year, the MPO conducts a process to decide how to spend federal transportation funds for capital projects. The Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS), which is the staff to the MPO, manages the TIP development process.

MPO staff coordinates the evaluation of project funding requests, proposes programming of current and new projects based on anticipated funding levels, supports the MPO board in developing a draft TIP document, and facilitates a public review of the draft before the MPO board endorses the final document.

ffys 2023–27 tip investments

The complete TIP program is available in Chapter 3 of this document and online at bostonmpo.org/tip. The TIP tables provide details of how funding is allocated to each programmed project and capital investment program. These tables are organized by federal fiscal year and are grouped by highway and transit programs.

Highway Program

The Highway Program of the TIP funds the priority transportation projects advanced by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the cities and towns within the Boston region. The program is devoted primarily to preserving and modernizing the existing roadway network by reconstructing arterial roadways, resurfacing highways, and replacing bridges.

In Massachusetts, Federal-Aid Highway Program funding is apportioned by MassDOT, which allocates funding to Grant Anticipation Notes (GANs) payments, various statewide programs, and Regional Targets for the state’s MPOs. In the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, roadway, bridge, and bicycle and pedestrian programs account for more than $2.5 billion in funding to the Boston region. The Regional Target funding provided to the MPOs may be programmed for projects at the discretion of each MPO, whereas MassDOT has discretion to propose its recommended projects for statewide programs, such as those related to bridge repairs and interstate highway maintenance.

Transit Program

The Transit Program of the TIP provides funding for projects and programs that address the capital needs prioritized by the three transit authorities in the region: the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), the Cape Ann Transportation Authority (CATA), and the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA). The Transit Program is predominantly dedicated to achieving and maintaining a state of good repair for all assets throughout the transit system.

The FFYs 2023–27 TIP includes nearly $4 billion in transit investments by the transit authorities that will support state of good repair, modernize transit systems, and increase access to transit. Additionally, beginning in FFY 2025, the MPO will allocate five percent of its annual Regional Target funds to its new Transit Modernization investment program. This program aims to build on the investments made through the Transit Program by using a portion of Highway Program funding to fulfill unmet transit project needs in the region. The MPO has already begun to fund discrete projects through this program prior to FFY 2025 based on a surplus of available funding in FFYs 2023 and 2024, as detailed below.

regional target program details

During FFYs 2023–27, the Boston Region MPO plans to fund 51 projects with its Regional Target funding. In total, 23 new projects were added to the MPO’s Regional Target program during this TIP cycle. Details on these projects are available in table ES-1.

Table ES-1
New Regional Target Projects Funded in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP

Note: Funding amounts in this table include both federal and non-federal funds, including matching funds.

*Funding in this table represents the first year of funding, with additional funding anticipated to be allocated to these projects by the Boston Region MPO in future fiscal years.

**Funding in this table represents partial funding. Additional funding sources will be identified for the Forest Hills Station Improvement Project in future fiscal years. The total project cost is $68,000,000.
CATA = Cape Ann Transportation Authority. FFY = federal fiscal year. MART = Montachusett Area Regional Transit. MCRT = Mass Central Rail Trail. MWRTA = MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. N/A = not applicable. RTA = regional transit authority.

Source: Boston Region MPO.

The event that drove the development of the FFYs 2023–27 TIP was the signing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), on November 15, 2021. The BIL is the new five-year federal funding authorization for transportation projects and programs, replacing the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act as the primary governing legislation for the TIP process. The BIL increased the amount of Regional Target funding available to the Boston Region MPO for the development of the FFYs 2023–27 TIP by approximately 20 percent from the funding levels in the FFYs 2022–26 TIP. These additional funds allowed the MPO to program a significantly greater number of new projects in this TIP cycle (23) than in the FFYs 2022–26 TIP cycle (10) or the FFYs 2021–25 TIP cycle (8).

As in most years, the majority of the funding available for allocation by the MPO during the FFYs 2023–27 TIP cycle was in the fifth and final year of the TIP, FFY 2027. Unlike in most years, however, the addition of approximately $20 million in new BIL funding annually beginning in FFY 2023 created new funding surpluses in the early federal fiscal years of the TIP (FFYs 2023 and 2024). These surpluses were compounded by programming delays for two projects already funded by the MPO (project #606453—Improvements on Boylston Street and project #606226—Reconstruction of Rutherford Avenue, both in Boston). Together, these dynamics led to a funding surplus in excess of $90 million in FFYs 2023 and 2024.

The MPO did not have any currently funded Regional Target projects that could be accelerated to make use of these funds, so the MPO worked with MassDOT and the MBTA to identify projects that could be funded in these fiscal years. Jointly, MassDOT and the MBTA brought more than a dozen projects to the MPO for consideration, from which the MPO selected three projects for funding in FFYs 2023 and 2024:

• Lynn Station Improvements Phase II (Lynn)
• Bridge Rehabilitation, Commonwealth Avenue (Route 30) over the Charles River (Newton and Weston)
• Forest Hills Station Improvement Project (Boston)

These projects were not formally evaluated using the MPO’s project selection criteria prior to the MPO making draft funding decisions, as MPO staff did not have sufficient time to score the projects prior to the deadline for MPO decision-making. Despite not being scored, the projects generally align well with many of the MPO’s goals, including enhancing bicycle and pedestrian safety and access, and maintaining a state of good repair for the region’s transit system and critical roadways. Scoring information will be included for these projects when it is available.

Several other key decisions were made by the MPO in the drafting of the FFYs 2023–27 Regional Target Program, including the following:

• Annual funding for the MPO’s Community Connections Program was increased from $2 million to $2.5 million, bringing this program’s funding level closer to the MPO’s two percent goal, after taking into account new funding available through the BIL.
• Annual funding for the MPO’s Transit Modernization Program was increased from $5.5 million to $6.5 million, bringing this program’s funding level closer to the MPO’s five percent goal, after taking into account new funding available through the BIL.
• Approximately $23 million in Regional Target funding was left unallocated by the MPO, primarily in FFY 2024. The MPO will determine specific uses for these funds in a future TIP cycle.

Figure ES-1 shows how the Regional Target funding for FFYs 2023–27 is distributed across the MPO’s investment programs. As the chart shows, the Boston Region MPO’s Regional Target Program is devoted primarily to enhancing mobility and safety for all travel modes through significant investments in Complete Streets projects. A large portion of the MPO’s funding also supports the modernization of key regional roadways and transit infrastructure through investments in Major Infrastructure and Transit Modernization projects. The MPO also elected to leave approximately $23 million unprogrammed, preferring to retain these funds for use in future TIP cycles in support of a more flexible overall program in the coming fiscal years.

Figure ES-1
FFYs 2023–27 TIP Regional Target Funding by MPO Investment Program

FFY = federal fiscal year. MPO = metropolitan planning organization. TIP = Transportation Improvement Program.

Source: Boston Region MPO.

In addition to the distribution of funding across the MPO’s investment programs listed above, Table ES-2 further details the number of projects and the allocation of funds across each program in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP. As noted in Figure ES-1, the MPO has programmed more than 95 percent of its available funding over five years. More details about every project funded through the MPO’s Regional Target program are available in Chapter 3.

Table ES-2
FFYs 2023–27 Boston Region MPO Regional Target Investment Summary

Note: Funding amounts in this table include both federal and non-federal funds, including matching funds.

*One MPO-funded Complete Streets project (608348—Bridge Street) is partially funded through MassDOT’s Earmark Discretionary Program.

FFY = federal fiscal year. MPO = metropolitan planning organization. N/A = not applicable.

Source: Boston Region MPO.

When making decisions about which projects to fund, the MPO considers not only the relative distribution of funds across projects and investment programs, but also how the allocation of funds to each investment program compares to the funding goals outlined in the MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Destination 2040. The investment program sizes set forth in the LRTP reflect the types of projects the MPO seeks to fund to help it achieve its goals and objectives for the region, from enhancing safety for all users to promoting mobility and accessibility across the region. More information on the MPO’s goals and objectives are available in Chapter 1, and a comparison between LRTP investment program sizes and program funding levels in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP is shown in Figure ES-2.

Figure ES-2
FFYs 2023–27 TIP: Regional Target Funding Levels Relative to LRTP Investment Program Goals

FFY = federal fiscal year. LRTP = Long-Range Transportation Plan. TIP = Transportation Improvement Program.

Source: Boston Region MPO.

The investments made in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP will be implemented in 47 cities and towns throughout the Boston region, ranging from dense inner core communities to developing suburbs further from the urban center. Figure ES-3 illustrates the distribution of Regional Target funding among the eight subregions within the Boston Region MPO’s jurisdiction, as defined by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). This figure also includes information about how the distribution of funds compares to key metrics for measuring the need for funding by subregion, including the percent of regional population, employment, and Federal-Aid roadway miles within each subregion.

Figure ES-3
FFYs 2023–27 TIP: Regional Target Funding Levels Relative to Key Indicators

Note: Unprogrammed funds and funds held for the MPO’s Transit Modernization and Community Connections Programs are not included in this figure.

FFY = federal fiscal year. MAGIC = Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination. MAPC = Metropolitan Area Planning Council. MetroWest = MetroWest Regional Collaborative. NSPC = North Suburban Planning Council. NSTF = North Shore Task Force. SSC = South Shore Coalition. SWAP = South West Advisory Committee. TIP = Transportation Improvement Program. TRIC = Three Rivers Interlocal Council.

Source: Boston Region MPO.

Additional information on the geographic distribution of Regional Target funding across the region, including a breakdown of funding by municipality, is included in Appendix D.

financing the ffys 2023–27 tip

Highway Program

The TIP Highway Program was developed with the assumption that federal funding for the state would range between $789 million and $850 million annually over the next five years. These amounts include the funds that would be set aside initially by MassDOT as payments for the Accelerated Bridge Program and exclude required matching funds. The funding levels for the FFYs 2023–27 TIP’s Highway Program represent an increase of approximately 18 percent over those in the FFYs 2022–26 TIP. This is a direct result of the broad increase in federal formula funding resulting from the passage of the BIL in November 2021.

The process of deciding how to use this federal funding in the Boston region follows several steps. First, MassDOT reserves funding for GANs debt service payments for the Accelerated Bridge Program; annual GANs payments range between $89 million and $134 million annually over the five years of this TIP.

The remaining Federal-Aid Highway Program funds are budgeted to support state and regional (i.e., MPO) priorities. In the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, $870 million to $895 million annually was available for programming statewide, including both federal dollars and the local match. MassDOT customarily provides the local match (which can also be provided by other entities); thus, projects are typically funded with 80 percent federal dollars and 20 percent state dollars, depending on the funding program. Costs for project design are borne by the proponent of the project.

Next, MassDOT allocates funding across the following funding categories:

• Reliability Programs: These programs include the Bridge Program—comprising inspections, systematic maintenance, and National Highway System (NHS) and non-NHS improvements—the Pavement Program, the Roadway Improvements Program, and the Safety Improvements Program.
• Modernization Programs: These programs include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Retrofit Program, the Intersection Improvement Program, the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Program, and the Roadway Reconstruction Program.
• Expansion Programs: These programs include the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program and the Capacity Program.

Finally, once these needs have been satisfied, MassDOT allocates the remaining funding among the state’s 13 MPOs for programming. This discretionary funding for MPOs is sub-allocated by formula to determine the Regional Target amounts. The Boston Region MPO receives the largest portion of MPO funding in the state, with approximately 43 percent of Massachusetts’ Regional Target funds allocated to the region. MassDOT develops these targets in consultation with the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA). This TIP was programmed with the assumption that the Boston Region MPO will have between $129 million and $132 million annually for Regional Target amounts, which consist of federal funding and state funding for the local match.

Each MPO may decide how to prioritize its Regional Target funding. Given that the Regional Target funding is a subset of the Highway Program, the MPO typically programs the majority of funding for roadway projects; however, the MPO has flexed portions of its highway funding to the Transit Program for transit expansion projects and through its Transit Modernization and Community Connections Programs. The TIP Highway Program details the projects that will receive Regional Target funding from the Boston Region MPO and statewide infrastructure projects within the Boston region. Details on these investments are outlined in Chapter 3.

Transit Program

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) allocates the funds programmed in the TIP Transit Program according to formula. The three regional transit authorities in the Boston Region MPO area that are recipients of these funds are the MBTA, CATA, and MWRTA. The MBTA, with its extensive transit program and infrastructure, is the recipient of the preponderance of the region’s federal transit funds.

As the current federal transportation legislation, the BIL allocates funding to transit projects through the following formula programs:

• Section 5307 (Urbanized Area Formula Grants): Provides grants to urbanized areas to support public transportation based on levels of transit service, population, and other factors
• Section 5337 (Fixed Guideway/Bus): Seeks to maintain public transportation systems in a state of good repair through replacement and rehabilitation capital projects
• Section 5309 (Fixed Guideway Capital Investment Grants): Provides grants for new and expanded rail, bus rapid transit, and ferry systems that reflect local priorities to improve transportation options in key corridors
• Section 5339 (Bus and Bus Facilities): Provides funding to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment, and to construct bus-related facilities
• Section 5310 (Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities): Provides funding to support transportation to meet the special needs of older adults and persons with disabilities

the tip development process

Overview

When determining which projects to fund through the Regional Target funding process, MPO members collaborate with municipalities, state agencies, members of the public, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders. The MPO board uses evaluation criteria in its project selection process to help identify and prioritize projects that advance progress on the MPO’s six goal areas:

• Safety
• System Preservation and Modernization
• Capacity Management and Mobility
• Clean Air/Sustainable Communities
• Transportation Equity
• Economic Vitality

Additionally, the MPO has established investment programs, which are designed to direct Regional Target funding towards MPO priority areas over the next 20 years, to help meet these goals. The investment programs are as follows:

• Intersection Improvements
• Complete Streets
• Major Infrastructure
• Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections
• Community Connections
• Transit Modernization

Projects that the MPO selects to receive Regional Target funding through the TIP development process are included in one of the six investment programs listed above. More information on the MPO’s investment programs is available in Chapter 2.

In recent years, the MPO has been incorporating performance-based planning and programming (PBPP) practices into its TIP development and other processes. These practices are designed to help direct MPO funds towards achieving specific outcomes for the transportation system. The MPO’s goals and investment programs are key components of its PBPP framework. In FFY 2018, the MPO began to set targets for specific performance measures. Over time, the MPO will more closely link its performance targets, investment decisions, and monitoring and evaluation activities. More information on PBPP is available in Chapter 4 as well as in Appendix A (Table A-2).

Outreach and Data Collection

The outreach process begins early in the federal fiscal year, when cities and towns designate TIP contacts and begin developing a list of priority projects to be considered for federal funding, and the MPO staff asks the staffs of cities and towns in the region to identify their priority projects. MPO staff compiles the project funding requests into a Universe of Projects, a list of all Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections, Complete Streets, Intersection Improvements, and Major Infrastructure projects identified as potential candidates to receive funding through the TIP. Projects seeking funding through the MPO’s Community Connections Program are not included in the Universe, as all projects that apply for this program’s discrete application process are considered for funding. The MPO does not currently list Transit Modernization projects in the Universe, as the project intake process for this program is currently being developed. The Universe includes projects at varying levels of readiness, from those with significant engineering and design work complete to those still early in the conceptual or planning stage. MPO staff collects data on each project in the Universe so that the projects may be evaluated.

Project Evaluation

MPO staff evaluates projects based on how well they address the MPO’s goals. For MPO staff to conduct a complete project evaluation, Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections, Complete Streets, Intersection Improvements, and Major Infrastructure projects must have a functional design report or the project plans must include the level of detail defined in a functional design report, a threshold typically reached when a project nears the 25 percent design stage. To complete an evaluation for projects under consideration through the MPO’s Community Connections Program, project proponents must submit a completed application to MPO staff.

In response to significant cost increases in recent TIP cycles for projects already programmed for funding, the MPO board created a committee in the wake of the FFYs 2022–26 TIP cycle to further explore the causes of project cost increases and devise MPO policy changes to support more reliable project delivery. The TIP Project Cost Ad Hoc Committee began its work in June 2021 and advanced a set of policy recommendations to the full MPO board in September 2021. These changes were formally adopted by the MPO on November 4, 2021, and were in effect for the development of the FFYs 2023–27 TIP.

Among other changes, the MPO elected to codify its policy of requiring that project proponents submit 25 percent designs and obtain an updated cost estimate for their projects prior to being programmed in the TIP. While this new policy was formally in effect for the FFYs 2023–27 TIP cycle, the MPO desired to keep this threshold flexible in its first year of implementation, given that the policy was not adopted until after the start of TIP development. Furthermore, projects may still be scored before reaching the 25 percent design stage in order to provide proponents with a sense for the extent to which their projects align with the MPO’s goals and scoring criteria.

The evaluation results for all projects are presented to the MPO board members for their consideration for programming in the TIP. Draft scores are shared directly with project proponents, at which point proponents are encouraged to review the scores and provide feedback so that MPO staff may make any warranted adjustments to arrive at accurate final results. Once proponents review their scores, final scoring results are posted on the MPO’s website where MPO members, municipal officials, and members of the public may review them.

TIP Readiness Day

An important step toward TIP programming takes place midway through the TIP development cycle at a meeting—referred to as TIP Readiness Day—that both MassDOT and MPO staff attend. At this meeting, MassDOT project managers provide updates about cost and schedule changes related to currently programmed projects. These cost and schedule changes must be taken into account as MPO staff helps the MPO board consider updates to the already programmed years of the TIP, as well as the addition of new projects in the outermost year of the TIP.

Among the other new policies advanced by the TIP Project Cost Ad Hoc Committee, the MPO board adopted a policy requiring proponents of projects that experienced a cost increase of 25 percent or more (for projects costing less than $10 million) or $2.5 million or more (for projects costing more than $10 million) to present to the MPO board on the reasons for these cost increases. The MPO would then compare these projects—at the new costs—to other projects based on a cost-effectiveness evaluation before making a decision on whether or not to fund the projects at the higher costs. These cost changes are most often revealed through conversations between MassDOT staff and MPO staff during TIP Readiness Day, making this new policy especially relevant at this stage of TIP development.

Staff Recommendation and Draft TIP

Using the evaluation results and information about project readiness (that is, the extent to which a project is fully designed and ready for construction), MPO staff prepares a recommendation or a series of programming scenarios for how to program the Regional Target funding in the TIP. Other considerations, such as whether a project was included in the LRTP, addresses an identified transportation need, or promotes distribution of transportation investments across the region, are also incorporated into these programming scenarios. The staff recommendation is always financially constrained—meaning, subject to available funding. There was approximately $645 million of Regional Target funding available to the Boston Region MPO for FFYs 2023–27. In this TIP cycle, the MPO board members discussed several scenarios for the Regional Target Program for highway projects and selected a preferred program in March 2022.

In addition to prioritizing the Regional Target funding, the MPO board reviews and endorses the statewide highway program that MassDOT recommends for programming. The board also reviews and endorses programming of funds for the MBTA’s, CATA’s, and MWRTA’s transit capital programs.

Approving the TIP

After selecting a preferred programming scenario, usually in late March, the MPO board votes to release the draft TIP for a 21-day public review period. The comment period typically begins in late April or early May, and during this time the MPO invites members of the public, municipal officials, and other stakeholders in the Boston region to review the proposed program and submit feedback. During the public review period, MPO staff hosts public meetings to discuss the draft TIP document and elicit additional comments.

After the public review period ends, the MPO board reviews all municipal and public comments and may change elements of the document or its programming. The MPO board then endorses the TIP and submits it to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for approval. MassDOT incorporates the MPO-endorsed TIP into the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The FHWA, FTA, and United States Environmental Protection Agency review the STIP for certification by September 30, the close of the federal fiscal year.

Updates to the TIP

Even after the TIP has been finalized, administrative modifications, amendments, and adjustments often must be introduced because of changes in project schedule, project cost, funding sources, or available revenues. This may necessitate reprogramming a project in a different funding year or programming additional funds for a project.

Notices of administrative modifications and amendments are posted on the MPO’s website. If an amendment is necessary, the MPO notifies affected municipalities, stakeholders, and members of the public via email. The MPO typically holds a 21-day public review period before taking final action on an amendment. In extraordinary circumstances, the MPO may vote to shorten the public comment period to a minimum of 15 days. Administrative modifications and adjustments are minor and usually do not warrant a public review period.

Stay Involved with the TIP

Public engagement is an important aspect of the transportation planning process. Please visit bostonmpo.org for more information about the MPO, to view the entire TIP, and to submit your comments. You also may wish to sign up for email news updates and notices by visiting bostonmpo.org/subscribe and submitting your contact information. To request a copy of the TIP in accessible formats, please contact the MPO staff by any of the following means:

Mail: Boston Region MPO c/o CTPS Certification Activities Group, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150, Boston, MA 02116-3968

Telephone: 857.702.3702 (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

Fax: 617.570.9192

Email: publicinfo@ctps.org

The Executive Summary of the FFYs 2022–26 TIP is also available as a translation:

• 執行總結 (PDF)
• 执行总结 (PDF)
• Rezime Egzekitif (PDF)
• Resumen Ejecutivo (PDF)
• Resumo Executivo (PDF)

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Chapter 1
3C Transportation Planning and the Boston Region MPO

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) are the bodies responsible for providing a forum for this decision-making 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, which decides how to spend federal transportation funds for capital projects and planning studies for the area.

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, require that urbanized areas conduct a transportation planning process, resulting in plans and programs consistent with the planning objectives of the metropolitan area, in order to be eligible for federal funds.

The most recent reauthorization of the federal surface transportation law is the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), which has succeeded the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. 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.

3C Transportation Planning

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

• Identify transportation problems and develop possible solutions
• Ensure that decision-making balances short- and long-range considerations and adequately reflects the range of possible future scenarios, options, and consequences
• Represent both regional and local considerations, and both transportation and non-transportation objectives and impacts, in the analysis of project issues
• Assist implementing agencies in effecting timely policy and project decisions with adequate consideration of environmental, social, fiscal, and economic impacts, and with adequate opportunity for participation by other agencies, local governments, and the public
• Help implementing agencies prioritize transportation activities in a manner consistent with the region’s needs and resources
• Comply with the requirements of the BIL, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Clean Air Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 12898 (regarding environmental justice), Executive Order 13166 (regarding outreach to populations with limited English-language proficiency), and Executive Order 13330 (regarding the coordination of human-services transportation)

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

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 

Source: Boston Region MPO.

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

MPO Central Vision Statement

The following paragraph is the MPO’s central vision statement, as adopted in Destination 2040, the MPO’s current Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

The Boston Region MPO envisions a modern, well-maintained transportation system that supports a sustainable, healthy, livable, and economically vibrant region. To achieve this vision, the transportation system must be safe and resilient; incorporate emerging technologies; and provide equitable access, excellent mobility, and varied transportation options.

This vision statement takes into consideration the significant public input received during the drafting of the Needs Assessment for Destination 2040. This statement also reflects the MPO’s desire to add emphasis to the maintenance and resilience of the transportation system while supporting the MPO’s six core goals: Safety, System Preservation and Modernization, Capacity Management and Mobility, Clean Air and Sustainable Communities, Transportation Equity, and Economic Vitality. More information on the MPO’s vision, goals, and objectives for the transportation system is available in Figure 1-3 below.

Certification Documents

As part of its 3C process, the Boston Region MPO annually produces the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). These documents, along with the quadrennial LRTP, are referred to as certification documents and 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. In addition to the requirement to produce the LRTP, TIP, and UPWP, the MPO must establish and conduct an inclusive public participation process, and maintain transportation models and data resources to support air quality conformity determinations and long- and short-range planning work and initiatives.

The following is a summary of each of the certification documents.

• 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 established goals and objectives. The Boston Region MPO produces an LRTP every four years. Destination 2040, the current LRTP, was endorsed by the MPO board in August 2019 and went into effect on October 1, 2019. Figure 1-3 shows the MPO’s goals and objectives as adopted by the MPO board in Destination 2040.
• The TIP is a multiyear, multimodal program of transportation improvements that is consistent with the LRTP. It describes and prioritizes transportation projects that are expected to be implemented during a five-year period. 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. The TIP contains a financial plan that shows the revenue sources, current or proposed, for each project. The TIP serves as the implementation arm of the MPO’s LRTP, and the Boston Region MPO updates the TIP annually. An MPO-endorsed TIP is incorporated into the State Transportation Improvement Program for submission to the FHWA, FTA, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for approval.
• 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, produced annually, is often 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, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Massachusetts Port Authority, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and municipalities in the Boston region.

Figure 1-3
LRTP Goals and Objectives

Central Vision Statement

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization envisions a modern, well-maintained transportation system that supports a sustainable, healthy, livable, and economically vibrant region. To achieve this vision, the transportation system must be safe and resilient; incorporate emerging technologies; and provide equitable access, excellent mobility, and varied transportation options.

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

Source: Boston Region MPO.

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Chapter 2
The TIP Process

INTRODUCTION TO THE TIP PROCESS

One of the most important decisions a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) faces is deciding how to allocate limited funds for transportation projects and programs. Transportation improvements are part of the solution to many critical regional, state, national, and even global problems, such as traffic congestion, air pollution, fatalities and injuries on roadways, climate change, and environmental injustice. Because there is not nearly enough funding available for all of the necessary and worthy projects that would address these problems, an MPO’s investment choices must be guided by policies that help identify the most viable and effective solutions.

As described in Chapter 1, the Boston Region MPO develops a Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to prioritize the expenditure of federal funds on transportation projects. The MPO staff manages the development of both plans. The annual development process for the TIP involves evaluating project funding requests from municipalities and state transportation agencies. The MPO staff then proposes a range of alternative scenarios for the programming of new and ongoing projects based on anticipated yearly funding levels, supports the MPO board by creating a draft TIP document, and facilitates a public involvement process that affords the public an opportunity to comment on proposed projects and review the draft TIP before the MPO board endorses the final document.

FUNDING the TIP

Federal Funding Framework

The first step in allocating federal transportation funds is the passage by the United States Congress of a multi-year act that establishes a maximum level of federal transportation funding per federal fiscal year (FFY). The establishment of this level of funding is referred to as an authorization. The most recent authorization act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), was signed into law on November 15, 2021. The BIL governs the development of the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, including establishing new formula funding levels, creating new and reauthorizing existing discretionary grant programs, and setting policy priorities. More information about the impacts of the BIL on the development of the FFYs 2023–27 TIP is available throughout this report, with specific guidance on new BIL Planning Emphasis Areas available in Appendix E.

After the authorization level has been established, the United States Department of Transportation annually allocates funding among the states according to various federal formulas. This allocation is referred to as an apportionment. The annual apportionment rarely represents the actual amount of federal funds that are ultimately committed to a state because of federally imposed limitations on spending in a given fiscal year, referred to as the obligation authority. In Massachusetts, TIPs are developed based on the estimated obligation authority.

Federal Highway Program

The FFYs 2023–27 TIP’s Highway Program was developed with the assumption that funding from the Federal-Aid Highway Program for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would range between approximately $789 million and $850 million annually over the next five years. These amounts include the funds that would be set aside initially by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) as payments for the Accelerated Bridge Program and exclude required matching funds. The funding levels for the FFYs 2023–27 TIP’s Highway Program represent an increase of approximately 18 percent over those in the FFYs 2022–26 TIP. This is a direct result of the broad increase in federal formula funding resulting from the passage of the BIL in November 2021.

The process of deciding how to use this federal funding in the Boston region follows several steps. MassDOT first reserves funding for Grant Anticipation Notes (GANs) debt service payments for the Accelerated Bridge Program; annual GANs payments range between approximately $89 million and $134 million annually over the five years of this TIP.

The remaining Federal-Aid Highway Program funds are budgeted to support state and regional (i.e., MPO) priorities. In the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, there is a total of approximately $870 million to $895 million assumed to be annually available statewide for programming (these amounts include both federal dollars and the state-provided local match). MassDOT customarily provides the local match (which can also be provided by other entities); thus, the capital costs of projects are typically funded with 80 percent federal dollars and 20 percent state dollars, depending on the funding program. Costs for project design are borne by the proponent of the project.

Regional Targets

The Regional Targets are discretionary funds for MPOs, sub-allocated by formula to each metropolitan planning region. The Boston Region MPO receives about 43 percent of the total funds available statewide for Regional Targets. MassDOT developed the target formula for determining this distribution of funds in consultation with the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA).

Each MPO in the state can decide how to prioritize its Regional Target funding. Given that the Regional Target funding originates from the Federal-Aid Highway Program, the Boston Region MPO board typically programs the majority of its target funding on roadway projects; however, the MPO board has flexed portions of its TIP Highway Program funding to the TIP’s Transit Program, most notably when the MPO board provided funding in support of the Green Line Extension transit expansion project. Additionally, the FFYs 2023–27 TIP includes an annual allotment of funding to the MPO’s Transit Modernization Program beginning in FFY 2025. This represents the MPO’s first formalized effort to flex Federal-Aid Highway funds to transit projects on a yearly basis, an affirmation of the region’s goals to support multimodal transportation options in a meaningful way. More information on the MPO’s investment strategy is discussed later in this chapter.

During the next five years, the Boston Region MPO’s total Regional Target funding will be approximately $645 million, an average of $129 million per year. As with the overall increase in funding for the Highway Program from the BIL, the MPO’s Regional Target funds increased nearly 20 percent per year in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP relative to the levels planned for in the development of the FFYs 2022–26 TIP. To decide how to spend its Regional Target funding, the MPO engages its 97 cities and towns in an annual TIP development process.

Federal Highway Administration Programs

The Federal-Aid Highway Program dollars discussed in this chapter come through several Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funding programs, each of which has unique requirements. Table 2-1 lists these programs, which come from the BIL and fund projects in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP.

Table 2-1
Federal Highway Administration Programs Applicable to the FFYs 2023–27 TIP

BIL = Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Source: Federal Highway Administration 

Federal Transit Program

Federal aid for public transit authorities is allocated by formula to urbanized areas (UZAs). MassDOT is the recipient of this federal aid in the Boston MA-NH-RI UZA. In UZAs with populations greater than 200,000, such as the Boston MA-NH-RI UZA, the distribution formula factors in passenger-miles traveled, population density, and other factors associated with each transit provider. The three regional transit authorities (RTAs) in the Boston Region MPO area are the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA), and Cape Ann Transportation Authority (CATA). The MBTA, with its extensive transit program and infrastructure, is the recipient of the preponderance of federal transit funds in the region.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) distributes funding to transit agencies through several different programs. Table 2-2 shows FTA programs that come from the BIL and support transit investments in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP.

Table 2-2
Federal Transit Administration Programs Applicable to the FFYs 2023–27 TIP

BIL = Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Source: Federal Transit Administration

INVESTMENT FRAMEWORKS

MPO Investment Framework

As mentioned previously, each MPO in the state can decide how to prioritize the Regional Target funding it receives through the processes established by FHWA and MassDOT. The Boston Region MPO’s LRTP defines the investment framework that informs the specific investment decisions made in the TIP by establishing

• the MPO’s transportation vision, goals, and objectives, which shape the MPO’s project evaluation criteria;
• MPO investment programs; and
• other guidelines that help the MPO determine how to allocate funding across its investment programs.

MPO Goals and Objectives

The MPO’s goals and objectives provide the foundation for the evaluation criteria the MPO board uses when selecting transportation projects to be funded with Regional Target dollars. MPO staff compares candidate projects’ characteristics to these criteria to evaluate whether individual projects can help the MPO advance its various goals. The criteria used to select projects for this TIP are based on the MPO’s goals and objectives, adopted as part of Destination 2040, which is the LRTP the MPO endorsed in August 2019. These goals and objectives are listed in Chapter 1.

MPO Investment Programs

In Destination 2040, the MPO strengthened the link between its spending and improvements to transportation performance by revising its investment programs to include a broader range of prospective projects. These investment programs focus on specific types of projects that the MPO expects will help achieve its goals and objectives for the transportation system. The MPO created these programs to give municipalities the confidence that if they design these types of projects the MPO will be willing to fund them through the TIP:

• Complete Streets
• Intersection Improvements
• Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections
• Major Infrastructure (including highway funds flexed to major transit infrastructure)
• Community Connections
• Transit Modernization

Figure 2-1 provides details about the Destination 2040 investment programs and their relationship to the MPO’s goals. When developing the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, the MPO allocated its Regional Target dollars to these investment programs by assigning them to projects that meet the investment programs’ criteria.

Figure 2-1
Destination 2040 Investment Programs

Newly created in Destination 2040, the Transit Modernization Program represents a significant shift in the MPO’s investment strategy, as funding will be allocated to transit projects on an annual basis beginning in FFY 2025. In prior years, the MPO only funded transit projects on a one-off basis when funding was requested for specific projects in the region. By creating the programming infrastructure to flex Regional Target highway funds to transit projects annually, the Boston Region MPO has established itself as a leader among MPOs nationally by crafting an investment strategy that is truly multimodal. The MPO has taken a clear stance that investing in transit is central to improving the region’s broader transportation system. The MPO’s five other investment programs were created during the development of prior LRTPs.2-1

During this TIP cycle, the MPO funded multiple Transit Modernization projects in FFYs 2023 and 2024 in order to make use of funding surpluses in these years. The MPO has also continued to reserve funding in each fiscal year beginning in FFY 2025 for future allocation. In the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, the MPO made the decision to increase the funding allocated to this program from $5.5 million to $6.5 million annually, as the MPO’s overall Regional Target funding increased with the passage of the BIL in November 2021.  In the coming years, the MPO will continue to work with municipalities and transit providers in the region to identify transit needs and determine the most effective use of this funding to address those needs.

Destination 2040 also reflects an updated set of priorities for the MPO's Complete Streets investment program, adding dedicated bus lanes and climate resiliency measures to the types of projects targeted for funding through this program. As with the Transit Modernization Program, the MPO will continue to work with municipalities in future TIP cycles to develop and fund projects in these new areas of emphasis.

Finally, while the MPO’s Community Connections investment program was created through the 2015 LRTP, Charting Progress to 2040, the FFYs 2021–25 TIP represented the first TIP cycle that allocated this funding to specific projects. In prior TIP cycles, the $2 million in annual funding for this program was reserved for future use but not allocated, as the development timeline for the first- and last-mile projects funded through this program is much shorter than for other TIP projects. In the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, the MPO built on the success of the first two rounds of the Community Connections Program, funding 11 additional projects on top of the 14 projects funded in the previous two TIP cycles.

Funding for the Community Connections Program continues to be reserved in FFYs 2024–27 for allocation in future TIP cycles. As with the Transit Modernization Program above, the MPO made the decision in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP to increase the funding allocated to the Community Connections Program from $2 million to $2.5 million annually beginning in FFY 2023, as the MPO’s overall Regional Target funding increased with the passage of the BIL in November 2021. More information on the projects selected for funding in each of the MPO’s investment programs can be found in Chapter 3.

Other Funding Guidelines

When creating investment program guidelines for Destination 2040, the MPO elected to decrease the amount of funding allocated to large-scale projects that would be included in its Major Infrastructure Program in order to focus a larger percentage of funding on lower cost, operations-and-maintenance projects. Such a funding mix will help the MPO address its goals and provide more opportunities for the MPO to distribute federal transportation dollars to projects throughout the region, as opposed to concentrating it on a few large-scale projects.

Early in the development of the FFYs 2022–26 TIP, the MPO reassessed its definition of Major Infrastructure projects, adopting a new definition through sequential votes on August 20, 2020, and October 1, 2020. This revised definition carried through to the development of the FFYs 2023–27 TIP. The MPO previously defined Major Infrastructure projects as those that cost more than $20 million or that add capacity to the transportation network. The MPO’s new definition classifies Major Infrastructure projects as those that meet any of the following criteria:

• Roadway projects:
• Capital projects that improve facilities that are important to regional travel, which include
• interstate highways;
• principal arterial freeways and expressways; and
• and all sections of roadways classified as principal arterial “other” that have fully or partially controlled access.
• Projects that cost $50 million or more
• Transit projects:
• Capital projects that add new connections to or extend the rail or fixed guideway transit network
• Projects that cost $50 million or more

Under the MPO’s prior Major Infrastructure definition, the relatively low cost threshold caused several large-scale Complete Streets projects to be classified as Major Infrastructure projects although they were more local in nature. The changes outlined above are intended to focus the Major Infrastructure investment program on those projects that are of significant scale or that are truly important for the broader MPO region. This allows the MPO to better compare like projects when conducting project evaluations. Because the MPO considers the five-year distribution of TIP funds across its investment programs relative to the goals set forth in the LRTP (as shown in Figure 2-2), properly categorizing projects is a critical component of the MPO’s decision-making process.

Funding allocation goals like these are some of the LRTP-based guidelines the MPO employs to ensure limited Regional Target funding is programmed in ways that best achieve the MPO’s goals for transportation in the region. As the MPO continues the development of its next LRTP, Destination 2050, it will assess the efficacy of each of its six investment programs to ensure these programs are structured to best support progress on the MPO’s goals and objectives for the region.

Figure 2-2
Destination 2040 Funding Goals by MPO Investment Program

Source: Boston Region MPO.

In addition to evolving policies for specific investment programs, the MPO also made other policy changes prior to the development of the FFYs 2023–27 TIP to guide future funding decisions. Most notably, the MPO elected to codify its policy of requiring that project proponents submit 25 percent designs and obtain an updated cost estimate for their projects prior to being programmed in the TIP. This new standard was set by the MPO as part of a multi-pronged effort to reduce the prevalence of cost increases for projects that have already been selected for funding in the TIP.

This change is part of a larger suite of policy changes recommended by the TIP Project Cost Ad Hoc Committee, which was created in the wake of the FFYs 2022–26 TIP cycle and completed its work in November 2021. While this new policy was formally in effect for the FFYs 2023–27 TIP cycle, the MPO desired to keep this threshold flexible in its first year of implementation, given that the policy was not adopted until after the start of TIP development. More information on the work of this committee is available on the following pages of this chapter.

MassDOT and Transit Agency Investment Frameworks

MassDOT and the MBTA each update their rolling five-year Capital Investment Plans (CIP) on an annual basis. Historically, these agencies have produced a unified CIP, but for the FFYs 2023–27 capital planning cycle, MassDOT and the MBTA have opted to produce separate plans. Though separate, these plans take similar approaches. MassDOT’s CIP identifies priority roadway, bridge, and statewide infrastructure projects for the five MassDOT divisions and includes funding for specific transit projects such as the South Coast Rail and Green Line Extension projects. The MBTA’s CIP outlines the agency’s five-year investment strategy for transit projects in its service area.

Both CIP processes use a similar framework that prioritizes funding according to statewide strategic goals for the transportation system. Reliability is the top priority for MassDOT and the MBTA, followed by modernization and then expansion. Both agencies have created investment programs for their respective CIPs that relate to these strategic goals, and allocate funding to these programs in ways that emphasize their priority. These goals and investment programs are as follows:

• Reliability: These investments are oriented toward maintaining and improving the overall condition and reliability of the transportation system. They include capital maintenance projects, state-of-good-repair projects, and other asset management and system preservation projects. The MassDOT Highway Division programs in this area include the Bridge Program—including inspections, systematic maintenance, and National Highway System (NHS) and non-NHS improvements—the Pavement Program, the Roadway Improvements Program, and the Safety Improvements Program. MBTA reliability programs include its Revenue Vehicles Program; Track, Signals, and Power Program; Bridge and Tunnel Program; Stations Program; Facilities Program; and Systems Upgrade/Other investments.

• Modernization: These investments enhance the transportation system to make it safer and more accessible and to accommodate growth. These projects address compliance with federal mandates or other statutory requirements for safety and/or accessibility improvements; exceed state-of-good-repair thresholds to substantially modernize existing assets; and provide expanded capacity to accommodate current or anticipated demand on transportation systems. The MassDOT Highway Division programs in this area include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Retrofit Program, the Intersection Improvement Program, the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Program, and the Roadway Reconstruction Program. MBTA programs in this area include the Red and Orange Line Improvements Program, the Commuter Rail Safety and Resiliency Program, the Accessibility Program, the Risk Management and Mitigation Program, the Automated Fare Collection (AFC) Program, and the Customer Experience and Technology Improvements Program.

• Expansion: These investments provide more diverse transportation options for communities throughout the Commonwealth. They expand highway, transit, and rail networks and/or services, or they expand bicycle and pedestrian networks to provide more transportation options and address health and sustainability objectives. The MassDOT Highway Division programs in this area include the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program and the Capacity Program. The MBTA’s major expansion program is for the Green Line Extension.

DEVELOPING THE TIP

Project Selection Process

Overview

The MPO applies its investment framework when developing the TIP. The MPO board’s process for selecting projects to receive highway discretionary—or Regional Target—funding relies on evaluation criteria to help identify and prioritize projects that advance the MPO’s goals. The criteria are based on the MPO’s goals and objectives outlined in the LRTP. All projects are required to show consistency with the LRTP and other statewide and regional plans. Other considerations include the readiness of a project for construction and municipal support for the project. Background information about the TIP project evaluation process is presented in Appendix A.

In the wake of the adoption of Destination 2040 in August 2019, the MPO began the process of revising the TIP evaluation criteria to enhance alignment with the MPO’s updated goals, objectives, and investment programs. These new criteria were adopted by the MPO on October 1, 2020, and were employed during the project selection process for the FFYs 2022–26 and 2023–27 TIPs. The final criteria were the result of a 15-month process that engaged nearly 1,100 members of the public through surveys and focus groups. This process also prioritized the inclusion of significant direct input from MPO members, which was gathered from more than a dozen presentations, discussions, and focus groups. The outcomes of this process are discussed further in the Project Evaluation section on the following pages.

Because of the limitations on in-person gatherings caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a vast majority of the surveys, focus groups, and presentations discussed above were conducted virtually, with participation options both online and over the telephone. These virtual engagement opportunities allowed MPO staff to pursue new ways of building relationships with members of the public and other key stakeholders in the region. Given the increase in access to the TIP criteria revision process afforded by these virtual events, MPO staff intend to develop a hybrid outreach model that would support both in-person and virtual engagement when it is safe to resume in-person meetings.

In addition to the process outlined above, which focused on developing new criteria for five of the MPO’s investment programs (Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections, Complete Streets, Intersection Improvements, Major Infrastructure, and Transit Modernization), the MPO also adjusted the project selection criteria used to evaluate and fund projects through the Community Connections Program in the FFYs 2022–26 and 2023–27 TIPs. These revisions were made based on the lessons learned by MPO staff through the pilot round of this program, which took place during the FFYs 2021–25 TIP cycle. More information on these criteria is available in the Project Evaluation section of this chapter, as well as in Appendix A.

Outreach and Data Collection (October–November)

The TIP development process begins early in the federal fiscal year when cities and towns in the region designate staff as TIP contacts and begin developing a list of priority projects to be considered for federal funding. Each fall, the MPO staff asks these TIP contacts to identify their city or town’s priority projects and then MPO staff elicits input from interested parties and members of the general public.

These discussions on municipalities’ priority projects mark the start of a robust dialogue between MPO staff and project proponents that continues through the duration of the TIP cycle. As noted above, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the transition of all of these conversations for the FFYs 2023–27 TIP cycle to take place virtually. During the fall of 2021, MPO staff held two virtual workshops for municipalities in the region to develop an understanding of the TIP process. MPO staff provided additional one-on-one virtual office hours throughout the fall for proponents to ask more detailed questions about advancing specific projects for funding, with several office hour sessions booked for this purpose during the early stages of developing the FFYs 2023–27 TIP.

Once project proponents have decided to pursue federal funding, they must begin the formal project initiation process. All new Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections, Complete Streets, Intersection Improvements, and Major Infrastructure projects must be initiated with the MassDOT Highway Division before they can be considered for programming in the TIP. MassDOT details this process on its project initiation webpage, mass.gov/info-details/massdot-highway-initiating-a-project . To be considered for programming, proponents of Community Connections projects must submit an application for funding directly to MPO staff, as these projects do not need to be initiated by MassDOT.

The MPO staff compiles project funding requests for projects into a Universe of Projects list, which consists of all identified projects being advanced for possible funding in the Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections, Complete Streets, Intersection Improvements, and Major Infrastructure investment programs. The Universe includes projects that are at advanced stages of project design, those that are undergoing preliminary engineering and design, and projects still in the conceptual planning stage. Those projects that are active municipal priorities and that are feasibly ready to be programmed in the current TIP cycle continue forward into the MPO’s project evaluation process. Projects that are not ready for programming remain in the Universe for consideration in future TIP cycles. A project Universe is not developed for Community Connections projects, as all eligible projects within this program will be considered for funding during the TIP cycle in which project proponents apply.

Project Evaluation (December-February)

The MPO staff uses its project evaluation criteria to logically and transparently evaluate and select projects for programming in the TIP that advance the MPO’s vision for transportation in the region. This process favors projects that support the following goals:

• Transportation by all modes will be safe
• Maintain and modernize the transportation system and plan for its resiliency
• Use existing facility capacity more efficiently and increase transportation options
• Ensure that all people receive comparable benefits from, and are not disproportionately burdened by, MPO investments, regardless of race, color, national origin, age, income, ability, or sex
• Create an environmentally friendly transportation system
• Ensure our transportation network provides a strong foundation for economic vitality

As noted previously, the MPO undertook a process of revising the TIP evaluation criteria prior to the launch of the FFYs 2022–26 TIP to enhance the alignment between the TIP project selection process and the MPO’s updated goals, objectives, and investment programs outlined in Destination 2040. In terms of the overall structure of the criteria, this process resulted in the following outcomes:

• The creation of criteria for the MPO’s Transit Modernization Program, as well as for scoring transit expansion projects through the MPO’s Major Infrastructure Program
• Revisions to the existing criteria for the MPO’s Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections, Complete Streets, Intersection Improvements, and Major Infrastructure (Roadway) investment programs, allowing for each program to have a distinct set of criteria that better evaluates the specific aspects of each type of project
• The transition to an overall scoring scale of 100 points (from 134 points under the former scoring system)
• The reconfiguration of the way in which Transportation Equity is scored, from simply being a measure of equity populations in a project area to additionally considering how the most vulnerable people who use the transportation system would benefit from the investments made by a project

In addition to these broader structural changes, a number of updates were made to individual criteria to better accomplish the MPO’s goals in the LRTP:

• The percentage of the overall score allocated to Transportation Equity was more than doubled, from nine percent to 20 percent.
• The multimodal nature of the criteria was enhanced through more fully measuring investments in transit-supporting infrastructure, such as dedicated bus lanes and transit-signal-priority equipment.
• The ways in which the MPO considers resiliency in project selection was broadened by expanding the types of resiliency investments awarded points.
• A new criterion was added that considers the intersection of equity and health through the measurement of the expected emissions impacts of a project in areas with high concentrations of certain air pollutants.

Several other changes were made to the project evaluation criteria, which are detailed in Appendix A. The point distributions, categorized by MPO investment program and LRTP goal area, are also available in Figure 2-4. Projects scored using both sets of criteria are programmed in each of these four investment programs in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, so both sets of criteria are referenced throughout this document.

Though many of the adjustments listed above were in development prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the emerging lessons from this event reinforced the importance of making such changes. These changes include emphasizing criteria that award points to projects that invest in walking, bicycling, and transit infrastructure. Also, the need for new criteria that more directly address existing disparities in health and transportation access for minorities and low-income households has been put into stark relief throughout the pandemic. While the MPO did not elect to rescore any currently programmed projects with these new criteria, the revised criteria will be employed in coming TIP cycles to support the funding of transportation projects that act on the lessons learned from COVID-19.

Prior to the FFYs 2022–26 TIP cycle, the MPO also undertook a parallel process to update its evaluation criteria for the smaller-scale, first- and last-mile projects considered for funding through the Community Connections Program. These adjustments were based on the lessons learned from the pilot round of this program during the FFYs 2021–25 TIP cycle. In these revisions, MPO staff aimed to create a more focused set of criteria that better aligned with the types of projects pursuing funding through this program. Revisions to the Community Connections criteria also addressed the discrepancies between capital and operating projects, as the pilot criteria more heavily favored operating projects. These adjustments resulted in more balanced scores that better reflected the goals of the program when implemented for the FFYs 2022–26 TIP cycle. More information on the scoring areas for these criteria is available in Figure 2-3, and all the criteria are available in Appendix A. Projects scored using both sets of criteria are programmed in the Community Connections Program in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, so both sets of criteria are referenced throughout this document.

Figure 2-3
TIP Project Evaluation Criteria: Point Distribution for Community Connections Projects

Source: Boston Region MPO.

Figure 2-4
TIP Project Evaluation Criteria: Point Distributions by Project Type (All Other Investment Programs)

Source: Boston Region MPO

In order for the MPO staff to conduct a complete project evaluation, each project proponent must provide enough information to meaningfully apply the criteria listed above. Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections, Complete Streets, Intersection Improvements, and Major Infrastructure projects must have a functional design report or be near the 25 percent design stage, or its plans must include the level of detail defined in a functional design report. (See MassDOT’s Project Development and Design Guide for information about the contents of a functional design report. This guide is available at mass.gov/lists/design-guides-and-manuals.) For Community Connections projects, proponents must submit a complete application to the MPO, including required supporting documentation.  

After MPO staff have completed an initial round of project scoring, draft scores are distributed to project proponents for their review. The MPO’s goal is to fairly and accurately assess all projects, making this review a critical component of the TIP process. Proponents are encouraged to submit feedback to MPO staff on their scores if they feel any criteria have been applied inaccurately. Proponents are also encouraged to submit additional supporting documentation on their projects if doing so would help clarify or correct any elements of the draft scoring. MPO staff take all proponent feedback into consideration and make any warranted adjustments to project scores before considering the evaluation process final and preparing the scores for presentation to the MPO.

For more details about the criteria used to score projects and project evaluation results for projects considered for programming in this TIP, see Appendix A.

TIP Readiness Day (February)

On TIP Readiness Day, the MPO staff meets with members of the MassDOT Highway Division to review cost and schedule changes related to currently programmed projects, which are undergoing design review, permitting, and right-of-way acquisition. The MPO board then considers these updated project construction costs and changes to the expected dates for construction advertisement when making decisions about changes to TIP programming. These changes have an impact on the ability of the MPO to program its target funds for new projects in the five-year TIP.

Between the development of the FFYs 2021–25 TIP and the FFYs 2022–26 TIP, more than half of the projects programmed by the MPO experienced cost increases, many of which represented significant increases in percentage terms or in absolute cost. These changes placed severe limitations on the MPO’s ability to consider new projects for funding during the FFYs 2022–26 TIP cycle. As a partner to MassDOT’s Highway Division and Office of Transportation Planning, the MPO recognizes its role in supporting the on-time and on-budget delivery of projects by proponents. For this reason, the MPO board created a committee in the wake of the FFYs 2022–26 TIP cycle to further explore the causes of project cost increases and devise MPO policy changes to support more reliable project delivery by all parties.

The TIP Project Cost Ad Hoc Committee began its work in June 2021 and advanced a set of policy recommendations to the full MPO board in September 2021. These changes were formally adopted by the MPO on November 4, 2021, and were in effect for the development of the FFYs 2023–27 TIP. In addition to the requirement that project proponents submit 25 percent design plans and obtain an updated cost estimate for their project prior to obtaining funding in the TIP, as detailed previously, the committee’s work resulted in several other policy changes.

Most notably, the MPO board adopted a policy that proponents of any projects that experienced a cost increase of 25 percent or greater (for projects costing less than $10 million) or of greater than $2.5 million (for projects costing more than $10 million) would be required to present to the MPO board on the reasons for these cost increases. The MPO would then compare this project—at its new cost—to other projects based on a cost-effectiveness evaluation before making a decision on whether or not to fund the project at its higher cost. These cost changes are most often revealed through conversations between MassDOT staff and MPO staff during TIP Readiness Day, making this new policy especially relevant at this stage of TIP development.

Staff Recommendation and Project Selection (March-April)

Using the evaluation scores and information gathered about project readiness (when a project likely would be fully designed and ready for advertisement) and cost, staff prepares possible TIP project programming scenarios for the MPO’s consideration. When developing these scenarios, MPO staff also considers whether a project was programmed in the LRTP, LRTP-based guidelines for allocating funds to different programs or project types, the distribution of investments across the region, and availability of sufficient funding. The MPO staff gather feedback from board members, project proponents, and the public to inform a final staff recommendation, which is then presented to the MPO for approval before it is included in the draft TIP for public review.

Given the significant increase in Regional Target funding in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP resulting from the passage of the BIL, the MPO selected a significant number of new projects for funding during this TIP cycle, including

• 11 Community Connections projects;
• 6 Complete Streets projects;
• 2 Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections projects;
• 2 Transit Modernization projects;
• 1 Intersection Improvement project; and
• 1 Major Infrastructure project.

In total, the MPO allocated more than $236 million in this TIP cycle to projects not previously funded in the Regional Target program. More information on the projects funded in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP is available in Chapter 3.

Selection Process for Projects Prioritized by the State and Transit Agencies

As discussed above, the selection of transit, bridge, and statewide infrastructure projects for programming in the TIP draws primarily from the CIPs produced by MassDOT and the MBTA. These agencies evaluate projects for inclusion in CIP programs using criteria established by the independent Project Selection Advisory Council (PSAC). The following criteria from the PSAC process guide project evaluation:

• System Preservation: Projects should contribute to a state of good repair on the system and align with asset management goals.
• Mobility: Projects should provide efficient and effective modal options for all users.
• Cost Effectiveness: Projects should result in benefits commensurate with costs and should be aimed at maximizing the return on the public’s investment.
• Economic Impact: Projects should support strategic economic growth in the Commonwealth.
• Safety: Projects should contribute to the safety and security of people and goods in transit.
• Social Equity: Projects should equitably distribute the social, economic, and health benefits of investments among all communities.
• Environmental and Health Effects: Projects should advance state goals of improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.
• Policy Support: Projects should get credit if they support local or regional policies or plans or state policies not addressed through the other criteria.

Projects that receive the highest priority are those that meet each agency’s goals for maintaining and improving the overall condition and reliability of the system; modernizing the system to make it safer and more accessible and to accommodate growth; and expanding and diversifying transportation options for communities. These project-prioritization processes may also reflect other planning initiatives, such as Focus40, the MBTA’s 25-year investment plan, or MassDOT’s modal plans. More information on regulatory and planning guidance governing TIP project prioritization is available in Appendix E. Once project prioritization is complete, programming decisions are made based on these evaluations and information regarding project readiness, program sizing, and existing asset management plans.

As discussed above, the transit element of the TIP also includes the Federal-Aid Programs of the other two RTAs in the region, CATA and MWRTA. Once selection processes are complete for all four agencies, these agencies submit their lists of bridge and roadway projects, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, statewide infrastructure items, and transit capital projects to the MPO for review.

APPROVING THE TIP

Approval of the Draft TIP for Public Review

The MPO board considers the project evaluation results and staff recommendation when prioritizing projects for Regional Target funding. The board also considers public comments, the regional importance of projects, and other factors. In addition to prioritizing the Regional Target funding, the MPO board reviews MassDOT’s proposed statewide highway programming and the proposed capital programs for the MBTA, CATA, and MWRTA before voting to release a draft TIP for public review.

The MPO board votes to release the draft document for public review and invites members of the public, municipal and elected officials, and other stakeholders in the Boston region to review the proposed TIP. The MPO staff hosts outreach events during the public review period to elicit comments on the draft document. (See Appendix C for a full list of public comments submitted on the draft TIP.)

Approval of the Draft TIP

After the public review period ends, the MPO staff and board review all public comments, and the board may change the programming or the document as appropriate before endorsing the TIP. MassDOT staff incorporates the MPO-endorsed TIP into the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and submits it to the FHWA and FTA for approval. The FHWA, FTA, and US Environmental Protection Agency review the STIP and certify it by September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year.

uPDATING THE TIP

The TIP is a dynamic program that may be amended and adjusted throughout the year. Administrative modifications and amendments are often introduced because of changes in project status (advertisement readiness), project cost, project design scope, or available revenue. An amendment is a revision that requires public review and a demonstration of fiscal constraint.

Consistent with federal guidelines, the Boston Region MPO must release an amendment if there is (1) a change in project cost of $500,000 or more for projects valued at $5 million or less, or (2) a change of 10 percent or more of the project cost for projects valued greater than $5 million. TIP amendments are also released if there is a proposal to add or remove a project from the TIP, if the programming year of a project is changed, or if a project has a major change in scope. Administrative modifications or adjustments are also undertaken in the event that a project's funding source changes or if there is a minor change in a project's description or scope.

Regardless of the nature of an amendment, all proposed TIP amendments are presented in a public setting at an MPO meeting, and details are posted on the MPO’s website, bostonmpo.org. Public notices are distributed through the MPO’s email contact list, which members of the public may join by signing up on the MPO’s website. Municipal staff who are TIP contacts at the affected municipalities and the public are notified of pending amendments at the start of an amendment’s public review period.

Public Notice

Notices of draft TIP amendments include a summary of the amendment’s contents, dates of the public review period, contact information for submitting a comment to the MPO, and the date, time, and location that the MPO will vote on that amendment. Municipal representatives and members of the public are invited to submit written or oral testimony at the MPO meetings at which amendments are discussed or voted upon.

The MPO typically holds a 21-day public review period before taking final action on an amendment. In extraordinary circumstances, the MPO may vote to shorten the public review period to a minimum of 15 days. (These circumstances are detailed in the MPO’s Public Engagement Plan.)

The MPO’s website is the best place to find current information about the TIP. All changes to the draft TIP and changes to the endorsed TIP, such as amendments and modifications that have been approved by the MPO, are available on the TIP webpage, bostonmpo.org/tip.

Comments or questions about the draft TIP materials may be submitted directly to the MPO staff via the website, email, or US mail, or voiced at MPO meetings and other public MPO events.

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Chapter 3
Summary of Highway and Transit Programming

The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) tables included in this chapter present a listing of all the projects and programs funded with federal highway and transit aid in the Boston region during federal fiscal years (FFYs) 2023–27. These funding tables are also included as part of the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).

Table 3-1 presents a summary of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) share of Regional Target funds from the Federal-Aid Highway Program. The allocation of these funds is constrained by projections of available federal aid. As shown in Table 3-1, the MPO has programmed much of the available discretionary funds within the limits of projected funding for highway funding programs. As such, the FFYs 2023–27 TIP Regional Target Program complies with financial constraint requirements.

Table 3-1
Boston Region MPO Regional Target Program Funding Summary

Source: Boston Region MPO.

As discussed in Chapter 2, the signing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), on November 15, 2021, increased the amount of Regional Target funding available to the Boston Region MPO for the development of the FFYs 2023–27 TIP by approximately 20 percent from the funding levels in the FFYs 2022–26 TIP. These additional funds allowed the MPO to program a significantly greater number of new projects in this TIP cycle (23) than in the FFYs 2022–26 TIP cycle (10) or the FFYs 2021–25 TIP cycle (8).

In the development of the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, the cost-increase issues for projects already programmed in the TIP were not as pervasive as they were in the development of the prior two TIPs. This allowed the MPO to retain a vast majority of its new funding for the programming of additional projects. The projects selected by the MPO for funding for the first time in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP are listed in Table 3-2.

As in most years, the majority of the funding available for allocation by the MPO during the FFYs 2023–27 TIP cycle was in the fifth and final year of the TIP, FFY 2027. Unlike in most years, however, the addition of approximately $20 million in new BIL funding annually beginning in FFY 2023 created new funding surpluses in the early federal fiscal years of the TIP (FFYs 2023 and 2024). These surpluses were compounded by programming delays for two projects already funded by the MPO (project #606453—Improvements on Boylston Street and project #606226—Reconstruction of Rutherford Avenue, both in Boston). Together, these dynamics led to a funding surplus in excess of $90 million in FFYs 2023 and 2024.

The MPO did not have any currently funded Regional Target projects that could be accelerated to make use of these funds, so the MPO worked with MassDOT and the MBTA to identify projects that could be funded in these fiscal years. Jointly, MassDOT and the MBTA brought more than a dozen projects to the MPO for consideration, from which the MPO selected three projects for funding in FFYs 2023 and 2024:

• Lynn Station Improvements Phase II (Lynn)
• Bridge Rehabilitation, Commonwealth Avenue (Route 30) over the Charles River (Newton and Weston)
• Forest Hills Station Improvement Project (Boston)

These projects were not formally evaluated using the MPO’s project selection criteria prior to the MPO making draft funding decisions, as MPO staff did not have sufficient time to score the projects prior to the deadline for MPO decision-making. Despite not being scored, they generally align well with many of the MPO’s goals, including enhancing bicycle and pedestrian safety and access, and maintaining a state of good repair for the region’s transit system and critical roadways. Scoring information will be included for these projects when it is available.

Table 3-2
New Regional Target Projects Funded in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP

Note: Funding amounts in this table include both federal and non-federal funds, including matching funds.

*          Funding in this table represents the first year of funding, with additional funding anticipated to be allocated to these projects by the Boston Region MPO in future fiscal years.

**        Funding in this table represents partial funding. Additional funding sources will be identified for the Forest Hills Station Improvement Project in future fiscal years. The total project cost is $68,000,000.

CATA = Cape Ann Transportation Authority. FFY = federal fiscal year. MART = Montachusett Area Regional Transit. MCRT = Mass Central Rail Trail. MWRTA = MetroWest Regional Transit Authority. N/A = not applicable. RTA = regional transit authority.

Source: Boston Region MPO.

In addition to the above, several other key decisions were made by the MPO in the drafting of the FFYs 2023–27 Regional Target Program, including:

• Annual funding for the MPO’s Community Connections Program was increased from $2 million to $2.5 million, bringing this program’s funding level closer to the MPO’s two percent goal, after taking into account new funding available through the BIL
• Annual funding for the MPO’s Transit Modernization Program was increased from $5.5 million to $6.5 million, bringing this program’s funding level closer to the MPO’s five percent goal, after taking into account new funding available through the BIL
• Approximately $23 million in Regional Target funding was left unallocated by the MPO, primarily in FFY 2024. The MPO will determine specific uses for these funds in a future TIP cycle.

Additional details of the specific projects programmed with Regional Target funding are shown in Section 1A of each annual element of the TIP tables (Table 3-7). The other sections in Table 3-7 (Sections 1B, 2A, 2B, 2C, and 3B) list the following:

• Projects funded with earmarks or discretionary grant funds
• State-prioritized bridge repairs and rehabilitation, pavement maintenance, safety improvements, retrofits for accessibility (as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act), intersection improvements, roadway reconstruction, and bicycle and pedestrian projects

Tables 3-8, 3-9, 3-10, and 3-11 list the federally funded transit projects and programs in the Boston region that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA), and Cape Ann Transportation Authority (CATA) plan to undertake.

The second part of this chapter includes detailed descriptions of projects funded through both the Regional Target and statewide portions of the Highway Program, including evaluation scores (for MPO-funded projects), project proponents, and funding details. The pages are organized alphabetically by the municipality in which each project is located.

Investment Summary

This section summarizes the investments made by the Boston Region MPO, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), MBTA, CATA, and MWRTA in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP. Table 3-3 shows the Boston Region MPO’s investments of Regional Target funding—including both the number of projects and the dollar amount—by investment program. These investments are aimed at making progress towards the MPO’s goals for the region, including enhancing safety for all users, preserving and modernizing the transportation system, promoting mobility and reducing congestion, supporting clean air and sustainability, ensuring all have equitable access to the transportation system, and fostering economic vitality in the region through investments in transportation.

Due to the passage of the BIL, the MPO’s Regional Target Program increased in size by approximately $106 million between the FFYs 2022–26 TIP and the FFYs 2023–27 TIP to a total program size of more than $645 million.

Table 3-3
FFYs 2023–27 Boston Region MPO Regional Target Investment Summary

Note: Funding amounts in this table include both federal and non-federal funds, including matching funds.

*One MPO-funded Complete Streets project (608348—Bridge Street) is partially funded through MassDOT’s Earmark Discretionary Program.

N/A = not applicable.

Source: Boston Region MPO.

Table 3-4 shows MassDOT’s FFYs 2023–27 TIP investments—including both the number of projects or programs and the dollar amount—organized by MassDOT program. MassDOT’s investments are distributed across a variety of programs and will support bridge and pavement improvements, roadway improvements and reconstruction, new bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and safety improvements. More details on these investments are available on the project summary pages that comprise the second section of this chapter.

As detailed above for the MPO’s Regional Target Program, the BIL significantly increased the funding available to MassDOT for programming projects in the statewide Highway Program. Most notably, the BIL’s new Bridge Formula Program allowed MassDOT to more than triple the amount of funding allocated to federal-aid bridge projects in the region. Furthermore, FFY 2026 represents the conclusion of grant anticipation notes (GANS) payments for MassDOT’s Accelerated Bridge Program (ABP). The winding down of this program, combined with the passage of the 2021 Massachusetts Transportation Bond Bill and the new federal funding available through the BIL, allowed for the creation of MassDOT’s Next Generation Bridge Program (NGBP).

Like the ABP, the NGBP will leverage state bonding capacity to accelerate the rehabilitation and replacement of critical or structurally deficient bridges across Massachusetts. In the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, 28 bridge projects are funded by MassDOT through the NGBP using state bond bill funds. These projects are shown in the TIP because the debt payments on these bonds will be paid using future federal formula funding.

In addition to higher levels of investment in bridges, the new funding available through the BIL has also supported increased investment across MassDOT’s other programs in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, including the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, the Intersection Improvements Program, the Interstate and Non-Interstate Pavement Programs, the Roadway Reconstruction Program, and the Safety Improvements Program. The passage of the BIL and the addition of new state bonding capacity have collectively supported an increase in MassDOT’s Highway Program of more than $1.1 billion between the FFYs 2022–26 TIP and the FFYs 2023–27 TIP to a total program size of more than $1.8 billion.

Table 3-4
FFYs 2023–27 MassDOT Highway Program Investment Summary

Note: Funding amounts in this table include both federal and non-federal funds, including matching funds.

*          Four projects receiving earmark funding are also receiving funding through other sources: 606476—Sumner Tunnel Improvements is funded through MassDOT’s Roadway Reconstruction Program; 608348—Bridge Street is funded through the MPO’s Complete Streets Program; 608562—Mystic Avenue and McGrath Highway is funded through MassDOT’s Intersection Improvements Program; and 607977—Interstates 90/495 Interchange Reconstruction is funded through MassDOT’s Roadway Reconstruction and NFA Programs. Each project is counted in the tally for each funding category but is only counted once in the total number of projects funded.

†          Two projects are funded through this program while also receiving funding through MassDOT’s Safety Improvements Program (607748—Intersection and Signal Improvements on Massachusetts Avenue at Piper Road and Taylor Road in Acton and 611969—Intersection Improvements on Route 16 in Everett). These projects are both counted in the tally for the Intersection Improvements and Safety Improvements categories but are each only counted once in the total number of projects funded.

Sources: MassDOT and the Boston Region MPO.

Table 3-5 shows the MBTA’s programs and associated FFYs 2023–27 TIP funding amounts, with additional details on the MBTA’s programs and projects in Tables 3-8 and 3-9 on the following pages. The passage of the BIL has helped support an increase in the MBTA’s federal capital program of nearly $400 million between the FFYs 2022–26 TIP and the FFYs 2023–27 TIP to a total program size of more than $3.9 billion. Investments made through these programs allow the MBTA to continue to maintain and modernize its infrastructure in support of the agency’s role as the largest transit provider in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The MBTA caters to a wide range of needs, serving the Boston region with commuter rail, light rail, subway, fixed-route bus, and paratransit services. The MBTA prioritizes projects that keep the existing transit system in a state of good repair, including the purchase of new rolling stock, accessibility and resiliency improvements to stations, the rehabilitation of bridges and tunnels, and the replacement of tracks and signals to support system-wide reliability. Limited system expansion projects are also undertaken through the MBTA’s federal capital program. Further information on how the MBTA’s investments support system safety and condition is available in Chapter 4.

Table 3-5
 FFYs 2023–27 MBTA Transit Program Investment Summary

Note: Federal Transit Administration formula funds (Sections 5307, 5337 and 5339) are based on estimated apportionments for FFYs 2023-27. These apportionments include additional funding to be made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, based on current estimates. TIP programs and projects are based on a preliminary draft CIP as of April 2022. Adjustments will be made to federal projects and budgets as the CIP process is finalized. Funding amounts in this table include both federal and non-federal funds, including matching funds.

* Positive Train Control investments are funded with RRIF funds.

† RRIF/TIFIA financing program funding is an initial estimate and will be refined as projects are identified and loans are finalized with the Build America Bureau.

CIP = Capital Investment Plan. FFY = federal fiscal year. N/A = not applicable. RRIF = Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing. TIFIA = Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. TIP = Transportation Improvement Program.

Sources: MBTA and the Boston Region MPO.

Table 3-6 summarizes CATA and MWRTA investments included in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP, and more information is available on each agency’s investments in Tables 3-10 and 3-11. Though the MBTA provides commuter rail service to the Cape Ann communities of Rockport and Gloucester, CATA provides additional paratransit and fixed-route bus services to these communities and to Danvers, Peabody, Ipswich, Essex, and Beverly. CATA’s federal capital program supports its role in providing critical transportation alternatives to residents and visitors of the area, including through the replacement of buses, the modernization of facilities, and the maintenance of assets.

MWRTA similarly complements MBTA commuter rail service, operating fixed-route bus, on-demand microtransit, and commuter shuttle services to a number of communities in the MetroWest subregion. MWRTA’s federal capital program supports this mission by funding vehicle replacements, station and facility maintenance and improvements, and operating assistance for paratransit services, among other efforts. Other projects funded in MWRTA’s 2023–27 TIP include the electrification of the agency’s paratransit fleet and investments in technology to support travel training and customer service efforts.

Overall program sizes for CATA and MWRTA are substantially similar in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP to those in the FFYs 2022–26 TIP. These agencies collectively received an approximately $3.2 million increase in funding levels in this TIP for a total program size of more than $55.6 million.

Table 3-6
FFYs 2023–27 CATA and MWRTA Transit Program Investment Summary

Note: Funding amounts in this table include both federal and non-federal funds, including matching funds.
CATA = Cape Ann Transportation Authority. FFY = federal fiscal year. MWRTA = Metro West Regional Transit Authority. N/A = not applicable. RTA = regional transit administration
Sources: CATA, MWRTA, and the Boston Region MPO.

Note: Funding amounts in this table include both federal and non-federal funds, including matching funds.

CATA = Cape Ann Transportation Authority. FFY = federal fiscal year. MWRTA = Metro West Regional Transit Authority. N/A = not applicable. RTA = regional transit authority
Sources: CATA, MWRTA, and the Boston Region MPO.

Tables 3-7 through 3-11 build on the summary tables listed above by detailing investments made through both the Highway and Transit Programs by project, program, and funding year.

Table 3-7
FFYs 2023-27 TIP Highway Programming

Table 3-8
FFYs 2023–27 TIP Transit Table (MBTA Federal Capital Program)

Notes:
FTA formula funds (5307, 5337 and 5339) are based on estimated apportionments for FFYs 2023-27. This includes additional funding to be made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), based on current estimates.
TIP programs and projects are based on the draft FYs 2023-27 CIP and planned federal obligations as of April 22, 2022. Adjustments will be made to federal projects and budgets as the FYs 2023-27 CIP is finalized.
The Activity Line Item (ALI) codes are preliminary only and generally reflect the bulk of the TIP program. Within a program there may be several different ALI codes used.
RRIF loan funding for the PTC/ATC/Fiber Resiliency project is based on the currently planned drawdown schedule and is subject to change.
RRIF/TIFIA financing program funding is an initial estimate and will be refined as projects are identified and loans are finalized with the Build America Bureau.

Table 3-9
FFYs 2023–27 TIP Transit Table (MBTA Federal Capital Program – Project List and Descriptions [80% Federal Share])

Note: Project descriptions and dollar amounts are preliminary only and are provided for informational purposes. In many cases, the scopes of work and project budgets will become more fully developed as the design process proceeds and is completed. The MBTA may also opt to fund a project from a different FTA funding source based on the timing of projects and the availability of FTA funds.

Note: The MBTA is exploring the use of federal loans through the Build America Bureau to finance certain capital projects at a lower interest rate than traditional tax-exempt bonds. This includes loans under the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) and Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) programs. The projects listed above are being considered for this program, subject to the approval of funding through the CIP process. Additional project and funding information will be provided through a future TIP/Amendment if federal grant funds or loans are utilized.

Table 3-10
FFYs 2023–27 TIP Transit Table (MWRTA)

Table 3-11
FFYs 2023–27 TIP Transit Table (CATA)

detailed project descriptions

Field Definitions

Proponent: This field lists the primary advocate for each project, who is responsible for seeing the project through to completion.

ID Number: This number references the project’s identification number in MassDOT’s project-tracking system.

Project Type: This field provides the type of project programmed. For those projects programmed with Regional Target funds (projects listed in Section 1A of the TIP tables), the projects are categorized according to the MPO’s six investment programs (Bicycle and Pedestrian, Complete Streets, Intersection Improvements, Major Infrastructure, Community Connections, and Transit Modernization). For those projects programmed directly by MassDOT (projects listed in Sections 1B, 2A, 2B, 2C, and 3B), MassDOT’s STIP Program categories are applied.

Cost: This figure is the total project cost as programmed in the TIP across all fiscal years, including years outside of FFYs 2023–27.

Funding Source: e funding source indicates whether a project is funded using the MPO’s Regional Target funds or MassDOT’s statewide highway funds.

Scoring Summary: This table shows the number of points awarded to the project across each of the MPO’s project evaluation categories. MPO staff has not evaluated all projects in the TIP; staff only evaluates projects that are being considered for funding with the MPO’s Regional Target funds. The field definitions for the tables are as follows for all projects scored in the MPO’s Bicycle and Pedestrian, Complete Streets, Intersection Improvements, Major Infrastructure, and Transit Modernization investment programs:

• Safety: Safety
• Sys Pres: System Preservation and Modernization
• CM/M: Capacity Management and Mobility
• CA/SC: Clean Air/Sustainable Communities
• TE: Transportation Equity
• EV: Economic Vitality
• Total: This figure is the summation of the project’s scores across the above six categories (100 possible points)

Projects within the MPO’s Community Connections Program are scored using different categories, given the unique nature of this program. The field definitions for those tables are as follows:

• Conn: Connectivity
• Coord: Coordination
• Plan: Plan Implementation
• TE: Transportation Equity
• MS/DP: Mode Shift and Demand Projection
• FS: Fiscal Sustainability
• Total: This figure is the summation of the project’s scores across the above six categories (100 possible points)

As mentioned in Chapter 2, the MPO adopted a revised set of project selection criteria in October 2020. These new criteria were used to score new projects under consideration for funding using the MPO’s Regional Target funds for both the FFYs 2022–26 and FFYs 2023–27 TIP cycles. For this reason, the scoring criteria and point allocations vary based on when a project was evaluated for funding and programmed in the TIP. Point allocations are specified for each project, and some project pages feature additional information in this section to provide context for how projects were evaluated. Further details on all of the MPO’s project selection criteria are available in Appendix A.

Project Description: The description of the project is based, in part, on the written description of the project on MassDOT’s Project Information website. In some cases, these descriptions have been modified to clarify the details of the projects. Projects evaluated by the MPO tend to have more detailed descriptions, as more complete project documentation was provided to MPO staff for these projects.

Funding Summary: Funding tables are included for each project and show the following information:

• Year: This field provides the federal fiscal year(s) during which the project is programmed for funding.
• Federal and Non-Federal Funds: These fields show a breakdown of project funding from federal and non-federal sources. Typically, these fields will show an 80/20 split, with federal funds accounting for 80 percent of project funding and a 20 percent state match accounting for the remaining funds.
• Total Funds Programmed: This field shows the total funding programmed for the project in the FFYs 2023–27 TIP by the year of expenditure. Information regarding TIP projects changes periodically, so funding amounts for all projects are subject to adjustment throughout the fiscal year.

For more information on all projects, please visit MassDOT’s Project Information website, https://hwy.massdot.state.ma.us/projectinfo/projectinfo.asp, the Boston Region MPO’s website, www.bostonmpo.org, or contact Matt Genova, TIP Manager, at TIP@ctps.org.

Acton: Bicycle Parking along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

Proponent:            Acton

ID Number:            S12702

Project Type:            Community Connections

Cost:            $8,017

Funding Source:            Regional Target Funds

Scoring Summary

Project Description

This project involves the installation of three bicycle racks at key locations along Great Road in Acton, providing parking space for 18 bicycles. These racks will help enhance connections between the adjacent Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and local businesses along Great Road while supporting greater access to open space and transit, including MBTA commuter rail service at South Acton and CrossTown Connect bus service.

Acton: Intersection and Signal Improvements on Routes 2 and 111 (Massachusetts Avenue) at Piper Road and Taylor Road

Proponent:            MassDOT

ID Number:          607748

Project Type:         Safety Improvements

Cost:                   $4,231,214

Funding Source:    Statewide Highway Funds

Scoring Summary

This is a MassDOT-prioritized project and is therefore not directly evaluated using the MPO’s TIP scoring criteria.

Project Description

The project will make upgrades at the intersection to improve safety. The upgrades will include signs, pavement markings, and traffic signals as identified through a Road Safety Audit process in the Town of Acton.

Acton, Boxborough, and Littleton: Pavement Preservation on Route 2

Proponent:            MassDOT

ID Number:          610722

Project Type:         Non-Interstate Pavement

Cost:                   $7,563,792

Funding Source:    Statewide Highway Funds

Scoring Summary

This is a MassDOT-prioritized project and is therefore not directly evaluated using the MPO’s TIP scoring criteria.

Project Description

This project includes pavement preservation work on Route 2 in Acton, Boxborough, and Littleton.

Arlington: Stratton School Improvements (SRTS)

Proponent:            Arlington

ID Number:          609531

Project Type:         Roadway Reconstruction

Cost:                   $1,302,209

Funding Source:    Statewide Highway Funds

Scoring Summary

This is a MassDOT-prioritized project and is therefore not directly evaluated using the MPO’s TIP scoring criteria.

Project Description

This project will make upgrades to promote safety along the roadways surrounding Stratton Elementary School in Arlington through the Safe Routes to School program.

Ashland: Bridge Replacement, A-14-006, Cordaville Road over Sudbury River

Proponent:            MassDOT

ID Number:          612099

Project Type:         Bridge

Cost:                   $3,965,472

Funding Source:    Statewide Highway Funds

Scoring Summary

This is a MassDOT-prioritized project and is therefore not directly evaluated using the MPO’s TIP scoring criteria.

Project Description

This project will replace bridge A-14-006, which carries Cordaville Road over the Sudbury River in Ashland.

Ashland: Rehabilitation and Rail Crossing Improvements on Cherry Street

Proponent:            Ashland

ID Number:          608436

Project Type:         Intersection Improvements

Cost:                   $1,222,315

Funding Source:    Regional Target Funds

Scoring Summary

Project Description

The primary purpose of the project is to improve the safety features for the roadway corridors of Cherry Street and Main Street in order to establish a Federal Railroad Administration Quiet Zone surrounding the railroad crossings on those two roadways. This goal will primarily be accomplished through the installation of roadway medians and the enhancement of existing railroad crossing signals and gates. In addition, the project addresses a critical gap in the pedestrian sidewalk network through the construction of new sidewalks. The project’s other goals include improving the existing roadway condition through pavement reconstruction and enhancing stormwater drainage in the project area.