Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization

At the MPO’s 2024 Annual Meeting, the MPO’s Director of Projects and Partnerships, Rebecca Morgan, recapped the recent grants awarded to the agency to fund critical work in the areas of comprehensive safety planning, urban heat relief, and mobility solutions for low-income residents. This funding will allow the MPO to collaborate with communities and stakeholders to further the region’s goal of a safer, healthier, and more equitable transportation system.

Travel demand models are tools for understanding possibilities. This article from the Boston Region MPO’s Executive Director, Tegin Teich, describes the strategy behind the models, exploring how they’re used to inform decisions about infrastructure, public transit, and sustainable growth. The Boston Region MPO’s own model is known as TDM23. Whether you’re a data enthusiast, a policy maker, or simply curious about the mechanics of transportation planning, this piece offers insights into the future of mobility. Discover how data and strategy come together to help plan an interconnected and equitable transportation system.

Review and comment on updates to the MPO’s Disparate Impact and Disproportionate Burden (DI/DB) Policy by Wednesday, January 8. The DI/DB Policy allows the MPO to determine if minority or low-income populations are disproportionately impacted by the projects in the MPO's Long-Range Transportation Plan and describes the MPO's approach to addressing these disparities. Send feedback to Transportation Equity Program Manager Betsy Herzfeld at eherzfeld (at) ctps.org. DI/DB Policy: bit.ly/DIDB-policy-dec

Amendment Five to the 2025–29 Transportation Improvement Program is out for public comment until Friday, December 27. The MPO is expected to vote on the endorsement of the amendment in January. 2025–29 TIP Adjustment Two was endorsed by the MPO Board on December 5. Amendment Five and Adjustment Two reallocate funding for MetroWest Regional Transit Authority projects to support the acquisition of new vehicles for passenger transit. Review Amendment Five: bit.ly/25-29-tip-5 Adjustment Two: bit.ly/25-29-tip-a2 Comment: bostonmpo.org/contact/tip

The MPO’s Transportation Improvement Program Manager, Ethan Lapointe, shared highlights of recently completed MPO-funded projects at our Annual Meeting on November 14. With a focus on safety and multimodality, these investments in our region improve the connectivity and accessibility of our transportation system. Projects highlighted include: ‣ Route 27 reconstruction in Natick  ‣ Ferry Street reconstruction in Everett ‣ Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

At the MPO’s Annual Meeting on November 14, Executive Director Tegin Teich reflected on key focus areas of the agency’s planning work in 2024, including: ‣ Transportation finance research ‣ Reducing emissions in the freight sector ‣ MPO’s updated travel demand model (“TDM23”) ‣ Enhancing engagement with stakeholders ‣ Incorporating safety throughout the MPO’s work

The MPO added a new Regional Transit Authority seat to the Board to be shared on a rotating basis by the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority and the Cape Ann Transportation Authority. Jim Nee will represent MWRTA for the first three years of service.

At the November 21 meeting of the Boston Region MPO, the board voted to release Amendment Four to the 2025–29 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and Amendment One to Destination 2050, the MPO's Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), for 21-day public comment periods concluding on December 13. Amendment Four to the TIP proposes two cost changes to the Statewide Highway Program and the programming of the Roxbury Resilient Corridors grant for the City of Boston. Amendment Four also includes a 17-project bundle for which the MBTA is pursuing a federal discretionary grant for Green Line improvements. Amendment One to the LRTP incorporates the 17-project bundle for the MBTA to pursue a federal discretionary grant for Green Line improvements. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requires applicants to include project bundles in the regional TIP and LRTP before applying. If awarded the grant, project outcomes could include accessibility and capacity improvements. TIP Amendment Four: bit.ly/25-29-TIP-amdt4  LRTP Amendment One: bit.ly/LRTP-Amdt-1 Submit feedback: bostonmpo.org/contact/tip and bostonmpo.org/contact/lrtp

Thank you to Monica Tibbits-Nutt, MassDOT Secretary, and Joi Singh, MA Division Administrator at the Federal Highway Administration, for attending and speaking at the MPO’s annual meeting on November 14.

The MPO recently published a study, led by Shravanthi Gopalan Narayanan, identifying potential strategies to reduce carbon emissions from the freight sector at the local and regional levels, including: ▸ Encouraging mode shift ▸ Transitioning to electrification and alternative fuels ▸ Improving air quality reporting ▸ Enhancing coordination among stakeholders To learn more, visit the MPO’s blog: https://lnkd.in/di8KMCvD