Capital Planning
Massachusetts has 10 regional metropolitan planning organizations:
- Berkshire
- Pioneer Valley
- Central Massachusetts
- Monachusett
- Merrimack Valley
- Northern Middlesex
- Boston Region
- Old Colony
- Southeastern Massachusetts
- Cape Cod
and three non-metropolitan planning organizations covering the remainder of the state:
- Franklin
- Martha's Vineyard Commission
- Nantucket
By law, all federal transportation grants must be allocated by the responsible MPO. State-wide planning and coordination of MPOs is handled by the Department of Transportation.
| Massachusetts Transportation Capital Planning Documents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acronym | Name | Responsible agency | Horizon | Purpose / References |
| STIP | State Transportation Improvement Program | DOT | 3 years | Collects all 13 regional TIPs plus statewide projects for state and federal transportation and environmental review. Required for federal funding, financially constrained. Approved by FHWA, FTA, and EPA. |
| TIP | (Regional) Transportation Improvement Program | 13 regional MPOs | 3 years | Approve road and transit projects of regional scale for federal funding based on transportation and environmental criteria. Determine consistency with federal air quality goals. MPO approval required for federal funding; plan must be fiscally constrained. TIP projects come from RTP projects and immediate needs. Each project has an "advocate" agency to oversee planning and implementation, file for federal funding, and provide local funding match. |
| RTP | (Regional) Transportation Plan | 13 regional MPOs | ~25 years, updated every 4 years | Financially unconstrained listings and evaluation of regional road and transit projects. Required for federal funding. Projects are added to the RTP from public input, from CMS/MMS recommendations, and by government agencies. In Boston, transit projects are filtered through the MBTA PMT and two RTAs. |
| PMT | Program for Mass Transportation | MBTA (by CTPS) | 25 years, updated every 5 years | Identify and evaluate public transit projects in the MBTA service area. Financially unconstrained. Required by state law. |
| CIP | MBTA Capital Improvement Plan | MBTA | 4–5 years | Actually approve projects for MBTA funding. 100% state and federally funded projects are also noted, as are anticipated federal matching funds subject to outside approval. Fiscally constrained. |
| MBP | Massachusetts Bicycle Plan | DOT | 25 years | Identify bicycle access capital improvement projects, coordinate statewide bicycle policies and programs. |
| UPWP | Unified Planning Work Program | 13 regional MPOs | 1 year | A list of transportation studies to be conducted by the MPO. Required for federal funding. |
| MMS or CMS | Mobility Management System or Congestion Management System | 13 regional MPOs | 4 years? | Identify and measure congested corridors; recommend solutions. Required for federal funding. |
| SRP | State Rail Plan | State DOT | Not specified | Identify rail projects with the best return on investment, fulfill federal requirements. |
CTPS is the Central Transportation Planning Staff, which is the staff of the Boston MPO and with which the MBTA contracts for planning assistance.
The Highway Division accepts submissions for projects from its district offices and municipalities. After the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse in 2007, the Commonwealth initiated the Accelerated Bridge Program using bonds in anticipation of federal grants to speed repairs on the state's bridges.
Read more about this topic: Massachusetts Department Of Transportation
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