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Regional Transportation Advisory Council - Overview
OVERVIEW • MEMBERSHIP • COMMITTEES
The Regional Transportation Advisory Council (RTAC, or the Advisory Council) is an independent group charged with providing public input on transportation planning to the Boston Region MPO. It is composed of citizen, professional, and transportation-advocacy groups, neighboring MPOs, and agencies. The Advisory Council provides a forum for broad-based and robust discussions of transportation issues and is a major avenue for public participation in the MPO’s planning process. As a voting member of the MPO, the Advisory Council brings the perspectives of the public to the MPO for consideration as plans and programs are developed. In this role, it is an integral part of the MPO’s federally required 3C transportation-planning process.

One specific responsibility of the Advisory Council is to review and comment on the MPO’s certification documents: the long-range Transportation Plan, the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), which are central to the 3C process. Through its representatives and committees, the Advisory Council participates in the development of these and other MPO documents and studies; this work includes submitting comments and recommendations on draft documents.

The Advisory Council meets the second Wednesday of each month at 3:00 PM in the State Transportation Building, which is located at 10 Park Plaza, Boston. All meetings are open to the public. Please visit upcoming meetings or past meetings for agendas, minutes, presentations, and other meeting-related documents.

Standing and ad hoc committees of the Advisory Council meet as necessary throughout the year to study issues, review documents, and make recommendations to the Advisory Council. Please see the Advisory Council’s bylaws and the Committees page for more information.

The Memorandum of Understanding of January 1973, which established the metropolitan planning organization for the Boston region, also created the federally recognized Joint Regional Transportation Committee. The Memorandum of Understanding of December 2001 renamed the body the Regional Transportation Advisory Council, expanded its role in the MPO, and provided for modifications of its procedures. The Advisory Council adopted bylaws that established additional operating procedures. The Memorandum of Understanding of November 2011 made the Advisory Council a voting member of the MPO.