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TIP – Development Process: Highway
OVERVIEW • DEVELOPMENT PROCESS: HIGHWAY • INITIATION AND DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT EVALUATION • AIR QUALITY CONFORMITY • PROJECT INFORMATION FORM
The MPO develops the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the Boston region with input from all 101 municipalities and the Commonwealth. The process for developing the highway component of the TIP is as follows.

Outreach for Projects and Contact Persons (December–January)
The MPO asks each municipality to identify the projects it would like the MPO to consider in the development process for the upcoming TIP. It should be noted that a project must first be initiated through MassHighway in order to be considered for programming in the TIP. Each municipality is also asked to identify a TIP contact person.
Data Collection (December–April)
The MPO gathers data about projects from various sources including, but not limited to, the municipality, MassHighway, the Registry of Motor Vehicles, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), and other area regional transit authorities (RTAs). At this time municipalities are also called upon to provide a proponent-provided information form for each of the projects they are requesting to be programmed in the TIP. This proponent-provided information, in combination with the information gathered by the MPO (including pavement condition, average daily traffic counts, crashes, land use, environmental justice information [related to low-income and minority populations], Mobility Management System data, and project development status), is used to create a project information form for use during the MPO´s Municipal TIP Input Day.

The MPO holds Municipal TIP Input Day to give municipalities an opportunity to present their top priorities to Transportation Planning and Programming Committee members. The event typically takes place in late April. All 101 TIP contacts receive both an e-mail and a letter with the date of Municipal TIP Input Day, as well as an RSVP form. This RSVP form must be returned to MPO staff by a specified date in order to secure a time slot at the event.

The MPO also holds Agency TIP Input Day, at which state agencies present their priorities.

The determination of fiscal constraint for the TIP is a cooperative process. The Commonwealth estimates the amount of federal aid expected to be apportioned to Massachusetts for each fiscal year covered by the TIP. It allocates sufficient federal aid to fund the needs of the statewide transportation programs. The remaining federal aid is allocated among the MPO regions based upon programming targets developed with the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies. The MPO builds its TIP within the financial constraint determined in this process.
Evaluation of Projects (April–May)
The MPO´s evaluation process assesses information gathered about project need and effectiveness and distills it into ratings in three transportation categories—condition, safety, and mobility—and in four categories in other areas: community, land use, economic development, and environment. An overall rating for each project is also produced. The cost-effectiveness of projects is not rated, but is noted. For more information see Highway Project Evaluation Process.
Summary and Review of Results (May–July)
The MPO´s Transportation Planning and Programming Committee discusses the results of the project evaluation. The Committee examines them in a summary format showing each project´s overall rating and its ratings for each of the seven categories. It uses the ratings and project readiness information as a guide in formulating financially constrained scenarios of projects for the draft TIP.

At the same time, the TIP element for the current federal fiscal year is examined to ensure that all of its projects can be advertised for construction by the end of that federal fiscal year (September 30). Any project that will not be ready for advertisement is removed by a “major amendment” and replaced by a project identified in the evaluation process. While amendments to the TIP occur throughout the year as needed, this amendment is always scheduled for preparation and public comment in April and May and for final approval in June.
Public Review and Endorsement of TIP Document (July–August)
The Transportation Planning and Programming Committee votes to release a draft TIP for public review and comment. The Committee then reviews all public comments and makes changes to the document as appropriate. The MPO then endorses the TIP at a public meeting, and the document is incorporated into the State Transportation Improvement Program and delivered to the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration for approval.

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