The MPO places a high priority on the preservation and modernization of the existing transportation system, because to do so is:

Sound Management
Past investment in transportation facilities in the Boston region resulted in a system that people and businesses rely on every day. It must be kept in a state of good repair.

Cost-Effective
Investing in existing transportation assets makes the most of the infrastructure in place now so that mobility and access can be maintained.

Smart Growth
Concentrating development where existing transportation facilities can provide access promotes a more sustainable development pattern.

How does the MPO distribute funds each year?

Transportation Improvement Program
The Boston Region MPO’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a five-year intermodal program of federally funded transportation improvements. The TIP implements the priorities of the region’s current Transportation Plan—and will implement those of the JOURNEY TO 2030 Transportation Plan—by giving priority to projects that reflect the policies of the MPO.

The majority of the spending in the TIP is for the preservation and modernization of the existing transportation system. Types of projects in the TIP include replacement and rehabilitation of bridges, reconstruction of roadways, interstate highway maintenance, and transit capital improvement projects.

The Boston Region MPO Bridge Program
MassHighway inventories bridge structural data for 1,431 MassHighway and municipally owned bridges in the Boston region. Using a bridge management system to prioritize repairs to bridges, MassHighway works with the MPO to fund projects that meet the region’s most urgent bridge needs.
The current TIP includes nearly $200 million in bridge repair investments to be implemented over three years.

Intelligent Transportation Systems
Maximizing the Benefit of Facilities through Technology
Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) encompass a broad range of communications-based information and technologies. By modernizing transportation system elements with ITS, the MPO can improve operating efficiency without the physical expansion of facilities. Some examples of ITS are:

• Real-time travel information that improves travelers’ decisions
• System monitoring that improves response to incidents
• Electronic payment of tolls and automated public transportation fare payment, which reduce delays

Regional ITS Architecture for Metropolitan Boston
In order to provide a framework for the deployment of ITS in the Boston region, a regional architecture was developed that defines the pieces of the system and the information to be exchanged among them. Program areas and initiatives include:

• Archived Data Management
• Commercial Vehicle Operations
• Electronic Fare Payment
• Emergency Management
• Interagency Communications and Information Sharing
• Maintenance and Construction Management
• Parking Management
• Traffic Management
• Transit Management
• Traveler Information