The TIP for the Boston region is developed cooperatively by the Commonwealth and the MPO. The basic process for developing the TIP is as follows:

Outreach on Projects and Contact Persons (December–January)

The MPO mails each municipality a listing of projects in that community known to the MPO and asked the municipality to identify the projects the MPO should consider in the development process for the upcoming TIP. It should be noted, a project must first be initiated through MassHighway in order to be considered for programming in the TIP. Each community is also asked to identify a TIP contact person.

Data Collection (December–April)

The MPO gathers data about projects from various sources. The information includes pavement condition, average daily traffic counts, crashes, land use, environmental justice information (related to low-income and minority populations), Congestion Management System data, and project development status. The information is used to fill out a project information form for each project.

Project information forms requested by project proponents contacted during the outreach are mailed to proponents. The proponents are asked to review and update the forms and to identify their priorities.

The MPO holds Municipal TIP Input Day, giving municipalities an opportunity to present their top priorities to Transportation Planning and Programming Committee members. 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 Central Artery/Tunnel Project and 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. The cost-effectiveness of projects is not rated, but is noted.

For more information see Project Selection.

Summary and Review of Results (May–July)

The 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 current fiscal year TIP element is examined to ensure that all of its projects can be advertised for construction by the end of that fiscal year (September 30). Any project that cannot is removed by amendment and replaced by a project identified in the evaluation process. While amendments to the TIP occur throughout the year as needed, this major amendment is always scheduled for preparation and public comment in April and May, 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.