2022 Certification Review: Advance Materials

This webpage has been developed for use only by those participating in the federal government’s 2022 certification review of the transportation planning activities conducted by the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). This webpage contains information and links to documents requested by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in preparation for that review. Many of the links point to the MPO's website, while others link to documents not found on the MPO’s public-facing website.

Public meeting notice from the FHWA and the FTA

Handout on the Certification Review Process

To return to the 2022 Certification Review main webpage, click here.

 

Responses to Advance Questions 

Boston Region MPO Responses to Advance Questions, 2022

Requested Documents 

Below are links to, and clarifying information about, the materials requested in advance of the certification review.

1. Documents Designating the Urbanized Area as an MPO

  1.  Metropolitan Planning/Coordination Agreements

    1. State Department of Transportation: Memorandum of Understanding relating to the Comprehensive, Continuing, and Cooperative Transportation Planning Process in the Boston Metropolitan Area, 2011. This document describes the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT’s) roles with respect to the MPO, including its role as MPO chair (see pages 7 and 8). 

    2. Public Transit Providers: 

      1. Memorandum of Understanding by and between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the Cape Ann Transportation Authority and the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority, 2012

      2. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is an MPO member and a party to the Memorandum of Understanding relating to the Comprehensive, Continuing, and Cooperative Transportation Planning Process in the Boston Metropolitan Area, 2011

      3. Air Quality Agencies: Memorandum of Understanding...concerning the Conduct of Transportation Air Quality Planning in the Development and Implementation of the State Implementation Plan, 2019. 

      4. Neighboring MPOs:

        1. Boston MA-NH-RI Urbanized Area Memorandum of Understanding (2018)

        2. Providence RI-MA Urbanized Area Memorandum of Understanding (2020)

        3. Worcester MA-CT Urbanized Area Memorandum of Understanding (2020)

      5. Other Agreements

        1. Performance-based Planning and Programming Agreement… among Applicable Metropolitan Planning Organizations, States, and Public Transportation Operators (2019) 

  2. Metropolitan Planning Organization Designation

    1. Designation Documents: Memorandum of Understanding relating to the Comprehensive, Continuing, and Cooperative Transportation Planning Process in the Boston Metropolitan Area, 2011

    2. MPO Bylaws/Structure: Memorandum of Understanding relating to the Comprehensive, Continuing, and Cooperative Transportation Planning Process in the Boston Metropolitan Area, 2011. This agreement discusses the role of the Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) with respect to the MPO (see pages 13 to 15).

    3. MPO Membership

      1. MPO overview webpage

      2. MPO member list

      3. Map of 97 MPO municipalities which highlights MPO representatives

      4. MPO board organization chart

      5. MPO policy board chronology

      6. MPO Election Process webpage

    4. Regional Transportation Advisory Council membership

      1. Advisory Council webpage

      2. Advisory Council member list

    5. Bylaws of the Regional Transportation Advisory Council, 2015

    6. MPO committees and members

      1. MPO standing committees (MPO membership webpage in MPO Committees section)

      2. TIP Project Cost Ad Hoc Committee (on TIP webpage in New TIP Project Cost Policies section)

      3. MPO committee membership

2. Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)

  1. UPWP Documents
    1. UPWP webpage
    2. FFY 2022 UPWP. FFY 2022 UPWP Amendment One materials are available on the UPWP webpage.
    3. The FFY 2023 UPWP is still in development. See the UPWP Development webpage for process details.
  2. Quarterly and Annual PL/5303 Reporting
    1. FFY 2021: Third Quarter Spending, and Fourth Quarter (Annual) Spending
    2. FFY 2022 Reports: First Quarter Spending, Second Quarter Spending
  3. Amendment and Administrative Modification Procedures
    1. See FFY 2022 UPWP, Chapter 2, page 2-7 for UPWP amendment and administrative modification details.
    2. See Section 4.3 of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Public Engagement Plan (2021) for additional details related to MPO certification document amendments and administrative modifications

3. Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

  1.  TIP Documents

    1. TIP webpage

    2. FFYs 2022–26 TIP. Amendments to the FFYs 2022–26 TIP are shown on the TIP webpage. 

    3. Draft FFYs 2023–27 TIP (as released for public review, not yet endorsed). See the TIP Development webpage for process details.

  2. Project Selection Procedures and Criteria

    1. Chapter 2 of the draft FFYs 2023–27 TIP describes the MPO’s process for developing its TIP, including project selection.

    2. Appendix A of the draft FFYs 2023–27 TIP describes the MPO’s project selection criteria.

      1. Table A-5 describes the criteria for the Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections Program.

      2. Table A-6 describes the criteria for the Community Connections Program. 

      3. Table A-7 describes the criteria for the Complete Streets Program. 

      4. Table A-8 describes the criteria for the Intersection Improvements Program.

      5. Table A-9 describes the criteria for the Major Infrastructure Program. 

      6. Table A-10 describes the criteria for the Transit Modernization Program.

    3. The Creating New TIP Criteria webpage describes the MPO’s 2019–20 process to update its criteria for its Bicycle Network and Pedestrian Connections, Complete Streets, Intersection Improvements, Major Infrastructure, and Transit Modernization Programs.

      1. The Guidebook to Updating the TIP Criteria summarizes this process and relevant changes. 
         

    4. See the Development of the Community Connections Program web page for information about the early phases of the Community Connections program, including steps to create and test project selection criteria.

  3. Annual Listing of Obligated Projects

    1. FFY 2021 Federal Obligation Report

    2. Older federal obligation reports are listed on the TIP Archive webpage.

  4. Amendment/Administrative Modification Procedures

    1. See FFYs 2022-26 TIP, Chapter 2, page 2-20, for TIP amendment and administrative modification details.

    2. See Section 4.3 of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Public Engagement Plan (2021) for additional details related to MPO certification document amendments and administrative modifications. 

  5. Other TIP Materials

    1. Information about the MPO’s TIP Project Cost Ad Hoc Committee work to develop policies to respond to increases in MPO-funded project costs is available on the TIP webpage.

4. Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP)

  1. Current MTP

    1. Destination 2040 webpage.

    2. Destination 2040, Long Range Transportation Plan for the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (2019)

      1. Amendment One to Destination 2040 is available on the Destination 2040 webpage.

      2. In 2020, the MPO approved a set of new policies to better define the types of large-scale projects that qualify for its Major Infrastructure program. These policies are discussed in “Adopted Policies for the MPO’s Major Infrastructure Program” (2021) and on the LRTP webpage. 

    3. Destination 2040 Needs Assessment (2019) and Destination 2040 Needs webpage. 

    4. Note: The MPO is in the process of developing its next Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Destination 2050. The Destination 2050 website describes this process.

5. Public Participation Plan

  1. Public Engagement Program webpage

  2. Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Public Engagement  Plan (2021)

6. Title VI Procedures and Environmental Justice Documentation

  1. Current Title VI Implementation Plan, including public notice and complaint procedures
    1. Transportation Equity Program webpage
    2. Boston Region MPO 2017 Triennial Title VI Report and Appendices.  The MPO will be completing a new Title VI Triennial Report in FFY 2023.
    3. The MPO Civil Rights — Title VI webpage includes the Notice of Nondiscrimination Rights and Protections to Beneficiaries and complaint filing forms and procedures.
  2. Descriptions and documentation on a strategy to improve accessibility in the region 
    1. Procedures for creating accessible documents and ensuring that meetings are accessible
      1. Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization 2021 Language Assistance Plan
      2. Information about access to MPO-hosted meetings (physical, language, and virtual access) is available in Section 3.4 of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Public Engagement  Plan (2021). 
      3. Accessible document production
        1. CTPS Document Production Guidebook (2022)
        2. CTPS Intranet Accessible Document Production overview webpage (in PDF)
        3. Accessible Document Flowchart
        4. Accessible Template Training
        5. Accessible Document FAQs
  3. Equity and/or distribution analysis
    1. Destination 2040 (the MPO’s current LRTP) includes a transportation equity analysis in Chapter 6. Amendment One to Destination 2040 did not include changes that would require a new transportation equity analysis. 
    2. Equity analyses of MPO-programmed funds in the TIP 
      1. Chapter 6 of the FFYs 2022–26 TIP includes a transportation equity analysis of the MPO’s programmed projects.
      2. Chapter 6 of the draft FFYs 2023–27 TIP includes a transportation equity analysis of the MPO’s programmed projects.  
    3. Geographic Distribution of UPWP and TIP Funds
      1. FFY 2022 UPWP Appendix D: Geographic Distribution of UPWP Studies and Technical Analyses
      2. FFYs 2022–26 TIP Appendix D: Geographic Distribution of TIP Funding
      3. Draft FFYs 2023–27 TIP Appendix D: Geographic Distribution of TIP Funding
    4. Boston Region MPO 2017 Triennial Title VI Report
      1. Chapter 3, Section 3.2, discusses demographic profiles pertaining to transportation equity populations in the Boston region (see additional maps in Appendix E).
      2. Chapter 3 also includes an analysis of federal funding (in Section 3.4) distributed through the MPO’s TIP for roadway and public transit projects and programs. 
    5. MPO staff conducted the UPWP-funded study Systemwide Title VI/Environmental Justice Assessment of TIP Projects (2017) to develop a methodology for conducting an equity analysis of the distribution of federal highway funding in the MPO’s TIP.
    6. The Transportation Equity web page includes information and materials related to the development of the MPO’s Disparate Impact/Disproportionate Burden Policy (see the Focus Areas section).
      1. See the Moving Toward Equity StoryMap for details on the DI/DB policy development process.
  4. Updated Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Four-Factor Analysis, including Language Assistance Plan
    1. Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization 2021 Language Assistance Plan
  5. MPO staff conducts analysis and supports Title VI reporting for the MBTA. MBTA Triennial Title VI reports and other Title VI materials are available at the MBTA’s Title VI web page.

7. Congestion Management Process

  1. Congestion Management Process webpage

8. Coordinated Human Service Plan

  1. Coordinated Public Transit–Human Services Transportation Plan webpage
  2. MPO Coordinated Public Transit–Human Services Transportation Plan, 2019. The MPO will be updating its Coordinated Public Transit—Human Services Transportation Plan during FFY 2023.

9. Freight Plans and Studies

  1. The Freight Planning webpage describes the MPO’s recent freight planning activities, including freight studies (see the “Freight Studies and Other Resources” section.)  
  2. The MPO’s freight planning activities are guided by the 2013 Freight Planning Action Plan and its 2019 update.

10. Regional Bicycle/Pedestrian/Multimodal Plans and Studies

  1. The Bicycle and Pedestrian webpage describes recent bicycle and pedestrian planning activities and studies (see the “Analysis” section). 
  2. The MPO addresses multimodal transportation needs in its corridor and intersection studies. These are listed on the Recent Studies webpage in the “Corridor and Subarea Studies” section.
  3. The MPO has developed several guidebooks and tools to support Boston region municipalities and other stakeholders as they plan for multimodal transportation options, including transit. Examples include: 
    1. Managing Curb Space in the Boston Region: A Guidebook (2022)
    2. Operating a Successful Community Shuttle Program: A Guidebook (2020)
    3. Transit Signal Priority in the Boston Region: A Guidebook (2019) 

11. Regional Climate Resiliency Plans and Studies

  1. Exploring Resilience in MPO-Funded Corridor and Intersection Studies (2021)
  2. MPO All-hazards Web Application
  3. Studies addressing greenhouse gas emissions reduction:
    1. Promising Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies for the Boston Region (2018) 
    2. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy Alternatives: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (2016)

12. Other Advance Review Materials Suggested by MPO Staff

  1. The Recent Publications webpage on the MPO’s website provides links to studies and research conducted by MPO staff. 
  2. The Interactive Applications webpage on the MPO’s website provides links to data visualization and analysis tools created by MPO staff.