Memorandum

Date      October 19, 2017

TO           Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization

FROM     Karl H. Quackenbush, Executive Director

RE           Work Program for Addressing Priority Corridors from the Long-Range Transportation Plan Needs Assessment FFY 2018

Action Required

Review and approval

Proposed Motion

That the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) votes to approve the work program for Addressing Priority Corridors from the Long-Range Transportation Plan Needs Assessment FFY 2018 presented in this memorandum

Project Identification

Unified Planning Work Program Classification

Planning Studies and Technical Analysis

CTPS Project Number

13287

Client

Boston Region MPO

CTPS Project Supervisors

Principal: Mark Abbott

Manager: Seth Asante

Funding

MPO Planning Contract #101725

MPO §5303 Contract #98873 and subsequent MPO §5303 contract


 

Impact on MPO Work

This is MPO work and will be carried out in conformance with the priorities established by the MPO.

Background

The Boston Region MPO’s Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), Charting Progress to 2040, identifies existing needs for all modes of transportation in the MPO region.1 These needs guide decisions about which projects to include in the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).2 Among the region’s current mobility needs are maintaining and modernizing the roadways that have high levels of congestion and safety problems; improving the quantity and quality of venues for walking and bicycling; improving adherence to schedules of transit service; and advancing the efficiency and modernization of transit service.

For roadways, the LRTP identified several priority arterial segments that need maintenance, updates, and safety and mobility improvements. These arterial segments were identified from previous and ongoing transportation planning work, including the MPO’s Congestion Management Process (CMP), the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Program for Mass Transportation, and MPO planning studies. To help identify solutions to address the mobility and safety concerns in some of the identified arterial segments, a roadway corridor study was included in the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2018 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP).3 In prior UPWP studies conducted in FFYs 2012 through 2017, MPO staff studied Route 203 in Boston, Route 114 in Danvers, Route 2 in Concord, Route 30 in Framingham, Route 140 in Franklin, Route 1A (the Lynnway) in Lynn, the Vinnin Square area in Swampscott, Marblehead, and Salem, and Route 138 in Canton; several of the recommendations from those studies are already being considered.

A roadway corridor study is a logical way to address regional multimodal transportation needs, since it evaluates a roadway corridor or arterial segment comprehensively, considering the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, public transportation users, and roadway abutters. Using a holistic approach to analyze the issues, the MPO staff develops short- and long-term recommendations for improvements within the roadway’s right-of-way. The intent is to improve a roadway corridor so that it is safe for people to walk or bicycle to shops, schools, transit stations, and recreational areas, and so that buses can run on time.

In this document, an arterial segment is defined as either a portion of a roadway corridor that spans multiple towns, an entire town, or a segment that includes a few intersections in a town or near a shopping center. Within these arterial segments, there are problem locations. The arterial segments that will be considered for this study are identified in the current LRTP.

Objectives

The objectives of this study are as follows:

Work Description

Task 1  Elicit Input from Agencies and Municipalities

The MPO staff will invite municipal officials and members of subregional groups in the MPO’s planning area whose jurisdictions include areas in which the arterial segments are located, as well as representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Office of Transportation Planning, the MassDOT Highway Division, the MBTA, regional transit authorities (if the segment is in the service area of MetroWest or Cape Ann), and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to participate in the study. These stakeholders will advise the MPO staff about the study areas and data sources; help identify transportation-related problems; and help develop multimodal transportation solutions and recommendations. The recommendations from this study will be implemented by either municipalities or the Highway Division; therefore, it is important that the recommendations reflect those entities’ experience and MassDOT design standards.

Product of Task 1

Documentation of stakeholder input

Task 2  Select Study Location

First, MPO staff will rank the arterial segments using available CMP data, such as traffic volumes, crashes, vehicle speeds, freight and truck routes, bus crowding and/or schedule adherence, traffic signal coordination, and pedestrian and bicyclists’ needs. The arterial segment considered for study will be a segment that could benefit from improvements related to sidewalks and crosswalks, access management, traffic control and operations (including traffic signal upgrades and coordination), and potential land use changes and redevelopment. In addition, the study proponent, highway jurisdiction agency, and municipalities in which the arterial segments are located would need to be committed to advancing the recommendations of the study into a project through the Highway Division’s project development process.

The following criteria will be used to prioritize each arterial segment that is a candidate for study:

Then, based on the rankings of the arterial segments and considering stakeholder support for implementing the study’s recommendations, the MPO staff will select an arterial segment for this study. This recommendation, along with the full list of segments from the LRTP, will be presented to the MPO for discussion. When the MPO approves the study location, the MPO staff will collaborate with transportation agency and municipal officials to identify problem locations within the arterial segment. These locations will be the focus for developing multimodal transportation improvements on the arterial segment.

To this end, staff will identify the safety, operational, and mobility problems facing pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit users, as well as transit service deficiencies (connectivity and linkage problems). Staff also will identify truck traffic issues, such as crash locations with unusually high truck involvement, turning-radius issues at intersections, heavy truck volumes adding to congestion, and points where trucks conflict with cars, pedestrians, or bicyclists. In addition, MPO staff will review the Highway Division and MPO’s project information databases and contact municipalities to identify projects and studies that have already been planned for or implemented on the arterial segment.

Product of Task 2

A technical memorandum that will include documentation of the following:

Task 3  Collect and Gather Data

Once the problem locations within the arterial segment have been identified, staff will gather recent and historical data from existing sources, including studies performed by municipalities or proponents of private development projects and databases maintained by the MPO staff and the Highway Division. Some data will need to be collected in the field. The following data likely will be gathered for the arterial segment:

Products of Task 3

Task 4  Analyze Data

Based on analyses performed in similar past studies and the need to provide Complete Streets—where pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities can move along and across a street safely—staff will perform the following tasks:

Products of Task 4

Task 5  Recommend Improvements: Pedestrian Mobility, Traffic Operations, Bus Service, and Safety

Based on the results of consultation with agency and municipal officials and the analyses described above, staff will recommend geometric, traffic control, pavement rehabilitation, roadway enhancement, and other changes to improve traffic operations and truck movement, with an emphasis on the effective, safe accommodation of pedestrians and bicyclists. Additional recommendations will suggest improvements to allow buses to run on time, and to make it safe for people to walk to and from bus stops and train stations.

Products of Task 5

Recommendations for addressing pedestrian, bicyclist, and motorist safety; accommodation of pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users; other traffic operations issues, including trucks; and bus service issues

Task 6  Document Results

Staff will submit a report or a technical memorandum on the following subjects: background of the study, agency and municipal input, identification of problems, data collection, analyses, and recommendations. The document will follow the Highway Division’s guidelines for preparation of functional design reports as much as possible, taking into consideration the study’s budget. The document will be available for review by municipal officials, members of the subregional group in which the arterial segment is located, the Highway Division, and the Office of Transportation Planning. After their comments have been addressed, the final document will be presented to the MPO.

Product of Task 6

A final report or memorandum documenting all of the project’s tasks and products, including recommendations 

Estimated Schedule

It is estimated that this project will be completed 11 months after work commences. The proposed schedule, by task, is shown in Exhibit 1.

Estimated Cost

The total cost of this project is estimated to be $120,000. This includes the cost of 35.8 person-weeks of staff time, overhead at the rate of 105.66 percent, and travel. A detailed breakdown of estimated costs is presented in Exhibit 2.

KQ/MSA/msa

1 Charting Progress to 2040, the Long-Range Transportation Plan of the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, July 30, 2015.

2 Transportation Improvement Program and Air Quality Conformity Determination, Federal Fiscal Years 2018–22, endorsed by the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization on May 25, 2017.

3 Federal Fiscal Year 2018 Unified Planning Work Program, Endorsed by the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization on June 15, 2017.

Exhibit 1
ESTIMATED SCHEDULE
Addressing Priority Corridors from the Long-Range Transportation Plan Needs Assessment FFY 2018


Task
Month
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
1.
Elicit Input from Agencies and Municipalities
From month 1 to 1.5.
2.
Select Study Location
From month 1.5 to 2.5.
3.
Collect and Gather Data
From month 2.5 to 4.
4.
Analyze Data
From month 3.5 to 6.
5.
Recommend Improvements
From month 5.5 to 8.
6.
Document Results
From month 7.5 to 11.5.

Exhibit 2
ESTIMATED COST
Addressing Priority Corridors from the Long-Range Transportation Plan Needs Assessment FFY 2018

Direct Salary and Overhead

$119,186

Task
Person-Weeks Direct
Salary
Overhead
(105.66%)
Total
Cost
M-1 P-5 P-4 P-3 Temp Total
1.
Elicit Input from Agencies and Municipalities
0.2 2.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.2 $4,179 $4,416 $8,595
2.
Select Study Location
0.9 2.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.1 $5,860 $6,192 $12,052
3.
Collect and Gather Data
0.2 2.2 0.4 0.0 1.0 3.8 $5,627 $5,945 $11,572
4.
Analyze Data
0.4 4.0 0.0 0.2 2.0 6.6 $9,623 $10,167 $19,790
5.
Recommend Improvements
0.4 5.0 0.0 0.8 2.0 8.2 $12,262 $12,956 $25,217
6.
Document Results
3.9 6.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 11.9 $20,403 $21,557 $41,960
Total
6.0 21.4 0.4 2.0 6.0 35.8 $57,953 $61,233 $119,186

Other Direct Costs

$814
Travel
$814

TOTAL COST

$120,000
Funding
MPO Planning Contract #101725
MPO §5303 Contract #98873 and subsequent MPO §5303 contract