Draft Memorandum for the Record

Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Unified Planning Work Program Committee Meeting Minutes

September 25, 2025, Meeting

1:00 PM–2:10 PM, Zoom Video Conferencing Platform

Chris Klem, Chair, representing Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Secretary of Transportation and Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)

Decisions

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Committee agreed to the following:

• Approved the minutes of the May 29, 2025, UPWP Committee Meeting
• Approved the minutes of the July 10, 2025, UPWP Committee Meeting

Materials

Materials for this meeting included the following:

• May 29, 2025, UPWP Committee meeting minutes (PDF) (HTML)
• July 10, 2025, UPWP Committee meeting minutes (PDF) (HTML)

Meeting Agenda

Introductions

Please see attendance on page 5.

Public Comments

Wig Zamore stated two long-term transportation projects for the MPO to consider. First, he explained the benefits of extending the Green Line from Union Square to Porter. The short, single-track extension would allow for improved access to downtown and to East Cambridge.

He also explained how an urban transit ring, using the Grand Junction Railroad, would better connect Longwood Medical Center and Kendall MIT, among two of the largest research centers in the country.

Action Item: Approval of May 29, 2025, Meeting Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes of the May 29, 2025, meeting was made by the City of Boston (Jen Rowe) and seconded by the Inner Core Committee (Tom Bent). The motion carried.

Action Item: Approval of July 10, 2025, Meeting Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes of the July 10, 2025, meeting was made by the City of Boston (Jen Rowe) and seconded by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Julia Wallerce). The motion carried.

Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2026 UPWP Debrief—Olivia Saccocia, MPO Staff

O. Saccocia reviewed the FFY 2026 UPWP development timeline. She discussed the meeting where committee members had the opportunity to provide feedback on four of the MPO’s programs: the Active Transportation Program, Freight Planning Program, Community Transportation Access Program, and the Multimodal Mobility Infrastructure Program. O. Saccocia also provided examples of how MPO staff are planning to use the input received from the committee to influence the MPO’s program work.

O. Saccocia asked the committee to share what went well and what could be improved from the most recent UPWP development cycle.

Discussion

Len Diggins (City of Arlington) stated that the level of public input on UPWP discrete studies has changed over the past few years. He explained that he thought the MPO scaled back the public engagement this year, given that the budget for discrete studies has also decreased. He wanted to know what others thought about this.

Tegin Teich (Executive Director) stated that it is important to distinguish between the types of public engagement that the MPO does. In the past, the MPO has asked the public for potential discrete study ideas. However, the agency also conducts ongoing and consistent public engagement around the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), and this feedback helps shape the UPWP. T. Teich added that the agency is investing more resources into public engagement compared to past years.

J. Rowe stated that the purpose of discrete studies is to understand what questions people have about transportation in the region. She suggested that the MPO could consider asking the public about this question in a way that could have more applicability to other MPO work, not just the UPWP. J. Rowe also stated that there is an opportunity to engage with the public through the new advisory council.

J. Wallerce expressed interest in the committee having more in-person meetings. She noted how it was particularly beneficial to discuss the discrete study ideas in person.

David Koses (City of Newton) stated that he thought the UPWP process was well managed and professional. T. Bent agreed and stated that he is supportive of having in-person meetings for those that involve decisions. Tom O’Rourke (Three Rivers Interlocal Council) also expressed that the UPWP process went well and is supportive of having a few in-person meetings next year.

J. Rowe stated that it was helpful to learn how the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) is also addressing some of the topics that were brought up when the committee discussed the list of potential discrete studies. She suggested that the group could continue to learn more about MAPC’s planned work to strengthen the connection between the two agencies.

L. Diggins also suggested that the MPO could consider having UPWP Committee meetings in the “off-season” to further explore UPWP studies or program work that is of interest to the group. J. Rowe was interested in learning how MPO and MAPC initiatives have evolved over time. She explained that the MPO’s Freight Program has changed over the past few years, and the MPO has expanded on numerous discrete studies. J. Rowe expressed that this context could be helpful for the committee to learn.

Ben Muller (MassDOT) stated that it is important to consider the LRTP when developing the UPWP. He noted that in the LRTP, there is a list of studies that the MPO could pursue that was developed using input from the MPO’s public process. He suggested using that as a framework when evaluating potential UPWP proposals. T. Teich agreed and stated that MPO staff are actively working to strengthen the connection between these two documents.

O. Saccocia asked if the typical meeting time and day of the week (Thursdays at 1:00 PM) work for the group. No one raised a concern about the meeting time.

Members’ Items

J. Rowe shared an event that the Sasaki Foundation was hosting on how mobility equity takes shape in design.

C. Klem shared that he is leaving his role as the Boston Region MPO liaison and is joining the Community Grants team in MassDOT’s highway division. Derek Shooster will be acting as interim chair of the UPWP Committee while the role is filled.

Next Meeting

C. Klem stated that the committee will meet next to kick off the FFY 2027 UPWP development cycle, and the meeting date will be shared soon.

Adjourn

A motion to adjourn was made by the Inner Core Committee (Tom Bent) and seconded by the City of Boston (Jen Rowe). The motion carried.

Attendance