Memorandum for the Record
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Meeting
May 24, 2018 Meeting
10:00 AM–12:30 PM, State Transportation Building, Conference
Rooms 2 and 3,
10 Park Plaza, Boston
David Mohler, Chair, representing Stephanie Pollack, Secretary, and Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) agreed to the following:
See attendance on page 10.
Beth Suedmeyer (Environmental Planner, Town of Sudbury) and Len Simon (Sudbury Board of Selectmen) thanked the MPO for the inclusion of two TIP projects in the Draft FFYs 2019–23 TIP document. Project #608164 (Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, Phase 2D) is currently programmed in FFY 2022 with MPO regional target funding. Project #607249 (Intersection Improvements at Route 20 and Landham Road) will be programmed in FFY 2019 with statewide highway funding. B. Suedmeyer noted that the draft Capital Investment Plan (CIP) project list did not initially include project #607249, which MassDOT staff are working to address. L. Simon echoed B. Suedmeyer’s comments and thanked the MPO for its support of both projects. L. Simon also expressed support for project #606223 (Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, Phase 2B in Acton and Concord). Project #606223 is currently programmed in FFY 2019 with statewide highway funding.
Jim Snyder-Grant (Green Acton) read the text of a comment letter from the Green Acton Board of Directors regarding TIP project #608229 (Intersection Improvements at Massachusetts Avenue [Route 111] and Main Street [Route 27] [Kelley’s Corner] in Acton). Project #608229 is currently programmed in FFY 2022 with MPO regional target funding. The full text of this comment letter can be found on the MPO meeting calendar.
Ken Kruckemeyer (Friends of Melnea Cass Boulevard, LivableStreets Alliance) reported that the public 25 percent design hearing for project #605789 (Reconstruction of Melnea Cass Boulevard in Boston) was held on March 1, 2018. K. Kruckemeyer reported that several safety, maintenance, and budget concerns were raised by residents and advocacy organizations at this hearing. These remain unresolved. K. Kruckemeyer stated that he has spoken with City of Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, reporting that Mayor Walsh expressed a desire to move beyond the “breakdown in communication between his agencies and the citizens.” K. Kruckemeyer stated that the Friends of Melnea Cass also want to rebuild trust between citizens and the Boston Transportation Department and that more work remains to be done.
Emily Teller (Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail) reported that the ribbon cutting for Phase 2A of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail was held in Acton on May 11, 2018. The ribbon cutting for Phase 2C is planned to take place in Concord in summer 2019. E. Teller noted the enthusiasm for the various phases of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail throughout the region, adding that today’s endorsement vote on the FFYs 2019–23 TIP document includes statewide funding for Phase 2B in FFY 2019. E. Teller expressed support for Phase 2B and submitted a letter from five local state representatives and senators expressing their support for Phases 2B and 2D. The full text of this letter can be found on the MPO meeting calendar. E. Teller added that Tom Michelman, President of the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, also submitted a comment letter. This letter can be found in the compilation of public comments on the MPO meeting calendar. E. Teller noted that the Friends group has 5,000 supporters and 600 dues-paying members. E. Teller added that House Bill #4438 includes an earmark for the purchase of right-of-way from CSX in Framingham and Sudbury in order to extend the trail. E. Teller was joined by Friends members Christine Corr, Sharon Galpin, Dick Williamson, Geraldine Abrams, and Irwin Abrams.
Peter Berry (Acton Board of Selectmen, Kelley’s Corner Steering Committee) thanked the MPO and MassDOT for their support of both the Bruce Freeman and Assabet River Rail Trails. P. Berry advocated for the inclusion of TIP project #608229 (Intersection Improvements at Massachusetts Avenue [Route 111] and Main Street [Route 27] [Kelley’s Corner] in Acton) in FFY 2022. P. Berry noted that the Town of Acton has appropriated $750,000 for design and engineering of this project. The 25 percent design plans were submitted to MassDOT in February. At a town meeting in April, the Board of Selectmen requested additional funds for design changes and easement costs. The required two-thirds vote on providing these funds failed by three votes. The Board of Selectmen has submitted a public comment letter to the MPO in support of the project and is moving forward with public events regarding design. This letter can be found in the compilation of public comments on the MPO meeting calendar. P Berry stressed that the Town views Green Acton as a partner in this project and hopes to be able to work together to resolve the issues noted in its letter. P. Berry referred to specific design issues (prioritizing pedestrians over traffic, the removal and replanting of trees) that the Town believes can be resolved via the public process and at a later town meeting, stressing that the Town feels it can adhere to the schedule in order to advertise for construction in FFY 2022.
Ryan O’Malley (Malden City Council) thanked the MPO for programming project #608275 (Exchange Street Downtown Improvement Project in Malden) in FFY 2020. R. O’Malley noted that 25 percent design plans have been submitted to MassDOT and a project manager has been assigned.
There was none.
There were none.
T. Teich reported that the Advisory Council submitted written comment letters regarding the TIP and Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). T. Teich thanked MPO staff for their help throughout the public review period for each document. T. Teich highlighted several points from the Advisory Council’s letters: the need to continue to work on better allocating funding to smaller Complete Streets projects; the need to continue streamlining the state’s project submission process; the need to maintain consistent funding for the Community Transportation Program; and the need to retain adequate public review periods for all certification documents.
The next Advisory Council meeting will be held on June 13, 2018. This will be the last on-site meeting attended by David Fargen, Advisory Council coordinator at the MPO staff, before his retirement. The Advisory Council will have a field trip in lieu of a July meeting.
K. Quackenbush reminded members of the MPO’s Administration and Finance Committee that the annual committee meeting will be held prior to the next MPO meeting at 9:00 AM on June 7, 2018.
A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of March 15, 2018, was made by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (Eric Bourassa) and seconded by the South West Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (Glenn Trindade). The South Shore Coalition (Town of Braintree) (Christine Stickney) abstained. The motion carried.
A motion to approve the minutes of the meeting of March 22, 2018, was made by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (E. Bourassa) and seconded by the South West Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade). The South Shore Coalition (Town of Braintree) (Christine Stickney) abstained. The motion carried.
T. Teich reported on the first meeting of the MPO’s DI/DB Policy Stakeholder Working Group. This meeting took place on May 21, 2018, and focused on introducing the stakeholder group to each other and the concept of DI/DB. T. Teich noted that DI/DB is a challenging concept to understand because it generally compares rates of change, rather than directly considering existing inequities. T. Teich stated that the group discussed the geographic scale of the policy and how it can be effective for the MPO region. T. Teich reported that the group is considering producing recommendations for addressing equity concerns in addition to the more limited scope of the policy. The next stakeholder working group meeting will be held on June 5, 2018. A public workshop will be held on June 26, 2018.
The MassDOT 2019–23 CIP is currently out for public review until June 1, 2018. The CIP is a rolling five-year plan for MassDOT and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) that is updated annually and contains a statement of priorities, financial plan, and a listing of recommended investments. It is approved by both the MassDOT Board of Directors and the MBTA’s Financial Management Control Board. The plan fits within the overall five-year capital plan for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The CIP update reflects the strategic approach adopted by MassDOT in 2017, to invest first in the reliability of the transportation system, followed by modernization and, as a final priority, expansion. For the 2019–23 CIP, the emphasis is on reliability and modernization, which account for more than 78 percent of planned investments. There are 67 investment programs. A number of major, multi-faceted projects, such as the Green Line Extension, have been shifted into their own investment programs. This CIP update reflects changes made in 2018 to the weights used in the evaluation of modernization and expansion investments.
In 2017, MassDOT launched a new project intake tool, MapIT, to help municipalities initiate Highway Division projects to be considered for investment by MassDOT or their respective MPOs. This tool streamlines and improves what used to be a paper-driven process, which required substantial manual entry of data. The tool will be improved and expanded to other divisions.
MassDOT has sought to align the development timelines of the CIP and Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) so that all applicable investments are identified in each document. This allows the CIP to more accurately reflect regional priority projects identified by MPOs. More than one-third of investments in the CIP are decided by MPOs.
The annual CIP update process begins in January, when MassDOT staff refines scoring criteria and defines investment programs in alignment with the ongoing STIP process. Between February and April, MassDOT staff analyzes fiscal constraint, estimating the available funding sources, setting program budgets, and selecting projects. In May, the draft update is released for public review. The CIP is presented to the Board of Directors in June.
The CIP update programs approximately $17.2 billion in investments. More than one-third of Highway Division state and federal funds in the update support investments in municipal roadways and bridges. This funding consists of Chapter 90 apportionments, the municipal bridge program, and Complete Streets funding authorized by the state legislature, as well as federal funds distributed to MPOs.
The CIP update is presented online as an interactive “story map.” Public engagement for the CIP update has three phases. The first focuses on stakeholder education, the second on input from the general public, and the third on analyzing the feedback received and incorporating it into the process for the following year’s update. The online commenting tool is currently available. MassDOT staff is also holding 10 public meetings across the Commonwealth. Comments can also be submitted to masscip@state.ma.us.
Note: At this time, E.
Bourassa assumed the chair.
1. FFYs 2018–22 TIP Draft Amendment Four Tables
2. FFYs 2018–22 TIP Draft Amendment Four Simplified Table
3. FFYs 2018–22 TIP Draft Amendment Four Public Comment Letter from Town of Natick
Amendment Four includes changes only to the highway programming in FFYs 2018–22. Most of the changes relate to statewide bridge programming and are the result of cost increases for project #605287 (Chelsea Route 1 Viaduct Rehabilitation). Amendment Four affects one MPO target-funded project: #605110 (Brookline, Intersection and Signal Improvements at Route 9 and Village Square [Gateway East]); this project has increased in cost, which will be covered by statewide funds. MPO staff received one public comment letter regarding Amendment Four. The letter is from the Town of Natick, and supports changes to TIP project #607732 (Cochituate Rail Trail Construction in Framingham and Natick). The letter also expressed continued support for the advancement of project #605313 (Bridge Replacement, N-03-020, Route 27 [North Main Street] over Route 9 [Worcester Street] and Interchange Improvements in Natick), which is being removed from the TIP.
A motion to approve Amendment Four to the FFYs 2018–22 TIP was made by the City of Boston (Jim Gillooly) and seconded by the South West Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade). The motion carried.
1. Draft FFYs 2019–23 TIP Document
2. Draft FFYs 2019–23 TIP: Regional Target Programming Scenario
3. Draft FFYs 2019–23 TIP Tables: Highway and Transit
4. Draft FFYs 2019–23 TIP: Summary of MassDOT Programming and Changes
5. Draft FFYs 2019–23 TIP: Summary and All Public Comments Received During TIP Development
6. Draft FFYs 2019–23 TIP: Summary and All Public Comments Received During Public Comment Period
A. Kleyman noted that there were no substantive changes to the draft TIP between April 19, 2018, when the draft was released for public comment, and this meeting. MPO staff collected and summarized approximately 100 comments, both oral and written, received prior to the official public review period for the draft TIP. The full text of these, as well as summaries and draft responses, are available on the MPO meeting calendar. Two projects accounted for the majority of the comments: #607249 (Intersection Improvements at Route 20 and Landham Road in Sudbury) and #604123 (Reconstruction on Route 126 [Pond St.] in Ashland). Most comments were in support of programming these projects. Three projects received a significant number of comments in opposition: #605789 (Reconstruction of Melnea Cass Boulevard in Boston), #606226 (Reconstruction of Rutherford Ave in Boston), and #608229 (Intersection Improvements at Massachusetts Avenue [Route 111] and Main Street [Route 27] [Kelley’s Corner] in Acton). The majority of these comments relate to desired changes to the design of these projects.
MPO staff collected approximately 100 additional comments during the official public review period, which are also summarized with draft responses on the MPO meeting calendar. The majority of these comments relate to three projects: #608164 (Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, Phase 2D in Sudbury), #606223 (Bruce Freeman Rail Trail Phase 2B in Acton and Concord), and #608229 (see above).
MPO staff will continue to coordinate with MassDOT to finalize and distribute responses to comments.
Richard Reed (Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination) (Town of Bedford) asked for clarification related to cost changes included in the final regional target programming scenario. Bryan Pounds (MassDOT) replied that most of these changes are based on new estimates contained in recent design submittals. MassDOT inflates or deflates costs based on anticipated levels of federal funding and adjusts estimates at each stage of design.
David Kucharsky (At-Large Town) (Town of Lexington) asked about communication with municipalities when projects are moved between years of the TIP. A. Kleyman replied that much of the discussion occurs at MPO meetings, which is why many municipal representatives attend during TIP development, adding that following meetings, MPO staff typically sends an email to municipal TIP contacts informing them of any updates in the process.
R. Reed asked about the $1.7 million that is currently being left unprogrammed in FFY 2019. A. Kleyman replied that that funding will remain unprogrammed until the new TIP goes into effect on October 1, 2018, at which point that funding could be used to accommodate cost changes to programmed projects, amend in a new project, or supplement other MassDOT projects.
E. Bourassa asked Anne McGahan (MPO staff) to explain the signatory pages that require MPO members to attest to the air quality analysis included in the TIP as required under the 2008 Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act. A. McGahan replied that as part of the evaluation process, MPO staff conducts an air quality analysis for each project. This is documented in Appendix B of the TIP document. Air quality analysis for regionally significant projects is documented in the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). This information is submitted to MassDOT. Each year, the MassDOT Sustainability group produces a report that is submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
A motion to the FFYs 2019–23 TIP was made by the South West Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade) and seconded by the MassDOT Highway Division (John Romano). The motion carried.
1. Draft FFYs 2018–22 TIP Amendment Five Tables
Amendment Five includes changes to the MBTA’s programming in FFY 2018. The Amendment shifts funds between Federal Transit Administration (FTA) programs in the TIP and accelerates several projects to accommodate changes in project cost and readiness, including the schedule delay of a bridge project. The MBTA was recently awarded two discretionary grants for ferry-related projects in Hingham. Amendment Five adds both projects to FFY 2018.
Paul Regan (MBTA Advisory Board) asked Eric Waaramaa (MBTA) to clarify the disposition of the projects being amended into the TIP. E. Waaramaa responded that anything being amended in is prepared to bid imminently.
A motion to release draft Amendment Five to the FFYs 2018–22 TIP for a 21-day public review period was made by the MBTA Advisory Board (P. Regan) and seconded by the MBTA (E. Waaramaa). The motion carried.
There were none.
A motion to adjourn was made by the South West Advisory Planning Committee (Town of Medway) (G. Trindade) and seconded by the City of Boston (Boston Transportation Department) (Jim Gillooly). The motion carried.
|
Members |
Representatives
and
Alternates |
|
At-Large City (City of Everett) |
Jay Monty |
|
At-Large City (City of Newton) |
David Koses |
|
At-Large Town (Town of Arlington) |
|
|
At-Large Town (Town of Lexington) |
David Kucharsky |
|
City of Boston (Boston Planning &
Development Agency) |
Jim Fitzgerald |
|
City of Boston (Boston Transportation
Department) |
Jim Gillooly |
|
Federal Highway Administration |
|
|
Federal Transit Administration |
|
|
Inner Core Committee (City of Somerville) |
Brad Rawson |
|
Massachusetts Department of Transportation |
David Mohler |
|
MassDOT Highway Division |
John Romano |
|
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA) |
Eric Waaramaa |
|
Massachusetts Port Authority |
|
|
MBTA Advisory Board |
|
|
Metropolitan Area Planning Council |
Eric Bourassa |
|
MetroWest Regional Collaborative (City of
Framingham) |
Dennis Giombetti |
|
Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal
Coordination (Town of Bedford) |
Richard Reed |
|
North Shore Task Force (City of Beverly) |
Aaron Clausen |
|
North Suburban Planning Council (City of
Woburn) |
Tina Cassidy |
|
Regional Transportation Advisory Council |
Tegin Teich |
|
South Shore Coalition (Town of Braintree) |
Christine Stickney |
|
South West Advisory Planning Committee
(Town of Medway) |
Glenn Trindade |
|
Three Rivers Interlocal Council (Town of
Norwood/Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce) |
|
|
Other
Attendees |
Affiliation |
|
Constance Raphael |
MassDOT Highway District 4 |
|
M. Christine Corr |
Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (FBFRT) |
|
Sharon Galpin |
FBFRT |
|
Dick Williamson |
FBFRT |
|
Richard Merson |
Needham DPW |
|
Emily Teller |
FBFRT |
|
A. Pultinas |
Friends of Melnea Cass Boulevard (FMCB) |
|
Steve Olanoff |
TRIC Alternate |
|
Len Simon |
Sudbury Board of Selectmen |
|
Jim Snyder-Grant |
Green Acton |
|
Ken Kruckemeyer |
FMCB |
|
Beth Suedmeyer |
Town of Sudbury |
|
Bryan Pounds |
MassDOT OTP |
|
Emily VanDewoestine |
MWRTA |
|
Irwin and Geraldine Abrams |
FBFRT |
|
Todd Blake |
City of Medford |
|
Debbie Burke |
Malden Redevelopment Authority |
|
Ryan O’Malley |
Malden City Council |
|
William Paulitz |
City of Peabody |
|
Tom Kadzis |
Boston Transportation Department |
|
Peter Berry |
Acton Board of Selectmen |
|
Michelle Ho |
MassDOT OTP |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MPO
Staff/Central Transportation Planning Staff |
|
Karl Quackenbush, Executive Director |
|
Róisín Foley |
|
Alexandra (Ali) Kleyman |
|
Robin Mannion |
|
Anne McGahan |
|
Scott Peterson |
|
Michelle Scott |