FEBRUARY 2002 TRANSREPORT TRANSPORTATION NEWS FROM THE BOSTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION MPO Seeks Comments on Transportation Plan Update and Public Involvement Program This month the Boston MPO will hold Staff will also present the draft Public “What’s New” button. While download- workshops around the region, cospon- Involvement Program. This document ing the documents from the Web site is sored by a variety of local and expands on its predecessor, which the fastest way to obtain them, they are transportation-related also available on CD- organizations, at which Workshops on the Transportation Plan Update and ROM, in print, and on the public can learn the MPO’s Public Involvement Program tape. To request a copy about and comment on All workshop cosponsored by the Regional Transportation Advisory of the documents in two documents cur- Committee and the American Council of Engineering Consultants the format of your rently undergoing public See page 4 for meeting locations choice, contact the review: the draft Central Transportation Weymouth Tuesday, February 5, 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. – Additional spon- Regional Transportation sors: Representative Joseph Sullivan, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Planning Staff at (617) Plan Update and the Transportation; Town of Weymouth; South Shore Coalition; and South Shore 973-7100 or public draft Public Involve- Chamber of Commerce. [email protected]. ment Program. This Lynn Wednesday, February 6, 6:00 P.M to 8:00 P.M. – Additional sponsors: Written comments ORKSHOPS round of workshops will Greater Lynn Senior Services, Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce, and Salem must be received by Harbor Development Corporation. build upon a dialogue the specified closing W Bedford Thursday, February 7, 7:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M. – Additional sponsors: initiated with the public date to be included in during workshops held Minuteman Advisory Group for Interlocal Coordination and Town of Bed- ford. the final documents. last fall on the Trans- The comment period portation Plan Update. Boston Monday, February 11, noon to 3:00 P.M. at the State Transportation Building, and 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M at the Boston Public Library. Additional on the draft Plan At this month’s sessions sponsor: City of Boston. closes on February 28, MPO staff will again Natick Wednesday, February 13, 5:30 P.M. to 7:30 P.M. – Additional spon- and the comment lead small-group discus- sor: MetroWest Growth Management Committee. period on the proposed sions. UBLIC Somerville Wednesday, February 13, 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. – Additional Public Involvement The draft Update P sponsor: City of Somerville. Program closes on includes revisions to March 11. Written policies guiding transportation planning described only the public review comments may be sent to CTPS, 10 Park in the region and sets forth a 25-year pro- process for MPO documents. The new Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attn.: Anne gram of 45 highway projects totalling program describes all the public McGahan, or to publicinformation@ $1.5 billion and 11 transit projects involvement efforts in which the MPO ctps.org. totalling $1.87 billion. The document typically engages, including public also contains an enhanced discussion of meetings, workshops, and seminars, environmental justice issues that reflects working with ad hoc committees and INSIDE THIS ISSUE the ongoing work of the Boston MPO other advisory groups, and disseminat- Environmental Justice Ad Hoc Commit- ing information through the MPO MPO activities update . 2 tee. Web site, Internet subscriptions, and Federal Transportation TRANSREPORT. Participants at the meetings will hear Appropriations bill . 2 how staff used the information gleaned The public is encouraged to review the MBTA service improvements . 3 two draft documents prior to attending from the fall workshops to develop the Logan Airport garage reopens . 3 draft Update, and they will have an this month’s meetings. Both may be Meeting calendar . 4 opportunity to ask questions as well as found on the MPO Web site at comment on the document. www.ctps.org by clicking on the The members of the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO): Executive Office of Transportation and Construction • City of Boston • City of Everett • City of Newton • City of Peabody • Federal Highway Administration • Federal Transit Administration • Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority • Massachusetts Bay Trans- portation Authority Advisory Board • Massachusetts Highway Department • Massachusetts Port Authority • Massachusetts Turnpike Authority • Metropolitan Area Plan- ning Council • Regional Transportation Advisory Council • Town of Bedford • Town of Framingham • Town of Hopkinton BOSTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION ACTIVITIES Appropriations for Transportation Approved TRANSPORTATION PLANNING & PROGRAMMING On December 18 COMMITTEE ACTION ITEMS Congress released Throughout January the Transportation Planning and Pro- the Conference gramming Committee continued development of the Transportation Plan Update and the MPO’s Public Report of the 2002 Involvement Program. On January 24 it voted to approve distribution of both docu- Transportation Appropriations bill. ments to the public for review periods of 30 days and 45 days, respectively (see Included in the bill are fiscal year 2002 related article on page 1). Federal Transit Administration apportion- The committee also voted on January 10 to approve the release of the MBTA Bus ments and allocations. The largest appor- Route 66 Arterial Improvement Study and on January 24 to circulate for review a tionment for the Boston region is $90.1 proposed adjustment to the fiscal year 2002–07 Transportation Improvement Pro- million in section 5307 formula funds. gram. The study, conducted by the Central Transportation Planning Staff for Except for one percent that is set aside for MassHighway and the MBTA, documents the performance of bus route 66, one of the Transit Enhancement Program, these the MBTA’s most heavily utilized routes, and traffic conditions on the roads it uses, funds may be used at the discretion of the which are key arterials for the region. It recommends strategies for alleviating traffic Boston MPO. congestion and better serving route 66’s 11,000 daily passengers. For a copy of the The remainder of the FTA money coming report, contact Lourenço Dantas at (617) 973-7100 or [email protected]. It may also be downloaded from the MPO Web site at www.ctps.org: click on the “What’s New” to the region is in section 5309 funding button. categories. The MBTA will receive $66.7 million in section 5309 Rail Moderniza- The proposed adjustment to the TIP amends the first three years of the current doc- tion funds, some of which will be spent on ument’s transit element. It reflects the actual federal funding apportionments for FY 2002 and current project schedules. It also programs, for capital projects, funds that MBTA facilities in the Central Massachu- were freed up by shifting preventive maintenance costs to the MBTA’s operating setts and Merrimack Valley MPOs. For the budget. The adjustment may also be found under “What’s New” on the MPO Web South Boston Piers Transitway, $10.5 mil- site or requested by contacting David Mohler at (617) 973-7100 or lion is earmarked through the New Starts [email protected]. program, and an additional $4 million is carried over from FY 2001. Section 5309 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE Under the MPO’s recently negotiated Memorandum of Understanding the “JRTC” Bus funds for the region include $0.99 is history, but in its place is a new name for the MPO’s main public advisory group: million in new funds earmarked for proj- the Regional Transportation Advisory Council. Marcy Crowley, chair of the Advi- ects in MetroWest, at Salem Station and sory Council, believes the new name will better communicate the group’s function. at Beverly Station. In addition to funds for “Unlike our old one, this gives people a clear idea of who we are and what we do,” those projects and the Piers Transitway, she explained. “We are moving forward with a number of new initiatives, and this another $5.3 million is earmarked for first step sets the stage.” The Advisory Council chair also heads the MPO’s Public transit projects in the region through the Involvement Committee, a recently created standing committee of the Transporta- New Starts and Bus programs. tion Planning and Programming Committee, which developed the draft MPO Pub- lic Involvement Program, now available for public review (see above). The appropriations bill also includes funds for highway projects in the region. It ear- At the January Advisory Council meeting, Luisa Paiewonsky, director of MassHigh- marks $1.75 million in funding for the way’s Bureau of Transportation Planning and Development, former executive secre- construction of a new Chelsea Street tary of the MPO, and leader during the MOU negotiations, gave a detailed briefing on the MOU. At its February meeting, the Advisory Council will focus on the draft Bridge between Boston and Chelsea over Transportation Plan Update and the draft Public Involvement Program. All are wel- the Chelsea River. The current come to attend, listen, and share their views on these important documents. bridge’s channel is too narrow to allow the larger tankers to pass through. AACT UPDATE The Longfellow Bridge between The Access Advisory Committee to the MBTA has been developing a new Cambridge and Boston over brochure and revising its bylaws. The brochure, which describes AACT’s mission the Charles River is also the and accomplishments, is now available: contact Janie Guion at (617) 973 7100, [email protected], or (617) 973-7089 (TDD). Revision of the bylaws will be com- recipient of a congres- pleted by the spring. sional earmark, as $1.5 million has been set aside Nominations for an election of officers to be held in April were opened at the Janu- for the restoration of this ary AACT meeting.