Transportation

The quality of life and economic vitality of Massachusetts is dependent upon a strong transportation infrastructure. From commuting to commerce, the means by which we move people and goods affects our environment, public health, ability to support existing industry, and desire to achieve smart growth. Continued and careful investment in the region's roads, bridges, sidewalks, bicycle infrastructure, and public transportation system is critical to the long-term success of the metropolitan Boston area.

MAPC is working to promote sustainable transportation projects and policies in many ways:

• Providing planning support to the Metropolitan Planning Organization
• Conducting corridor planning and land use studies
• Developing green transportation modes
• Providing transportation resources, such as producing toolkits and administering a bike parking program
• Providing technical assistance through the Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program
• Advocating for transportation finance reform

Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)

The Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is the group responsible for planning Greater Boston's transportation plan. Under Federal mandate, the MPO develops a vision for the region, from public transit to pedestrian/bicycle needs and roadway projects, and decides how to allocate federal and state dollars toward such projects. The MPO region coincides with the MAPC region, 101 cities and towns in Eastern Massachusetts. Learn more about MAPC's role with the Boston Region MPO and the MPO's acitivites on our webpage about the MPO. 

MAPC provides planning support to the MPO and works with municipalities to advance transportation projects that encourage smart growth, safety, and regional connections. The MPO is responsible for the development, review and approval of three key planning projects:

• The Regional Transportation Plan. Every four years, the Boston Region MPO develops a new Transportation Plan. The Plan is the MPO’s long-range, comprehensive transportation-planning document. It defines an overarching vision of the future of transportation in the region, establishes principles and policies that will lead to the achievement of that vision, and allocates projected revenue to transportation programs and projects that reflect those principles and policies.

• The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The TIP lists all transportation projects that are slated to receive federal funds over a four-year horizon, as well as all projects programmed with federal and state highway funds that are expected to be available.

• The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). The UPWP is produced annually and describes all the regionally significant surface-transportation planning projects that are expected to be undertaken in the region in a federal fiscal year. It also lists the funding sources, from federal to state and local, for each planning project.

Transportation Funding Programs

In addition to promoting increased investment in the region's transportation network, MAPC coordinates several transportation funding programs that are administered through the Boston MPO. Learn more about the opportunities on our Transportation Funding Programs page.

Corridor Planning and Land Use

MAPC works with communities to understand how transportation decisions impact development and, in turn, how growth will affect our transportation system. MAPC helps communities address sprawl, traffic congestion and resource management.

MAPC also conducts studies on transportation corridors within the region that have been identified for major growth, or are facing rapid commercial or residential development which could lead to increased capacity demands.

A corridor study considers both transportation and land use within a planning process that includes public input and integrates strategies to better manage development while promoting a balance of transportation modes to preserve future capacity. MAPC then works with communities to take action on recommendations.

Current Corridor Planning Projects:

• Route 128 Central Corridor

MAPC is working with Waltham, Lincoln, Weston, Lexington and Burlington, and businesses and developers along Central 128, to discuss transportation opportunities and challenges associated with current, proposed and potential development sites.

• I-495

MAPC is working with Hudson, Berlin, Marlborough, Westborough, Southborough, and Hopkinton to address traffic congestion from planned developments between I-290 and the Mass Pike.

• Route 9 Corridor Study

MAPC is working with Southborough, Framingham, Natick and Wellesley to prepare alternative future scenarios that support sustainable growth in an already-congested area.

In 2010, Route 9, a major east-west state highway in Massachusetts, reached it's two hundredth year.  

The two centuries of Route 9' history is depicted in a Route 9 Timeline.  

To learn more about Route 9, refer to the Route 9 History page. 

Recently Completed Corridor Planning Projects:

• Trapelo Road Study (2009)

This project evaluates the transportation impacts of several future development patterns in the Trapelo Road area through Belmont, Lexington and Waltham.

Developing Green Transportation Modes

Green transportation modes include bicycling and walking, ride sharing and public transit in under-served areas. MAPC provides technical support and research in conjunction with the MPO's Central Transportation Planning Staff (CTPS) to promote these alternative modes.

Please refer to the bicycle and pedestrian page for complete information on our efforts.

Transportation Resources

• Regional Bicycle Parking Program

The MAPC Regional Bike Parking Program provides at least $3,000 in reimbursement for each of the communities in MAPC's region to purchase bike racks or related equipment.

• Sustainable Transportation: Parking Toolkit

MAPC has created an online guide to help municipal officials, developers, citizen board members, and advocates understand automobile parking issues, developer mitigation, and the planning of complete streets, or roadways that are safe and welcoming to everyone - pedestrians, cyclists, the young and old - and not just motorists.

The first product of the toolkit addresses common parking issues and offers a variety of strategies for balancing the demand for parking against other important considerations, such as storm water management, the need for commercial development and preservation of open space.

• Development Mitigation Strategies

Currently underway, the second product of the Sustainable Transportation Toolkit series will be used as a guideline to help establish standards for evaluating the transportation impacts of development projects. Potential mitigation measures are described.

Technical Assistance through the Community Transportation Technical Assistance Program

Members of CTPS and MAPC jointly staff this program, which is a pilot project that provides technical advice on local transportation issues to municipal officials.

In October 2009, a pilot study was completed with the Town of Wrentham in which MAPC and CTPS provided recommendations on possible short- and long-term alternatives to calm traffic speeds, improve pedestrian access, and minimize traffic conflicts.

Read the Wrentham Technical Assistance Program memo.

Transportation Finance Reform

MAPC is also advocating for increased funding for our state's transportation network. Despite recent movement in the state legislature to see greater transportation revenue and more cost-saving reforms, the state has considerable unmet transportation needs.

"The Work Undone" describes a selection of unfunded or under-funded projects to maintain, improve and expand the Commonwealth's transportation infrastructure. It was prepared by members of the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA) in response to the findings released by the Transportation Finance Commission (TFC) in March, 2007.

Questions?

Contact MAPC Transportation Manager Eric Bourassa at ebourassa@mapc.org or at 617-451-2770, ext. 2043.