Re: Annual Development of the 2013 to 2016 TIP Project Listing

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1 MEMORANDUM Date: March 28, 2012 To: CC: From: Board of Selectmen Community Administrators & Managers Central Massachusetts Metropolitan Planning Organization CMMPO Advisory Committee Neighboring MPOs Central Massachusetts Transportation Planning Committee CMRPC Delegates & Alternates WRTA Advisory Board DPW/Highway Superintendents Community Engineers & Planners Area Legislators Regional Stakeholders All Interested Parties CMRPC Transportation Staff Re: Annual Development of the 2013 to 2016 TIP Project Listing Overview The Central Massachusetts Metropolitan Planning Organization (CMMPO) is the transportation policy and project selection body for the planning region. The Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC), as the agency that provides technical staff to the CMMPO, has been directed to commence the annual development of the Transportation Improvement Program ( TIP ) through a proactive public outreach process. The TIP development schedule established by the CMMPO for this year s effort is attached for your reference. 1

2 Ultimately approved by the CMMPO, the federally required TIP lists all eligible highway, transit, intermodal and bicycle & pedestrian projects in the region that are programmed to receive federal-aid funding. Based on strict federal requirements, the TIP includes an emphasis on safety projects and projects that both reduce congestion and improve air quality. In addition, projects of regional and statewide significance, such as Interstate Maintenance and Bridge reconstruction, are also included in the TIP document. The CMMPO has indicated that communities should fully realize that the TIP project listing is financially constrained within the federal-aid funding targets provided to each planning region in the Commonwealth by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Copies of the current TIP s highway and transit-related project listings can be viewed at cmrpc.org. As is evident from the listings, a backlog of projects exists at this time. A number of communities in the region already are moving ahead with projects that are fully accepted by MassDOT and programmed to receive a portion of the limited federalaid funding anticipated to be available. Many of the listed communities have commenced the necessary design and lengthy rightof-way acquisition process. Community Responsibilities Each year, when the development of the TIP begins, communities in the planning region with federal-aid highway projects already underway are asked to provide a status update to the CMMPO in order to measure design readiness. The requested status updates should indicate 1) the current stage of project design, 2) current status of right-of-way & environmental requirements and 3) any other project information that the community feels would be useful to the CMMPO. Please note that the CMMPO has the ability to remove idle projects from the TIP listing if they are lacking necessary community support. CMMPO member MassDOT Highway Division reminds the planning region s communities that new federal-aid eligible project proposals may be submitted throughout the year. Due to ongoing budgetary constraints, low-cost projects in the range of $1M to $2M that address safety and congestion may be considered. Again, these project proposals can be submitted for consideration at any time. Further, it is highly recommended that communities preparing to submit a new project contact their MassDOT Highway Division district office for additional guidance on the project development process. The contact persons are as follows: 2

3 MassDOT Highway Division District #2 office, Northampton: Laurie Scarbrough, MassDOT Highway Division District #3 office, Worcester: Ann Sullivan, Additionally, any new, low-cost project submittals to the CMMPO must be accompanied by MassDOT s required Project Need Form ( PNF ) that is available at the following web link: eview&sid=about. All requests for new highway or bridge projects must originate from the host community s Board of Selectmen or, as appropriate, a town administrator/manager acting on its behalf. When submitting a project for consideration by the CMMPO, fully realize that local responsibilities often include funding project design, funding the acquisition of permanent right-of-way and any temporary easements and any identified environmental requirements. Communities must fully realize that the number of projects seeking federal-aid funding far exceed the resources available to the CMMPO. Further, the CMMPO considers a wide range of factors when assessing project readiness for placement on the TIP, including the MassDOT Transportation Evaluation Criteria (TEC) for project scoring, the provision of regional equity and available funds. Important CMMPO Deadline The initial public outreach period for the development of the 2013 to 2016 TIP project listing is now underway. Status updates on existing federal-aid highway projects should be forwarded to Rich Rydant, Transportation Project Manager, by the close of business on Tuesday, May 8, The CMMPO will consider all submitted materials at their May 9 th meeting. Earlier community correspondence previously forwarded to the CMRPC staff will also be recognized as part of the status update effort. Again, inactive projects lacking community support have the potential to be removed from the TIP listing by the CMMPO. 3

4 Summary materials for the annual TIP development effort are available online at cmrpc.org and at the CMRPC office. Any questions or requests for additional information can be directed to Rich Rydant at (508) or Este es un aviso importante. Sirvase mandarlo traducir. 4

5 2013 to 2016 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) WORKING DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE March 14, 2012: March 28, 2012: April 12, 2012: May 8, 2012: May 9, 2012: June 6, 2012: June 20, 2012: June 27, 2012: June 27, 2012: July 10, 2012: July 11, 2012: CMMPO Meeting. MassDOT provides 2013 to 2016 regional federal-aid funding targets for TIP development purposes. Annual development of the TIP commences with regionwide distribution of community outreach letter requesting status updates for all previously submitted, active projects. (Any new project submittals should be low-cost proposals addressing safety/congestion. These can be submitted anytime during the year.) TIP Development Day to be held at the MassDOT Highway Division District #3 office. The status of eligible TIP projects will be reviewed to inform the MPO s programming efforts. (This is an invitation-only working session.) Due date for the submittal of community project status updates. CMMPO meeting followed by MPO TIP Development Workshop. Future year projects tentatively programmed for anticipated federal-aid funding using worksheet format. Preliminary Draft TIP project listing established after considering range of available options. CMMPO meeting. Approved Final Draft TIP listings released for public review and comment; listings available on CMRPC website. 30-day public review & comment period begins, legal ad appears in the T&G and regionwide mailing invites all interested parties to attend public meeting. TIP Environmental Consultation Session held at Union Station. CMMPO Advisory Committee Meeting to 2016 TIP (& 2013 UPWP) Public Meeting, CMRPC conference room, Union Station. Public comment period on Final Draft TIP closed. CMMPO meeting. Endorsement of Final TIP document considered after review of all submitted comment. TIP documentation subsequently finalized for federal agency review with accompanying Technical Appendix materials. August/ September 2012: Federal agency review of CMMPO Endorsed TIP underway. October 1, 2012: Federally approved CMMPO Endorsed TIP is in effect and available for distribution to interested parties. 5