Technical Memorandum

 

DATE:   July 21, 2022

TO:         Unified Planning Work Program Committee

FROM:   Tegin Teich, Executive Director

RE: Recommended Revisions to the Unified Planning Work Program (FFY 2022)

 

 

The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) is a one-year budget and planning document that lists the research projects, technical assistance, and other activities that the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) staff will undertake over the next federal fiscal year (FFY). Each year, staff perform a thorough assessment of the spending patterns in the first three quarters of the FFY as well as fourth-quarter needs to propose a slate of UPWP budget adjustments for the final quarter. This memo contains MPO staff recommendations for those adjustments, forming Amendment Two to the FFY 2022 UPWP. The adjustments, shown in Table 1, have a net zero impact on the UPWP budget.

The approved UPWP budget for FFY 2022, approved in August of 2021, represented MPO staff’s best understanding at the time of how 3C funds should be allocated to best meet the needs of the region from October 2021 through September 2022. Throughout the federal fiscal year, MPO staff track spending on 3C line items and report quarterly to the UPWP Committee using a Schedule of Operations. UPWP Committee members have the opportunity to discuss the Schedule of Operations with staff at their scheduled meetings. The third-quarter assessment allows MPO staff to determine where funds are most needed and recommend a transfer of funds between line items, having a net zero impact on the UPWP budget. Because the Federal Highway Administration now requires an amendment to the UPWP for any adjustment totaling more than 10 percent of an individual budget line, MPO staff is submitting an amendment containing these adjustments.

There are two primary reasons why adjustments are needed in the fourth quarter to most effectively use the funding available to the MPO. The first relates to staff attrition and the time it takes to recruit and train new staff. When staff resign from Central Transportation Planning Staff, there may be a gap before a new person is hired in their place. While we use and reallocate staff capacity as fluidly as possible to meet project needs, staffing gaps can result in lower expenditures than initially expected on certain UPWP line items.

In addition to staffing gaps, project or line-item needs may evolve after the UPWP is developed. Initial budget estimates for each project that is included in the UPWP are developed in the spring, approximately six months before work commences. This allows the UPWP to be approved in the summer, in advance of the start of the FFY. Once work is in progress, needs or expectations may shift, and MPO staff adapt to such changes. This can affect how much staff time or effort is needed for one project or line item versus another.

Thank you for your time in reviewing these recommended adjustments. MPO staff would be happy to discuss and answer any questions from UPWP committee members. After a discussion, we hope that you will agree with these recommended adjustments. We request you then vote to approve Amendment Two to the FFY 2022 UPWP and recommend that the MPO vote to release it for a 21-day public comment period.

 

Table 1
FFY 2022 UPWP Proposed Budget Adjustments

Project Number Project UPWP Programmed
FFY 2022 Budget
Proposed Change Proposed Budget Comments
8222 Transportation Improvement Program $274,000 ($80,000) $194,000 Work on TIP Database and the public-facing interactive application have been delayed due to limited staff resources.
8822 Performance-Based Planning and Programming $125,000 ($41,000) $84,000 Staff attrition and changes in staff responsibilities.
9622 Public Participation Process $180,000 ($30,000) $150,000 Staff attrition and gap in staff capacity.
4122 Regional Transit Service Planning Technical Support $50,000 ($28,000) $22,000 Limited number of requests for technical assistance.
9322 Regional Transportation Advisory Council $40,000 ($20,000) $20,000 Staff attrition and gap in staff capacity.
8522 Transportation Equity Program $139,000 ($14,000) $125,000 Title VI report was postponed to FFY 2023. Some TE staff time was redirected to the discrete study, "Identifying Transportation Inequities in the Boston Region."
13422 Addressing Safety, Mobility, and Access on Subregional Priority Roadways (FFY 2022) $133,000 ($10,000) $123,000 Moved to FFY 2023 to finalize report and present to MPO.
13312 COVID-19 Recovery Research and Technical Assistance $10,000 ($10,000) $0 No research topics or technical assistance needs were identified.
20906 Staff Generated Research and Technical Assistance $20,000 ($9,000) $11,000 Only funded one study.
13522 Priority Corridors from LRTP Needs Assessment (FFY 2022) $145,000 ($5,000) $140,000 Moved to FFY 2023 to finalize report and present to MPO.
13722 Safety and Operations Analyses at Selected Intersections (FFY 2022) $82,000 ($2,500) $79,500 Moved to FFY 2023 to finalize report and present to MPO.
8322 Unified Planning Work Program $116,000 $9,000 $125,000 Staff training for new Project Manager.
2522 Bicycle and Pedestrian Support Activities (FFY 2022) $74,000 $10,000 $84,000 Additional late year work for Blue Hills Trail Crossing study.
8122 Long-Range Transportation Plan $326,000 $33,000 $359,000 Staff training and knowledge transfer for outgoing project manager. Utilizing a broader range of staff to take advantage of their expertise.
13621 Low-Cost Improvements to Express-Highway Bottlenecks  $13,500 $11,000 $24,500 Completed; Budget restored to original scoped amount of $64,500; underspent in FFY 2021 due to COVID-19. 
8722 MPO Resiliency Program $11,000 $17,000 $28,000 Building capacity to address federal emphasis area.
13521 Priority Corridors from LRTP Needs Assessment (FFY 2021) $24,000 $19,000 $43,000 Completed; Budget restored to original scoped amount of $137,000; underspent in FFY 2021 due to COVID-19.
9122 Support to the MPO and its Committees $240,000 $23,500 $263,500 Additional work for Operations Plans, Transportation Policy Task Force, Certification Review.
6022 Computer Resources Management $282,000 $27,000 $309,000 Includes additional staff time from Data Analysis and Applications to support Computer Resources related projects.
13421 Addressing Safety, Mobility, and Access on Subregional Priority Roadways  (FFY 2022) $19,000 $30,000 $49,000 Completed; Budget restored to original scoped amount of $127,900; underspent in FFY 2021 due to COVID-19.
13305 Intersection Improvement Program $17,000 $30,000 $47,000 Budget restored to original scoped amount of $75,000; underspent in FFY 2021 due to COVID-19.
7122 Regional Model Enhancement $840,000 $40,000 $880,000 Additional work to implement and validate the new travel demand model, TDM23, to support the 2023 LRTP.
Total   $3,160,500 $0 $3,160,500  

 

FFY = Federal Fiscal Year. LRTP = Long-Range Transportation Plan. MPO = Metropolitan Planning Organization. TIP = Transportation Improvement Program. TDM23 = Travel Demand Model 2023. TE = Transportation Equity.

 

 

 

 


The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) operates its programs, services, and activities in compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and related statutes and regulations. Title VI prohibits discrimination in federally assisted programs and requires that no person in the United States of America shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency), be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives federal assistance. Related federal nondiscrimination laws administered by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, or both, prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, and disability. The Boston Region MPO considers these protected populations in its Title VI Programs, consistent with federal interpretation and administration. In addition, the Boston Region MPO provides meaningful access to its programs, services, and activities to individuals with limited English proficiency, in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation policy and guidance on federal Executive Order 13166.

The Boston Region MPO also complies with the Massachusetts Public Accommodation Law, M.G.L. c 272 sections 92a, 98, 98a, which prohibits making any distinction, discrimination, or restriction in admission to, or treatment in a place of public accommodation based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, or ancestry. Likewise, the Boston Region MPO complies with the Governor's Executive Order 526, section 4, which requires that all programs, activities, and services provided, performed, licensed, chartered, funded, regulated, or contracted for by the state shall be conducted without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, disability, veteran's status (including Vietnam-era veterans), or background.

A complaint form and additional information can be obtained by contacting the MPO or at http://www.bostonmpo.org/mpo_non_discrimination. To request this information in a different language or in an accessible format, please contact

Title VI Specialist
Boston Region MPO
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116
civilrights@ctps.org
857.702.3700 (voice)
617.570.9193 (TTY)