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Massachusetts

The Rural Context For Transportation Consultations

Massachusetts is the 6th smallest state in the U.S. in land area, 13th largest in population, and 3rd most densely populated. However, approximately 18 percent of Massachusetts's population and jobs, and 63 percent of the land, is non-urban. About 42 percent of Massachusetts's roads are rural. Federally owned lands amount to 4 percent of the state's land area.

Massachusetts is a slowly growing state, as measured by population, with a significantly growing rate of employment. The portion of the state's jobs in the uniquely rural agriculture and mining sectors is small (2 and less than one percent, respectively). Most jobs in Massachusetts's rural areas are in sectors also common in urban areas: construction, transportation & utilities (14 percent); manufacturing (19 percent); business & trade (28 percent); and services & government (38 percent).

Demographically, Massachusetts's non-urban population is predominately white (96.9 percent). The proportion of Massachusetts's non-urban adult population who did not graduate from high school is among the lowest of all states (7th lowest), and the proportion that did graduate from college is the highest of all states. The 6 percent of Massachusetts's non-urban people who are poor is the 3rd lowest compared to other states. About 39 percent of the state's non-urban population is in non-working age groups (26 percent 18 years or younger, and 14 percent 65 years or older).

Governmentally, Massachusetts has 12 counties, a fairly manageable number compared to many other states. The state also has 44 municipalities and 307 towns or townships for a total of 351 sub-county divisions. It ranks in the middle in terms of the number of sub-county governments. Massachusetts does not have any federally recognized Indian tribes.

In addition, the 1997 U.S. Census of Governments has identified 18 independent, special-purpose governments in Massachusetts that have transportation responsibilities. This number is lower than in many other states. These special-purpose governments include 1 for highways and 17 for transit. Massachusetts also has 12 other public transit providers serving rural areas and an additional 25 organizations that provide specialized transit services to elderly and disabled populations in those same areas.

Massachusetts has 13 regional councils that cover approximately 100 percent of the state, and 10 MPOs. These regional units help to coordinate the other local governments and play a direct role in rural transportation programs as described below.

Of Massachusetts's 34,323 miles of roads, approximately 10 percent are state-controlled, while less than one percent are federal. Of the total miles of non-federal rural roads, 10 percent are state, none are county, 86 percent are township, and 4 percent are municipal and other.

Processes For Consultation And Cooperation With The Local Officials In Non-Metropolitan Areas

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Construction (EOTC) is responsible for coordinating the activities and programs of the state transportation agencies. The Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) is responsible for construction, maintenance, and operation of state roads and bridges. MHD also serves as the principal source of transportation planning and is responsible for the preparation of comprehensive and coordinated transportation plans and programs. Both a long-range plan and a short-term STIP are prepared.

The state has 13 Regional Planning Agencies (RPAs) with responsibilities for area-wide planning, including transportation planning. Ten of these RPAs serve areas that have Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs); these RPAs participate in transportation planning largely through the MPOs. The other three RPAs serve non-metropolitan areas and, by mutual agreement and in cooperation with the RTA and state transportation agencies, provide transportation planning services similar to MPOs.

All cities and towns are represented by one of the RPAs. Local elected officials, or their designees, from member communities serve on a commission that oversees the policies, programs, and operations of each RPA. RPA transportation programs are funded primarily by federal planning funds. Massachusetts also has fifteen Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs). In general, RTAs are independent public authorities that contract with private providers for transit services. Local elected officials, or their designees, from each community in the RTA service area serve on a board that oversees the RTA's policies, programs, and operations.

RPAs and RTAs carry out their transportation responsibilities largely through membership in their respective MPOs. MPOs are charged with development of regional transportation plans and programs. MPOs are comprised of at least four agencies: EOTC, RPA, RTA and MHD. In addition to state and regional agency representatives, local elected officials are being added to the membership of some MPOs. RPAs use a variety of strategies to foster public participation in transportation planning and programming. Each RPA has a Technical Advisory Group whose members include local elected officials. Among other things, these Groups conduct regularly scheduled meetings open to the public and sponsor periodic presentations from MPO members or state transportation officials.

The state transportation agencies use the regional public participation process to provide information and solicit public involvement in development of state policies, plans and programs. State agencies also sometimes target specific constituencies and interest groups. Additionally, several specialized statewide transportation advisory committees have been formed, including the Freight Advisory Council, the Massachusetts Bicycle Advisory Board, and the Commercial Vehicle Operations Steering Committee.

The state's long-range transportation plan, Accessing the Future, was developed in the mid-1990s. It is based on Regional Transportation Plans developed by RPAs in coordination with their MPO agencies and with public input. Plan development was overseen by an Executive Steering Committee comprised of representatives of federal, state, and local agencies and authorities with transportation interests. The state used the regional public participation process to obtain input and also released the draft plan for public review and comment.

The STIP is a six-year document (only the first three years are constrained) that is updated annually. Typically, the STIP is a compilation of regional TIPS. TIPs are staged, three-year programs of capital improvements and are updated annually. The state does not allow state and federal funds to be combined and does not allow state funds to be "programmed" in the TIP. But MPOs are given an estimate of state funding that could be expected and can use the estimate as a budgetary basis for a "regional priority list for non-federal aid" in the TIP. Non-metropolitan regions are treated in essentially the same manner as MPOs. They are given funding estimates, develop TIPs, Regional Transportation Plans, and Unified Planning Work Programs. The non-metropolitan RPAs also receive state and federal planning funds to carry out the same functions as MPOs. The only difference is that formal meetings are less frequent in non-metropolitan areas.

The RPAs coordinate the TIP development, which begins with public notification of the process and solicitation of proposed projects from communities and MPO agencies. Among other things, the development process must consider environmental policy, land use, and economic development issues. Projects are reviewed to assure conformity with the regional plan and the draft TIP is reviewed by EOTC for availability of funds. The draft is also approved by the regional Technical Advisory Committee, endorsed by MPO agencies, approved by the Governor, and reviewed by federal agencies. By definition, all regional TIPs are included without modification in the STIP.

Recently the 13 RPAs, along with EOTC and MHD, developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recognizing, among other things, the need to re-commit to "define and monitor a balanced Statewide Road and Bridge Program." The MOU commits MHD to making a minimum of $400 million available annually for the Statewide Road and Bridge Program, exclusive of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project. It also sets out some key steps in the programming process for roads and bridges with respect to federal funds, state funds, and communication among the key parties. Twelve of the state's 13 MPOs (RPAs) have endorsed the MOU, which FHWA has accepted, and the state has begun implementing its provisions.

MHD will work with RPAs and other MPO agencies to cooperatively develop an annual estimate of federal funds reasonably expected to be available to support the Statewide Road and Bridge Program. MPOs will use this estimate to assemble Regional TIPS, which ultimately are included in the STIP.

MHD also will work with RPAs and other MPO agencies to cooperatively develop an annual estimate of state funds reasonably expected to be available to support the Program. MHD will present an estimate of funding needed, for example, for emergency work and regional mega-projects. Based on these estimates of funding and need, MHD will provide a statewide estimate of funding that will serve as a basis for developing regional priority lists. MHD and other MPO agencies will then cooperatively develop the regional lists of priority projects proposed for state funding. MHD will use the priority lists as a principal source of projects to be selected for implementation. The state will retain authority to make project selections and will continue to make every reasonable effort to maintain geographical balance while addressing the overall needs of the state.

When advancing projects that are not on regional priority lists and that affect the funding estimates, MHD will notify and confer with RPAs as soon as possible. MHD will also discuss planned and advertised projects at regular meetings with RPAs and in quarterly reports to the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planing Agencies. Additionally, a standing Task Force of MHD, the RPAs and other MPO members shall be established to foster an ongoing discussion of relevant issues.

The key source of federal funding is TEA-21. State funds are bond funds approved by the state legislature. Neither RPAs nor local governments have the authority to directly program funds on a TIP. All programming decisions are made by the MPO.-MassHighway has a separate funding program called Chapter 90 that distributes $100 million in state funds annually to local governments for municipal transportation projects. These funds do not have to be programmed on the TIP.

Massachusetts uses these practices:

State Hearings: The draft of Accessing the Future was made available for public review and comment.
State Processes for Interactive Exchanges of Views with Local Officials: MHD will confer with RPAs when advancing projects not on regional priority lists; MHD will regularly discuss projects with the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies; a task force with representation from MHD, RPAs and MPO members will conduct ongoing discussions; MPOs conduct regularly scheduled meetings open to the public and sponsor periodic presentations by MPO or state transportation officials.
Roles of RPOs: RPAs, often in conjunction with MPOs, carry out the responsibilities of RPOs.
Allocation of Transportation Funds and Responsibilities: Chapter 90 distributes funds to local municipalities.
State Policy-Making and Advisory Bodies: Freight Advisory Council; Massachusetts Bicycle Advisory Board; Commercial Vehicle

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