Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation
Encyclopedia
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (often styled MassDOT) oversees roads, public transit, aeronautics, and transportation licensing and registration in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
. It was created on November 1, 2009.
appoints the state Secretary of Transportation, who is also the "Chief Executive Officer" of the Department. The governor also appoints a five-person Board of Directors which approves major decisions. The Department directly administers some operations, while others remain semi-autonomous.
in most states, and processes drivers' licenses and motor vehicle registrations.
, the major provider of public transportation in the Greater Boston
area.
The remaining 15 public transit authorities are called Regional Transit Agencies (RTAs), and they provide public bus services in the remainder of the state. The regional transit authorities are:
The regional transit authorities shown in italics above are within MBTA's commuter rail service area, and provide connections to MBTA trains.
DOT retains oversight and statewide planning authority, and also has a Rail section within the Mass Transit Division. Intercity
passenger trains are operated by the federally owned Amtrak
, and freight rail is privately operated.
(which shares its headquarters with the Aeronautics Division).
Government regulation of aviation in the United States is dominated by the Federal Aviation Administration
. Airline passenger and baggage screening is provided by the federal Transportation Security Administration
, but airport security is provided locally.
and outside of DOT but supported by it:
(Massport) remains independent from the Department of Transportation, but the Secretary of Transportation serves on the Massport Board of Directors. Massport owns and operates the maritime Port of Boston, Boston's Logan International Airport
, Hanscom Field
and Worcester Regional Airport, which was transferred from the City of Worcester in 2010.
regulates all ferry services to and from the islands of Martha's Vineyard
and Nantucket, and also operates its own passenger, vehicle, and freight ferries. The Authority has an effective monopoly on car ferry service, but private companies operate various passenger routes.
proposed merging all Massachusetts transportation agencies into a single Department of Transportation. Legislation consolidating all of Massachusetts' transportation agencies into one organization was signed into law on June 26, 2009. The newly established Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MASSDOT) assumed operations from the existing conglomeration of state transportation agencies on November 1, 2009.
This change included:
The statewide budget included $919 million for transportation in FY2009, not including $797M in sales tax revenue dedicated to the MBTA.
Local cities and towns also receive vehicle excise tax revenues, and levy property taxes. Both state and municipal agencies can levy fines for parking and traffic violations.
s:
and three non-metropolitan planning organizations covering the remainder of the state:
By law, all federal transportation grants must be allocated by the responsible MPO. State-wide planning and coordination of MPOs is handled by the Department of Transportation.
CTPS is the Central Transportation Planning Staff, which is the staff of the Boston MPO and with which the MBTA contracts for planning assistance.
The Highway Division accepts submissions for projects from its district offices and municipalities. After the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse in 2007, the Commonwealth initiated the Accelerated Bridge Program using bonds in anticipation of federal grants to speed repairs on the state's bridges.
Huntington Route 112 over CSX Bridge $18.6 million rehab, Storrow Drive Tunnel rehab $11 million, Lowell Replacement of six bridges along I-495 $34 million, Fall River Braga Bridge painting $14.8 million, Westminster replacement of Route 2 Over Route 140 bridges $11 million, Longfellow Bridge Phase 1 rehab $18 million, Chicopee-Springfield preservation of bridges along I-91 $17 million, Craigie Drawbridge replacement $40 million.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It was created on November 1, 2009.
Organization
As an executive department, the Governor of MassachusettsGovernor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
appoints the state Secretary of Transportation, who is also the "Chief Executive Officer" of the Department. The governor also appoints a five-person Board of Directors which approves major decisions. The Department directly administers some operations, while others remain semi-autonomous.
Highway Division
- Made up of the former state entities MassHighway and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
- Interstate Highways, state highwayState highwayState highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
s, and the Massachusetts TurnpikeMassachusetts TurnpikeThe Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...
. (Some portions of numbered state routes are owned and maintained by cities and towns.) - Toll bridges and tunnels: the Tobin BridgeTobin BridgeThe Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that spans more than two miles from Charlestown to Chelsea over the Mystic River in Massachusetts. The bridge is the largest in New England...
(transferred from MassPort on January 1, 2010), Sumner TunnelSumner TunnelThe Sumner Tunnel is a road tunnel in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It carries traffic under Boston Harbor in one direction, from Logan International Airport and Route 1A in East Boston. The tunnel originally deposited traffic at the west side of the North End but with the completion of the Big Dig,...
, Callahan TunnelCallahan TunnelThe Callahan Tunnel, officially the Lieutenant William F. Callahan Tunnel is one of four tunnels beneath Boston Harbor in Boston, Massachusetts. It carries motor vehicles from the North End to Logan International Airport and Route 1A in East Boston...
, and Ted Williams TunnelTed Williams TunnelThe Ted Williams Tunnel, also known as the Williams Tunnel, is the name of the third highway tunnel under Boston Harbor in Boston, Massachusetts, the Sumner and Callahan Tunnels being the other two...
. - All vehicular bridges in Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) parks are also either owned and maintained by DOT or scheduled to be transferred following completion of DCR work on them by the end of 2014. MassDOT took over the following urban roadways formerly under the DCR: McGrath and O'Brien Highways in Cambridge and Somerville, the Carroll Parkway portion of the Lynnway in Lynn, Middlesex Avenue in Medford, and Forest Hills Overpass ("Msgr. William Casey Highway overpass") (Jamaica Plain), Columbia Road (South Boston), Gallivan Boulevard (Dorchester), and Morton Street, all in Boston.
Registry of Motor Vehicles Division
Formerly its own state entity, the Registry of Motor Vehicles Division is directly administered by MassDOT. It is the equivalent of the Department of Motor VehiclesDepartment of Motor Vehicles
In the United States of America, a Department of Motor Vehicles is a state-level government agency that administers vehicle registration and driver licensing. Similar departments exist in Canada...
in most states, and processes drivers' licenses and motor vehicle registrations.
Mass Transit Division
All public transportation agencies are administered independently. However, the DOT Board of Directors is also the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation AuthorityMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
, the major provider of public transportation in the Greater Boston
Greater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
area.
The remaining 15 public transit authorities are called Regional Transit Agencies (RTAs), and they provide public bus services in the remainder of the state. The regional transit authorities are:
- Berkshire Regional Transit Authority
- Brockton Area Transit AuthorityBrockton Area Transit AuthorityBrockton Area Transit Authority is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, charged with providing public transportation to the Brockton area, consisting of the city of Brockton and the adjoining towns of Abington, Avon, Bridgewater, East Bridgewater, Easton, Stoughton, Canton, West...
- Cape Ann Transportation AuthorityCape Ann Transportation AuthorityThe Cape Ann Transportation Authority is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, charged with providing public transportation to the Cape Ann area, consisting of the city of Gloucester and the adjoining towns of Essex, Ipswich and Rockport....
(Boston MPO) - Cape Cod Regional Transit AuthorityCape Cod Regional Transit AuthorityCape Cod Regional Transit Authority operates a bus transit system of fixed and flexible routes as well as a paratransit service in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts. The CCRTA was created under the provisions of Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws in 1976...
- Franklin Regional Transit Authority
- Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit AuthorityGreater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit AuthorityThe Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority oversees and coordinates public transportation in the areas of Attleboro and Taunton, Massachusetts and nearby areas. It operates daily on fixed routes and schedules within 26 communities in Bristol, Norfolk, and Plymouth counties...
- Lowell Regional Transit AuthorityLowell Regional Transit AuthorityThe Lowell Regional Transit Authority is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, charged with providing public transportation to the Greater Lowell area. This primarily includes the city of Lowell and the towns of Billerica, Burlington, Dracut, Chelmsford, Tewksbury, Tyngsborough and...
- Martha's Vineyard Transit Authority
- Merrimack Valley Regional Transit AuthorityMerrimack Valley Regional Transit AuthorityThe Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, charged with providing public transportation to an area consisting of the cities and towns of Amesbury, Andover, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Merrimac, Methuen, Newbury,...
- MetroWest Regional Transit AuthorityMetroWest Regional Transit AuthorityThe MetroWest Regional Transit Authority is a regional public transit authority in the state of Massachusetts providing bus and paratransit service to eleven communities in the Boston MetroWest. The MWRTA was formed in 2006 and began service on July 1, 2007 with the purpose of filling a void in...
(Boston MPO) - Montachusett Regional Transit AuthorityMontachusett Regional Transit AuthorityThe Montachusett Regional Transit Authority is one of Massachusetts' regional transit authorities. It is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts, charged with providing public transportation to an area consisting of the cities of Fitchburg, Leominster and Gardner, and the adjoining...
- Nantucket Regional Transit AuthorityNantucket Regional Transit AuthorityNantucket Regional Transit Authority is the public transport authority on the island of Nantucket in Massachusetts, USA. It operates a network of shuttle buses.- History :...
- Pioneer Valley Transit AuthorityPioneer Valley Transit AuthorityThe Pioneer Valley Transit Authority oversees and coordinates public transportation in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. Currently the PVTA offers fixed-route bus service as well as paratransit service for the elderly and disabled. The PVTA was created by Chapter 161B of the...
- Southeastern Regional Transit AuthoritySoutheastern Regional Transit AuthoritySoutheastern Regional Transit Authority is a public transport authority in Bristol County, Massachusetts. A variety of bus services are offered to serve the cities of New Bedford, Massachusetts and Fall River, Massachusetts.-New Bedford Services:...
- Worcester Regional Transit AuthorityWorcester Regional Transit AuthorityWorcester Regional Transit Authority is a public, non-profit organization charged with providing public transportation to the city of Worcester, Massachusetts and the surrounding towns. The WRTA was created in September 1974 under Chapter 161B of the Massachusetts General Laws...
The regional transit authorities shown in italics above are within MBTA's commuter rail service area, and provide connections to MBTA trains.
DOT retains oversight and statewide planning authority, and also has a Rail section within the Mass Transit Division. Intercity
Inter-city rail
Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains.There is no precise definition of inter-city rail. Its meaning may vary from country to country...
passenger trains are operated by the federally owned Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, and freight rail is privately operated.
Aeronautics Division
The Aeronautics Division, formerly the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, administers state financing of its airports; inspects and licenses airports and landing pads; regulates airport security, safety, and navigation; and is responsible for statewide aviation planning. The Department of Transportation does not own any airports; the state-owned airports are controlled by the independent Massachusetts Port AuthorityMassachusetts Port Authority
Massachusetts Port Authority, or Massport, is a port district in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It operates seaports and airports in eastern and central Massachusetts, mainly the Port of Boston. Its headquarters is located in the Logan Office Center, adjacent to Logan Airport in East Boston,...
(which shares its headquarters with the Aeronautics Division).
Government regulation of aviation in the United States is dominated by the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
. Airline passenger and baggage screening is provided by the federal Transportation Security Administration
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States....
, but airport security is provided locally.
Other groups
The 2009 reform law also created within MassDOT:- Office of Planning and Programming, providing centralized administrative services
- Office of Transportation Planning
- Office of Performance Management and Innovation
- Internal Special Audit Unit
- Healthy Transportation Compact, including the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Environmental Affairs, the Administrators of the Highway Division and the Transit Division, and the Commissioner of Public Health.
- Real Estate Appraisal Review Board within the Highway Division - 3 to 5 people appointed by the governor
- Office of Transition Management (temporary)
- Workforce Retraining Initiative, serving employees displaced by the merger
and outside of DOT but supported by it:
- Public-Private Partnership Infrastructure Oversight Commission – an independent commission of 7 people, with 4 appointed by the governor, and one each appointed by the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and State Treasurer.
Massachusetts Port Authority
The Massachusetts Port AuthorityMassachusetts Port Authority
Massachusetts Port Authority, or Massport, is a port district in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It operates seaports and airports in eastern and central Massachusetts, mainly the Port of Boston. Its headquarters is located in the Logan Office Center, adjacent to Logan Airport in East Boston,...
(Massport) remains independent from the Department of Transportation, but the Secretary of Transportation serves on the Massport Board of Directors. Massport owns and operates the maritime Port of Boston, Boston's Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
, Hanscom Field
Hanscom Field
Hanscom Field , also known by its full name Laurence G. Hanscom Field, is a public airport located in Bedford, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is operated by the Massachusetts Port Authority....
and Worcester Regional Airport, which was transferred from the City of Worcester in 2010.
Steamship Authority
The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship AuthorityThe Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority
The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, referred to coloquially as The Steamship Authority or simply the SSA, is the statutory regulatory body for all ferry operations to and from the Islands from the Massachusetts mainland, as well as being an operator of ferry service...
regulates all ferry services to and from the islands of Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
and Nantucket, and also operates its own passenger, vehicle, and freight ferries. The Authority has an effective monopoly on car ferry service, but private companies operate various passenger routes.
History
In 2009, Governor Deval PatrickDeval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton...
proposed merging all Massachusetts transportation agencies into a single Department of Transportation. Legislation consolidating all of Massachusetts' transportation agencies into one organization was signed into law on June 26, 2009. The newly established Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MASSDOT) assumed operations from the existing conglomeration of state transportation agencies on November 1, 2009.
This change included:
- Merging the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and MassHighwayMassachusetts Highway DepartmentThe Massachusetts Highway Department was the former name of the highway department in the United States Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1991 until it became the highway division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation on November 1, 2009...
into the Highway Division. - Transferring the Tobin BridgeTobin BridgeThe Maurice J. Tobin Memorial Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that spans more than two miles from Charlestown to Chelsea over the Mystic River in Massachusetts. The bridge is the largest in New England...
from Massport. - Transferring ownership of bridges from the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
- Merging the planning and oversight functions of the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) into the new organization, and embedding the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission (MAC) and the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
- Merger of the MBTA Board of Directors into the DOT Board of Directors.
- Removal of the budget veto from the MBTA Advisory Board (of municipalities).
State transportation funding
Transportation funding available to the state and its agencies include:- Multi-year federal "transportation bill" (most recently SAFETEA-LU until September 2009, extended until December 2009; revenue comes from federal gas tax and general funds)
- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...
(one-time federal funding)(84 Projects) - Massachusetts gas tax revenues
- Dedicated MBTA revenues (sales tax, municipalities, fares, parking)
- Regional Transit Authority fares and assessments from municipalities
- Turnpike, tunnel, and bridge tolls
- Parking and airport-related fees for Massport
- RMV registration fees
- General funding from Commonwealth of Massachusetts taxes
- Accelerated Bridge Program ($3 billion 2009–2016)
The statewide budget included $919 million for transportation in FY2009, not including $797M in sales tax revenue dedicated to the MBTA.
Local cities and towns also receive vehicle excise tax revenues, and levy property taxes. Both state and municipal agencies can levy fines for parking and traffic violations.
Capital planning
Massachusetts has 10 regional metropolitan planning organizationMetropolitan planning organization
A metropolitan planning organization is a federally-mandated and federally-funded transportation policy-making organization in the United States that is made up of representatives from local government and governmental transportation authorities...
s:
- Berkshire
- Pioneer Valley
- Central Massachusetts
- Monachusett
- Merrimack Valley
- Northern Middlesex
- Boston Region
- Old Colony
- Southeastern Massachusetts
- Cape Cod
and three non-metropolitan planning organizations covering the remainder of the state:
- Franklin
- Martha's Vineyard Commission
- Nantucket
By law, all federal transportation grants must be allocated by the responsible MPO. State-wide planning and coordination of MPOs is handled by the Department of Transportation.
| Massachusetts Transportation Capital Planning Documents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acronym | Name | Responsible agency | Horizon | Purpose / References |
| STIP | State Transportation Improvement Program | DOT | 3 years | Collects all 13 regional TIPs plus statewide projects for state and federal transportation and environmental review. Required for federal funding, financially constrained. Approved by FHWA, FTA, and EPA. |
| TIP | (Regional) Transportation Improvement Program | 13 regional MPOs | 3 years | Approve road and transit projects of regional scale for federal funding based on transportation and environmental criteria. Determine consistency with federal air quality goals. MPO approval required for federal funding; plan must be fiscally constrained. TIP projects come from RTP projects and immediate needs. Each project has an "advocate" agency to oversee planning and implementation, file for federal funding, and provide local funding match. |
| RTP | (Regional) Transportation Plan | 13 regional MPOs | ~25 years, updated every 4 years | Financially unconstrained listings and evaluation of regional road and transit projects. Required for federal funding. Projects are added to the RTP from public input, from CMS/MMS recommendations, and by government agencies. In Boston, transit projects are filtered through the MBTA PMT and two RTAs. |
| PMT | Program for Mass Transportation | MBTA (by CTPS) | 25 years, updated every 5 years | Identify and evaluate public transit projects in the MBTA service area. Financially unconstrained. Required by state law. |
| CIP | MBTA Capital Improvement Plan | MBTA | 4–5 years | Actually approve projects for MBTA funding. 100% state and federally funded projects are also noted, as are anticipated federal matching funds subject to outside approval. Fiscally constrained. |
| MBP | Massachusetts Bicycle Plan | DOT | 25 years | Identify bicycle access capital improvement projects, coordinate statewide bicycle policies and programs. |
| UPWP | Unified Planning Work Program | 13 regional MPOs | 1 year | A list of transportation studies to be conducted by the MPO. Required for federal funding. |
| MMS or CMS | Mobility Management System or Congestion Management System | 13 regional MPOs | 4 years? | Identify and measure congested corridors; recommend solutions. Required for federal funding. |
CTPS is the Central Transportation Planning Staff, which is the staff of the Boston MPO and with which the MBTA contracts for planning assistance.
The Highway Division accepts submissions for projects from its district offices and municipalities. After the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse in 2007, the Commonwealth initiated the Accelerated Bridge Program using bonds in anticipation of federal grants to speed repairs on the state's bridges.
Accelerated Bridge Program
The Accelerated Bridge Program is a bond bill signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick in August 2008, a year after the I-35 bridge collapse put the state's bridges in the spotlight. The $3 billion, 8-year accelerated bridge program will replace and rehabilitate around 200 bridges state-wide. 300–500 additional bridges will be preserved to prevent further deterioration. The goal of the program is to reduce the number of structurally deficient bridges from its current number of 563.Laboratory of Innovation
The MassDOT has called the Accelerated Bridge Program the "Laboratory of Innovation". Engineers on each project are invited to investigate other options to replace the bridges faster and more efficiently to reopen the bridges to traffic faster. Some of these options for the projects are -Design/Build (Ex I-495 Lowell) - Prefabricated Girders -Prefabricated Deck Panels (Ex I-495 Lowell) -Prefabricated Substructure -Heavy Lift of slide in bridge (Route 2 Phillipston) -float in bridge (Craigie Drawbridge) -Modular Bridges (I-93 Medford) - Bridge in a Back Pack -Bridges Constructed in a single phase with traffic detoured.Major projects
The Accelerated Bridge Program will repair and replace some of the biggest bridges in the commonwealth. Some of these projects include the following:Huntington Route 112 over CSX Bridge $18.6 million rehab, Storrow Drive Tunnel rehab $11 million, Lowell Replacement of six bridges along I-495 $34 million, Fall River Braga Bridge painting $14.8 million, Westminster replacement of Route 2 Over Route 140 bridges $11 million, Longfellow Bridge Phase 1 rehab $18 million, Chicopee-Springfield preservation of bridges along I-91 $17 million, Craigie Drawbridge replacement $40 million.