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The Old Colony Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) serves the Plymouth/Brockton Urbanized Area and is advised by the Old Colony Joint Transportation Committee (JTC). The MPO is the region’s policy making organization responsible for prioritizing transportation initiatives.  Members include the communities of Abington, Brockton, Plymouth, and West Bridgewater, the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT), the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD), Brockton Area Transit (BAT), and the Old Colony Planning Council. The JTC, consisting of local elected officials or their designees, provides a valuable forum for citizen involvement in the in-depth and on-going process of selecting the proper combination and scheduling of local and regional transportation projects through the development of the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), thereby ensuring the optimized utilization of financially limited resources.  Thus, the Council and MPO rely on the JTC for input and guidance on matters pertaining to transportation.

Route 28 Corridor Traffic Study

Completed in 2006 was the Route 28 Traffic Study. The aim of the study was to identify specific and general problems and derive feasible actions that will improve the safety and traffic flow of Route 28.  Safety conditions and level of service for this roadway need improvements as the current traffic is projected to increase with further development along this route.   

Under this task, OCPC conducted a corridor traffic study to assist member communities of Avon, Brockton, West Bridgewater, and Bridgewater in developing the appropriate solutions for identified transportation deficiencies. Staff prepared a report, which outlines the Study's findings and recommendations. The findings and recommendations contained in the final report serve as the basis for including projects in the region's TIP and Transportation Plan.

Transportation and Land Use Policy Implementation Plan

Under this planning effort, staff developed a plan that identifies several strategies that help maximize the benefits of an effective transportation system at a variety of levels. For example, coordinated land use and transportation planning can help promote compact development patterns and village centers that support public transportation systems. In addition to land use planning that promotes public transit and other steps for effective transit planning, traffic congestion can be alleviated through strategies including highway construction, travel demand techniques, use of new techniques, and coordinated intergovernmental planning. Additionally, the plan make recommendations for design, zoning, open space planning, transportation, transit oriented development, smart growth, bicycle and pedestrian, and land use guidance controls in communities and develop implementation strategies. 

BACK TO TOP

UPWP activities completed in 2006

§         Continued to support, implement, and refine the Public Participation Plan, as required by federal planning regulations. 

§         Sponsored regular meetings of the Joint Transportation Committee in order to encourage public participation.

§         Developed the 2007 Unified Planning Work Program, which specifies planning activities and products of the MPO.

§         Developed and distributed a series of JTC Newsletters.

§         Implemented the FY 2006-2010 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

§         Developed and endorsed the FY 2007-2010 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

§         Prepared the 2005 Fixed Route Ridership Analysis for Brockton Area Transit.

§         Continued with the development and maintenance of comprehensive GIS highway planning data layers.  Updated layers include traffic signals and traffic count locations.

§         Provided MHD with updates to the Road Inventory File.

§         Worked with member communities to increase network mileage by facilitating the acceptance of private roads.

§         Continued to monitor ridership and parking utilization for the two Old Colony Commuter Rail Lines and the regional park and ride lots.  Activities included the MBTA commuter rail boarding and alighting study.

§         Collected and maintained regional traffic volume counts, turning movement counts, accident data, and other related transportation statistics for various planning studies for OCPC member communities.

§         Responded to numerous requests for traffic counts, speed studies, vehicles classification studies, level of service analyses, and other transportation related data. 

§         Responded to municipal requests for technical assistance on transportation related issues/problems/ and concerns.

§         Reviewed and analyzed demographic information and data from US Census 2000 to ensure that planning and programming analyses and forecasting methods are consistent with current methodologies and information.

§         Reviewed Environmental Notification Forms (ENFs) and Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) for projects located within the OCPC Region.

§         Completed the 2006 OCPC Traffic Volumes Report, which contains over 4,000 traffic counts.

§         Determined Air Quality Analyses for several transportation improvement projects.

§         Continued development, maintenance and application of the Regional Travel Demand Model in order to fulfill the forecasting requirements of SAFETEA-LU.

§         Developed, updated and refined the housing and employment projections for the planning horizon years of 2007, 2010, 2020, 2025, and 2030.

§         Assisted EOT-Planning in the preparation of statewide modeling efforts.

GET INVOLVED

Transportation Advisory Network (TAN) The TAN is a mailing list of individuals and organizations that have an interest in local transportation issues. The TAN provides a broad community resource for the formation and review of transportation plans, policies and strategies. This network provides key contact persons for outreach efforts, dissemination of information, and informal review and comment to ensure sensitivity to varied community needs, concerns, and interests.

For more information on the outreach efforts, please refer to the Public Involvement Plan. In addition, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has published an excellent overview of the metropolitan transportation planning process. This publication

This publication may be viewed in either HTML or PDF format on the FHWA Web site, where you may also find additional information of interest.

HOW CAN YOU BECOME INVOLVED?

• Ask to be put on the Transportation Advisory Network (TAN) mailing list.
• Attend public hearings, workshops, and forums, and comment in writing or in person.
• Attend meetings of the JTC and/ or the MPO.
• Review draft plans and other documents and comment in writing or in person.