MVMPO Memorandum of Understanding (MVMPO Agreement)
The Merrimack Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (MVMPO) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is a federally required agreement that must be endorsed for the MVMPO to preserve federal aid programming authority.
The MOU describes the collaborative framework employed by MVMPO board to manage the region’s continuing, comprehensive, and cooperative transportation planning process. In this capacity, the board oversees the development of four key documents; the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP), the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP), the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), and the Public Participation Plan (PPP). The document formalizes the roles of key agencies, including the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC), the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MeVa Transit), and municipal chief elected officials (or their designees).
Beginning in the summer of 2024, MVPC led an effort to revise the MOU based on existing practice, identified needs, and language clarifications. The process culminated in May of 2025 following three comment period releases. The full MOU can be read below.