Draft FFY 2023 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Summary

Merrimack Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (MVMPO)

Each year, the MVMPO prepares the UPWP, which outlines the transportation planning work to be done in the upcoming federal fiscal year. Through this process, the MVMPO ensures that the 3C planning process (Continuing, Comprehensive and Cooperative) is implemented in a cooperative manner and recognizes the many influences that are at work at many levels in shaping the transportation network.
Input from community members, residents, government agencies, businesses and more was sought in the creation of this plan. Federal, state and local goals, regulations and requirements are incorporated. Planning projects and studies are chosen both in response to the transportation needs of our communities (such as requested intersection studies) as well as to achieve the goals set out in the Regional Transportation Plan (such as increasing safety by reducing crashes at high crash locations).
Funding for transportation planning comes from several sources including: Federal Highway Administration; Federal Transit Administration, MassDOT, Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (FTA funding), and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission.
Key elements of the UPWP include:

• Description of the structure of the Merrimack Valley MPO and list of the transportation planning staff at MVPC;

• Summary of key federal, state and regional initiatives and programs that impact transportation planning in the MVMPO region.

• Review of how the tasks included in the document address the

10 Planning Factors established by USDOT.

• Analysis of the distribution of planning studies around the region over the past six years

• Discussion of how the comments received on the draft have been incorporated into the final document

Funding per task is provided in the table found on the next page. Thirty-four percent (34.46%) of the funding will be spent on planning studies and products. Local technical assistance projects are those requested by our member communities and are often small in scope and under often-urgent time frames. Intersection studies included in the 2022 UPWP:

• Merrimack Street/South Union Street in Lawrence.

• Franklin Street/Common Street in Lawrence.

• Main Street/I95 Connector in Salisbury.

• Lowell Street (Rt. 113)/Elm Street in Methuen.

• Rt 114 Complete Streets Cross Regional, North Andover.