Transportation & Mobility

As staff to the Northern Middlesex Metropolitan Planning Organization, NMCOG staff conduct transportation planning projects following the federal 3C ("Continuing", "Comprehensive", and "Cooperative") process. This process is designed to engage the public and stakeholders in establishing shared goals and a vision for the community. Staff use tools to forecast population trends, employment growth, and projected land use and to identify major transportation needs and opportunities for investment.

This process requires planners to establish annual work plans--the Unified Planning Work Program--to study existing conditions and needs, review available funding resources, establish transportation performance measure targets and goals, and develop strategies to meet the goals. The information is documented in Envision 2050, the region's Long-Range Regional Transportation Plan (LRTP). The Performance-Based Planning Process (PBPP) provides tools to establish system performance targets based on informed investment decisions, which are documented in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) at the State level and the NMMPO's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The Public Participation Plan outlines how the NMMPO engages people in the community in the transportation planning process.