Pioneer Valley
Planning Commission
Transportation - Pioneer Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)
The Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is the body which approves federally funded projects in Hampshire and Hampden counties. The MPO jointly develops, reviews, and endorses a Planning Works Program which includes a Unified Planning Works Program (UPWP); a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP); a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), as well as any transportation plan or program that may be required by federal and state laws and regulations. The MPO is a forum for cooperative transportation decision making and will seek and consider the advice of any interested party in the Pioneer Valley. The Joint Transportation Committee (JTC) meets monthly to discuss transportation issues and makes recommendations on the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), and Unified Planning Works Program (UPWP) endorsements to the MPO.
The MPO consists of eight members including: The Chairperson of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC); the Chairperson of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA); the Secretary of the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) and the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) and four local representatives. These four representatives must each be an Elected Official from a given community. The four seats have been divided as follows:
| Type of position | Towns represented |
|---|---|
| One Mayor | Chicopee, Holyoke, and Springfield |
| One Mayor or Selectman | Agawam, Amherst, Easthampton, Northampton, Westfield and West Springfield |
| One Selectman | Belchertown, East Longmeadow, Granby, Hadley, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Palmer, South Hadley, Southampton, Southwick, Ware and Wilbraham |
| One Selectman | Blandford, Brimfield, Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Granville, Hampden, Hatfield, Holland, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Monson, Pelham, Plainfield, Russell, Tolland, Wales, Westhampton, Williamsburg and Worthington |
In addition to the member for each of the groups of municipalities listed above, there are four alternates (one from each group) to serve on the MPO in the event that the member cannot be present. The alternate must also be an Elected Official.
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Bernard Cohen | Secretary of the Executive Office of Transportation |
| Luisa Paiewonsky | Commissioner of the Massachusetts Highway Department |
| Henry Barton | Chairman of the Pioneer Valley Executive Committee |
| Richard Theroux | Chairman of the PVTA Advisory Board |
| Mayor Michael Sullivan | Mayor of Holyoke |
| Mayor Michael Bissonnette | Mayor of Chicopee |
| Mayor Mary Clare Higgins | Mayor of Northampton |
| Mayor Edward Gibson | Mayor of West Springfield |
| James Barry | Belchertown Board of Selectmen |
| Scott Short | Granville Board of Selectmen |
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Mayor Charles Ryan | Mayor of Springfield |
| Mayor Richard Cohen | Mayor of Agawam |
| Gerald Divine | Hadley Board of Selectmen |
| James Driscoll | East Longmeadow Board of Selectmen |
| John Baldasaro | Chester Board of Selectmen |
FTA/FHWA Annual Listing of Obligated Projects
SAFETEA-LU, 23 U.S.C. 134(j)(7)(B), 23 U.S.C. 135(g)(4)(B), 49 U.S.C. 5303(j)(7)(B), and 49 U.S.C. 5304(g)(4)(B) require "…an Annual Listing of projects, including investments in pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities, for which Federal funds have been obligated in the preceding year shall be published or otherwise made available by the cooperative effort of the State, transit operator, and metropolitan planning organization for public review. The listing shall be consistent with the funding categories identified in each metropolitan transportation improvement program (TIP)."
This provision is intended to increase the transparency of government spending on transportation projects and strategies in metropolitan areas to State and local officials, and to the public at large. Realizing this objective involves promoting accuracy and responsiveness in financial planning and adoption of a proactive approach to sharing information with the public in a meaningful way, at an appropriate time, and in a user-friendly format.
Download a map of projects in PDF format
Download the project listings in PDF format
Projects and Plans
Download the 2007 Preliminary RTP draft in PDF Format
Download the 2007 RTP Executive Summary in PDF Format
Download the Preliminary draft of Pioneer Valley Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan for MPO in PDF Format