SRPEDD Announces a 21-day Public Comment Period with a Virtual Public Meeting on January 12, 2026, at 4:00 pm to hear comments on proposed significant cost and construction year changes for major transportation projects on the region’s TIP and on release of proposed additional freight corridors for the Southeast Massachusetts region.
December 18, 2025 – The Southeastern Massachusetts Metropolitan Planning Organization (SMMPO)’s FFY2026-2030 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is being amended to program several proposed significant changes to major transportation projects in the region. MassDOT recently conducted an internal analysis of its projects and programs and proposed some changes to ensure they are programmed for the most up to date cost estimates in the appropriate federal fiscal years (FFYs) in advance of its TIP readiness days to reduce confusion. These proposed adjustments are part of the recent annual State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) maintenance. They are being released for a 21-day public comment period and are not yet being endorsed, allowing time for review and feedback before any final decisions are made. TIP Amendment #3 proposes the following changes:
Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority’s East Maintenance Facility (Project 011969) was included in last month’s TIP Amendment #2 to remove a source of match funding, and this amendment programs an increase in RTACAP matching funds in FY2026 of approximately $4.6 million for the project.
More detailed information on the document can be found on SRPEDD’s website www.srpedd.org at the following link: FFY2026-2030 TIP Amendment #3. The TIP is the programming document listing all federally funded road and bridge projects in the region and all transit projects for both GATRA and the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) over five years. Each year, the SMMPO decides how to allocate about $30 million in federal funding for the region, which supplements state and local transportation infrastructure investments in Southeastern Massachusetts. The SMMPO conducts the federally required metropolitan transportation planning process for 27 Southeastern Massachusetts communities and is one of Massachusetts’ thirteen Metropolitan Planning Organizations.
Additionally, as part of MassDOT’s statewide freight planning efforts, MPOs across the state were asked to identify critical areas for freight movement throughout their regions. MassDOT designated about 17.4 miles of roadway to be included as critical urban freight corridors, and 7.16 miles of roadway to be included as rural freight corridors throughout the SRPEDD region. Roads were designated as urban or rural based on existing urbanized areas (UZAs) as designated by the US Census Bureau.
SRPEDD identified new critical urban and rural freight corridors in the Southeast Massachusetts region using existing freight planning and traffic count data, including truck volumes, connections to industrial parks and major highways, and known truck travel time issues. The work occurred between August and November, after which proposed, corridors were sent to MassDOT for review. The SMMPO voted to release the proposed designations to a 21-day public comment period at its December 16 meeting, with a vote anticipated to officially designate the new corridors at its January 20th meeting. MassDOT certification of the new freight corridors is expected in March 2026, and by August 2026, pending Federal Highway Administration approval the corridors would be incorporated into the Massachusetts Freight Plan, making projects on these corridors eligible for National Highway Freight Program funding.
New rural freight corridors are being proposed in Middleborough, Berkley, and Carver, while new urban freight corridors are being proposed in Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, North Attleboro, Freetown, Swansea, Mansfield, Middleborough, Carver, Wareham, Rochester, Norton, Dartmouth, Seekonk, Plainville, and Somerset. The proposed corridors can be viewed on a map at https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/f8c5306da42343b89aafcba56625647f.
All of this work helps support the region’s 27 communities toward building a safer, and more accessible, connected, reliable, and resilient transportation system for all mode users.
FFY2026-2030 TIP Amendment #3 and proposed additional freight corridor designations will have a 21-day public comment period and will be endorsed at the next SMMPO meeting on January 20th. A public meeting to discuss these topics will be held virtually on Thursday, January 12, 2026, at 4:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend, ask questions and offer comments, but attendance is not necessary to offer input or comment. More options to offer comments can be found below.
The meetings will be conducted through ZOOM. This link provides the information to allow participants to connect to the meeting through a computer, smart phone, or regular telephone: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697.
Attending the monthly Joint Transportation Planning Group meeting on January 14. For meeting information visit: srpedd.org/transportation/jtpg.
The SMMPO, through SRPEDD, provides reasonable accommodations, including language assistance and/or auxiliary aids and services free of charge, upon request and as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact SRPEDD’s Title VI Coordinator by phone (508 824-1367), dial 711 to use MassRelay, or by email at aduarte@srpedd.org. Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting.
PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jackie Jones at jjones@srpedd.org for more info.
SRPEDD Announces a 21-day Public Comment Period with a Virtual Public Meeting on January 12, 2026, at 4:00 pm to hear comments on proposed significant cost and construction year changes for major transportation projects on the region’s TIP and on release of proposed additional freight corridors for the Southeast Massachusetts region.
December 18, 2025 – The Southeastern Massachusetts Metropolitan Planning Organization (SMMPO)’s FFY2026-2030 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is being amended to program several proposed significant changes to major transportation projects in the region. MassDOT recently conducted an internal analysis of its projects and programs and proposed some changes to ensure they are programmed for the most up to date cost estimates in the appropriate federal fiscal years (FFYs) in advance of its TIP readiness days to reduce confusion. These proposed adjustments are part of the recent annual State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) maintenance. They are being released for a 21-day public comment period and are not yet being endorsed, allowing time for review and feedback before any final decisions are made. TIP Amendment #3 proposes the following changes:
More detailed information on the document can be found on SRPEDD’s website www.srpedd.org at the following link: FFY2026-2030 TIP Amendment #3. The TIP is the programming document listing all federally funded road and bridge projects in the region and all transit projects for both GATRA and the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) over five years. Each year, the SMMPO decides how to allocate about $30 million in federal funding for the region, which supplements state and local transportation infrastructure investments in Southeastern Massachusetts. The SMMPO conducts the federally required metropolitan transportation planning process for 27 Southeastern Massachusetts communities and is one of Massachusetts’ thirteen Metropolitan Planning Organizations.
Additionally, as part of MassDOT’s statewide freight planning efforts, MPOs across the state were asked to identify critical areas for freight movement throughout their regions. MassDOT designated about 17.4 miles of roadway to be included as critical urban freight corridors, and 7.16 miles of roadway to be included as rural freight corridors throughout the SRPEDD region. Roads were designated as urban or rural based on existing urbanized areas (UZAs) as designated by the US Census Bureau.
SRPEDD identified new critical urban and rural freight corridors in the Southeast Massachusetts region using existing freight planning and traffic count data, including truck volumes, connections to industrial parks and major highways, and known truck travel time issues. The work occurred between August and November, after which proposed, corridors were sent to MassDOT for review. The SMMPO voted to release the proposed designations to a 21-day public comment period at its December 16 meeting, with a vote anticipated to officially designate the new corridors at its January 20th meeting. MassDOT certification of the new freight corridors is expected in March 2026, and by August 2026, pending Federal Highway Administration approval the corridors would be incorporated into the Massachusetts Freight Plan, making projects on these corridors eligible for National Highway Freight Program funding.
New rural freight corridors are being proposed in Middleborough, Berkley, and Carver, while new urban freight corridors are being proposed in Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, North Attleboro, Freetown, Swansea, Mansfield, Middleborough, Carver, Wareham, Rochester, Norton, Dartmouth, Seekonk, Plainville, and Somerset. The proposed corridors can be viewed on a map at https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/f8c5306da42343b89aafcba56625647f.
All of this work helps support the region’s 27 communities toward building a safer, and more accessible, connected, reliable, and resilient transportation system for all mode users.
FFY2026-2030 TIP Amendment #3 and proposed additional freight corridor designations will have a 21-day public comment period and will be endorsed at the next SMMPO meeting on January 20th. A public meeting to discuss these topics will be held virtually on Thursday, January 12, 2026, at 4:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend, ask questions and offer comments, but attendance is not necessary to offer input or comment. More options to offer comments can be found below.
The meetings will be conducted through ZOOM. This link provides the information to allow participants to connect to the meeting through a computer, smart phone, or regular telephone: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697.
Register in advance for the virtual meeting at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ERtJHbRpTvuZpBPZwyG7pw
Comments are encouraged and may be offered by a variety of methods including:
The SMMPO, through SRPEDD, provides reasonable accommodations, including language assistance and/or auxiliary aids and services free of charge, upon request and as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact SRPEDD’s Title VI Coordinator by phone (508 824-1367), dial 711 to use MassRelay, or by email at aduarte@srpedd.org. Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting.
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Press Release for Comment Period on Proposed Additional Freight Corridors & 2026-30 TIP Amendment 3 121825
FFY2026-2030 TIP Proposed Amendment #3 Revised 121825
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