MPO Organization & Function

MPO Committees and Staff Support

Salem-Plaistow-Windham MPO Policy Committee

The MPO Policy Committee is the policy and decision-making body of the MPO.  The Policy Committee was created by the Rockingham Planning Commission (the designated MPO for the S-P-W area), to oversee and maintain the MPO’s­ and continued, comprehen­sive, and coordinated transportation planning process.  This includes but is not limited to activities such as:

•  Establishing the policy directions of the Salem-Plaistow-Windham MPO thro­ugh its adopted plans and policy statements;

•  In cooperation with the New Hampshire Department of Transpor­ta­tion, establishing procedures and requirements whereby Section 112 funds will be allocated and made available. 

•  Adopting the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP);

•  Reviewing and commenting on individual projects, programs, plans, and reports relative to the adopted transportation policies and positions;

•  Reviewing and endorsing technical reports and studies prepared by the Salem-Plaistow-Windham MPO staff or consultants;

•  Ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 through periodic conformity evaluation and determination of the MPO's Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Program.

•  Revising and adopting policies relative to the findings of the Technical Advisory Committee, including technical reports and memoranda;

•  Providing a mechanism to facilitate and broaden public involvement in transportation planning and decision making processes.

Roles and Responsibilities of Involved Agencies

Rockingham Planning Commission (Salem-Plaistow-Windham MPO)

As previously noted, the Rockingham Planning Commission has been designat­ed as the MPO.  Planning Commission board members serve on the Salem-Plaistow-W­indham Policy Committee along with representatives of the NHDOT, COAST, non-member communities, other state and federal transportation officials and other participants.  These meetings are conducted under the provisions of the Policy Committee’s Bylaws.

The RPC staffs  the MPO,  in accordance with funding as determined by the FHWA and NHDOT.  The biennial Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) defines the specific work to be carried out by the staff and serves as the scope of services for annual contracts between the RPC and NHDOT.

Municipalities

Each of the communities within the Salem-Plaistow-Windham MPO Study Area are provided the opportunity to participate in the metropolitan transportation planning process through direct representation on the TAC and Policy Committees.  The communities' role on the TAC is to represent and bring forward information about local transportation needs and priorities and to provide technical guidance to the MPO staff.  Their role on the Policy Committee is to review, evaluate and approve the major MPO policy documents, principally the Transportation Plan and TIP, and in so doing, represent the short and long-range transportation needs of both the community and the region.  In addition, both TAC and Policy Committee members have the critical responsibility to ensure ongoing communication between the MPO and the local officials in the community.

NH Department of Transportation

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has statutory authority under New Hampshire law to plan, design, build, and maintain state highways and public transportation facilities of the state.  The NHDOT maintains administrative oversight and funding of the responsibilities for MPO planning process, and the authority in non TMA areas to select eligible transportation projects for implementation through the STIP.  In TMAs such as this MPO, the MPO selects projects in consultation with the State.

The NHDOT is represented on the MPO Policy Committee and TAC and has a wide range of responsibili­ties with respect to the MPO transportation planning program including:  infrastructure construction; data collection; air quality analysis support; preparation of special studies and providing advice and technical assistance to the MPO.  The NHDOT also has specific responsibilities with respect to the MPO transportation planning process.  These responsibilities are defined in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Salem-Plaistow-Wind­ham MPO and the NHDOT.

NHDES - Air Resources Division

Through its representative on the Technical Advisory and Policy Committees, the Air Resources Division will apprise the MPO of the status of the State Implementation Plan and State regulations pertaining to air quality compliance.  Additional responsibilities of the Air Resources Division include reviewing air quality conformity determinations prior to FHWA approval and providing comments on Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) projects.  In addition, the Air Resources Division will work cooperatively with the MPO in identifying and developing transportation projects which improve air quality, including TCM projects which may be considered in future SIP revisions.  TCM projects that are incorporated in the SIP will be given a high priority for implementation by the MPO.  Appendix C contains the agreement entered into between the NHDOT, MPO and NHDES-ARD regarding roles and responsibilities for determining conformity of the Transportation Plan and TIP.

Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (COAST)

COAST is considered the principal public transit operator in the MPO study area because they provide demand responsive transit service and limited fixed route service in the Salem-Plaistow-Windham area through their operator, Lamprey Health Care Inc.  COAST is represented in the Salem-Plaistow-Wind­ham MPO via both the TAC and the RPC Transportation Policy Committee.  The RPC is likewise represented on the COAST Board of Directors.  COAST is responsible for providing input, in terms of needs and objectives, into the development of the Transportation Plan including its Transit Plan component and other relevant docu­ments. 

COAST is also responsible for providing operational and financial data for the MPO to use in developing its required certifications.  The MPO provides COAST with planning services as requested as identified and funded through the UPWP.  Should COAST establish fixed route service in the urbanized area in the future, the MPO will be required to certify each year that COAST has the financial capacity to continue to operate at its planned level of service and that it is planning for capital replacement needs.  The MPO would also be required to annually certify that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Plan adopted by COAST is consistent with the Salem-Plaistow-Windham MPO Transportation Plan.

Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority

The Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA) is the primary provider of public transportation in the Merrimack Valley region in Massachusetts.  The MVRTA was created in 1974 to provide local fixed-route bus service in Greater Lawrence and Haverhill and in the years since has expanded its operation to include a number of intercity routes and developed several demand response services for the region's elderly and disabled population. 

In addition to its regional services, the MVRTA contracts with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) to provide commuter rail service from Haverhill, Lawrence and Andover to the Boston Metropolitan area.  The MVRTA also operates connection service from Lawrence to Lowell.

The MVRTA does not provide fixed or demand responsive service in the MPO study area, however, one of its fixed routes does include a loop on North Avenue to the Stateline Plaza located at the  Plaistow/Haverhill line.

Merrimack Valley Planning Commission

South of the Salem-Plaistow-Windham MPO in the Merrimack Valley region in Massachusetts, the MPO consists of the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC), the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA), the Massachusetts Department of Public Works (MDPW), and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Construction (EOTC).  Such a partnership insures participation of this MPO's local communities, public transportation providers and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the planning process.  Because of the MVPC's role as the locally-based regional agency, it was selected as the lead transportation planning agency of the Merrimack Valley MPO. 

The MVPC serves as a non-voting member of the Salem-Plaistow-Windham MPO Policy Committee and TAC and has the responsibility to represent their MPO's transportation needs and priorities and to provide overall technical and policy level guidance to the MPO staff.  It is the intent of both MPOs to coordinate their transportation planning activities on an ongoing basis.   

Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have non-voting representation on the Technical Advisory and Policy Committees.  Their responsibilities include: (1) providing funds (PL and Section 8 funds), through the NHDOT, to support of the 3Cs transportation planning process; (2) to provide guidance and advice to the TAC and Policy Committees through attendance at MPO meeting and through the review and comment on work products; and (3) to make the joint air quality conformity finding of the Transportation Plan and the Transportation Improvement Program.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency