Description: This polygon datalayer contains the six Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Highway Districts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The districts supervise all construction within its jurisdiction; performs on-site engineering; implements maintenance and preventative maintenance programs; generates proposals for maintenance and construction work; and provides engineering support to cities and towns. The bounds of the MassDOT Highway Districts were digitized from the MassGIS survey-level town boundaries. In addition to the polygon layer, there is an arc layer following the same linework as the polygon included in the downloadable shapefile.
Description: This polygon datalayer contains the 13 metropolitan planning regions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Federal transportation regulations require the establishment of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in urbanized areas of 50,000 or more population to qualify for federal highway and transit funding. Massachusetts has ten MPOs each of which encompasses regional planning agency boundaries. Additionally, three non-metropolitan regions (Franklin, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket) operate in similar fashion to the MPOs. MPOs are comprised of state and regional representation such as the Massachusetts Highway Department and the Regional Transit Authority. In recent years, most MPOs have been expanded to include representation of mayors and selectmen. The MPO is responsible for conducting transportation planning within its region and annually developing a Transportation Improvement Program which is a three to five year program of federally funded transportation projects. This document is required to be financially constrained i.e. programmed to the amount of federal funds anticipated in each year, and receive annual fiscal year approval by the Federal Highway and Federal Transit Administrations in order for Massachusetts to receive federal transportation funding. The bounds of the metropolitan planning organizations were digitized from the MassGIS survey-level town boundaries.
Description: In 2010, the Census Bureau used the Census Block Group data to designate the urban boundaries by following the Census Bureau maintained road segments called TIGER. The Office of Transportation Planning, in cooperation with the regional planning agencies, adjusted the boundaries to follow the Road Inventory street segments, municipal boundaries, railroads, or water bodies. This polygon datalayer represents the final version of the adjusted urban boundaries, which is used to determine the Road Inventory official roadway functional classification.