Transportation Planning
NMMPO
The local transportation planning process is carried out under the authority of the Northern Middlesex Metropolitan Planning Organization (NMMPO). The NMMPO is comprised of the following voting members:
| Name | Designee | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monica Tibbits-Nutt | MassDOT Secretary and CEO | Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation and MassDOT CEO | miranda.e.briseno@dot.state.ma.us |
| Jonathan Gulliver | MassDOT District 4 Staff | MassDOT Highway Administrator | brian.fallon@state.ma.us |
| Stephen Themelis | NMCOG Chair | jthemelis@charter.net | |
| Pat Wojtas | NMCOG MPO Representative | pwojtas@aol.com | |
| Tom Bomil | LRTA Board Chair | tombosh20@gmail.com | |
| Karyn Puleo | LRTA Representative from a Community outside Lowell | kpuleo@yahoo.com | |
| Wayne Jenness | NMCOG Councilor and MPO Representative from the City of Lowell | jenness.wayne@gmail.com |
There are also two ex-officio non-voting members of the NMMPO:
Joi Singh - The Federal Highway Administration Federal Highway Massachusetts Division Administrator; Current Administrator
Peter Butler - The Federal Transit Administration Region 1 Administrator; Current Division Administrator
NMMPO meetings are held to carry out the transportation planning process.
As technical staff for the NMMPO, NMCOG provides comprehensive transportation planning services for the region under contract with MassDOT and the Lowell Regional Transit Authority. The NMMPO is responsible for the development of three federally mandated certification documents: the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). The NMMPO must undergo a certification review performed by USDOT every four years. The latest certification review report is provided here: NMMPO Certification Review Document.
The NMMPO holds meetings throughout the year to carry out the transportation planning process. As part of the public outreach process, the NMMPO maintains an email distribution list for interested parties to be informed of upcoming MPO related events and publications. To sign up for the NMMPO email distribution list, contact 978-454-8021.
The NMMPO is now posting recent meetings on our YouTube page for those who are unable to attend, but would like to watch on their own.
Memoranda of Understanding (MOU)
The NMMPO is party to two Memoranda of Understanding governing relationships by and between it and related transportation organizations.
2025-2030 NMMPO MOU: This MOU is between the NMMPO, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the Lowell Regional Transit Authority. The NMMPO voted to endorse the MOU on February 26, 2025. It became effective March 24, 2025.
Nashua UZA MOU (final draft): This MOU is between NMCOG and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Lowell Regional Transit Authority, Nashua Regional Planning Commission Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission Metropolitan Planning Organization, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, teh Nashua Transit System, and the Manchester Transit Authority. The NMMPO voted to endorse the MOU on March 26, 2025; it is currently out for final signature.