Creating a first-of-its-kind planning tool for the City of Boston

Tetra Tech served as lead consultant for a ground-breaking project for the City of Boston – the creation of a Traffic Operations and Analysis Network (TOAN) model that encompasses areas critical to Boston’s economic vitality and growth. The TOAN model includes the Longwood Medical area, the South End, and the Crosstown area, which support a wide range of land use types including health, office, retail, residential, and hotel.

Given the innovative nature of this project, Tetra Tech coordinated extensively with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and the Boston Transportation Department (BTD). Our firm trained city staff on the use of model software and helped the city develop user protocols for internal city clients and the development community with respect to project reviews under the BRA’s Article 80 design review process. Tetra Tech staff presented the technical aspects and development methodology of the TOAN model at a series of meetings with city decision makers, BRA development review project managers, and transportation consultants who represent developers working within the city.

Tetra Tech’s TOAN model uses Synchro 6.0 traffic analysis software. Our work on the project included:

• Conducted traffic modeling of over 500 roadway links and 260 intersections (94 of which were signalized)
• Prepared build-out forecasts for new development areas, including traffic data for 31 development projects in the pipeline
• Trained BRA and BTD staff on Synchro software model