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NVTA staff briefs authority on six-year program process and project-delivery progress
Summary
NVTA staff outlined the FY26–31 six-year program selection process and reported product-delivery metrics: 135 programmed projects (~$3.6B), improvements in reimbursement flow and SPA closures, and an outstanding reimbursement variance the authority continues to address.
NVTA staff presented an overview of the FY26–31 six-year program process and product-delivery progress at the May 14 meeting, describing eligibility and evaluation criteria and offering project-delivery metrics.
Srinam Budhuri, senior manager for planning and programming, explained NVTA’s two primary responsibilities: maintaining a long-range transportation plan and programming the six-year program, which uses projected revenues for FY30–31. Budhuri described the evaluation framework—eligibility, congestion-reduction relative to cost, long-term benefit proportionality, and qualitative considerations such as readiness and funding gaps—and said staff received 27 applications from eight jurisdictions that met eligibility requirements.
Kristen Saric, regional transportation planner, summarized project-delivery progress and finance figures. She reported that 135 regional projects are programmed with roughly $3.6 billion in regional revenue funds, including 49 closed-out projects, 60 ongoing projects and 26 upcoming projects. Since April 2025, MBTA/NVTA staff have reimbursed $211 million (an increase of $66 million over the prior year) and have seen an increase in reimbursement request frequency and SPA activity. Saric said the authority has returned roughly $50 million to the regional fund through closed-out SPAs and voluntary withdrawals and that the variance between expected and actual reimbursements remains roughly $1.0 billion (an improvement from a $1.2 billion variance last year).
Staff emphasized that the public comment period for the current round closes May 17, and that committee review will culminate in a staff recommendation and the authority’s planned adoption of the six-year program in July. Staff noted that many projects leverage additional state and federal funds and that timely project progress is necessary to protect regional funding and to allow sponsors to leverage those external sources.
Members asked clarifying questions about closed-out projects, returned funds, and schedule updates. Staff offered to provide further schedule and funding detail to the statutory committees as they prepare recommendations.
