Urban Ring

The Urban Ring is a circumferential transit investment that will connect the “spokes” of our regional transit system. As currently defined, the ring includes phased improvements to the regional transportation system in a 15 mile long corridor connecting the South Boston Waterfront, portions of the South End and Roxbury to Columbia Point in Dorchester, the Fenway and Longwood Medical Area to Brookline, Allston, Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, Everett, Chelsea, and East Boston to Logan Airport. 

Urban RingThe ring route connects existing transit, commuter rail, and bus lines with the intention of reducing travel time and congestion in the central subway system, connecting neighborhoods to strong job corridors, and linking emerging and existing centers of economic growth and development.  The project also aims to increase transit mode share, reduce cross-town trip times, reduce vehicle miles traveled, and improve air quality.

 

Why it's important

The Urban Ring will enable growth and development in areas of Boston and the region that would otherwise be inhibited by congestion and a lack of mobility.  This project will connect major centers of the life sciences industry and the academic community, leading sectors of the regional economy. 

The Urban Ring will improve connections for over 200,000 expected daily riders throughout the Commonwealth, provide direct access to employment from residential areas in seven cities, and link the life sciences sectors of Boston and Cambridge. By 2030, the corridor is projected to see a 26% increase in the number of residents and a 24% increase in the number of jobs, compared to the base year 2000.

The Urban Ring will relieve congestion and delays on the Green Line and other subway services in the central system by effectively linking the “spokes” of the current MBTA system, allowing expansion of services to downtown without construction to the downtown area.

The Urban Ring will improve Commuter Rail service and cross-town connections for suburban commuters through improvements at the following Commuter Rail Stations:

  • Yawkey: Framingham/Worcester Line
  • Ruggles: Needham, Franklin and Providence/Stoughton Lines
  • Sullivan Square: Newburyport/Rockport and Haverhill Line

 

EOT's ridership projections indicate over 200,000 riders per day are expected to use some portion of the Urban Ring in the design year of 2030. Put in perspective, this projected ridership is roughly equivalent to today's Green Line ridership on all branches. So the numbers make a strong case for the Urban Ring. ABC is working diligently with the CAC, EOT and other partners to file a Revised Draft EIR/Draft EIS document and develop a Locally Preferred Alternative. The RDEIR/DEIS will then be submitted to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to determine if the project can proceed.

     

Our role  

In 2005, Partners HealthCare convened a group of institutional leaders to discuss the importance of the Urban Ring to the life sciences industry.  ABC collaborated with Partners and established the Urban Ring Institutional and Business Committee.  This committee, co-chaired by Tom Glynn of Partners HealthCare and Paul Levy of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is developing strategies to support the Executive Office of Transportation in their efforts to advance this important project.

In addition to the work of this committee, ABC Planning Director Thomas Nally chairs the 30-member Citizens Advisory Committee for the Urban Ring. The CAC works closely with the EOT to support the completion of the environmental documents, identify a Locally Preferred Alternative and develop financing strategies to support the continuance of the project.

     

What's new

The Urban Ring project has made tremendous strides over the last couple months. The first transportation bond billed passed earlier this spring included $10 million for the Urban Ring. In the subsequent $1.4 billion bond bill passed in August, the line item devoted to rail and transit improvements contains at least $30 million that could be made available to the Urban Ring to keep the project moving forward over the next three years. This significant legislative victory for the Urban Ring project was due in no small part to our partners at MASCO and to our Urban Ring Institutional & Business Committee members who delivered critical letters and phone calls of support to our elected leaders. 

In addition, a t the September 26 monthly Move Mass meeting , ABC Planning Director Tom Nally touted the project benefits to a packed audience of transportation and urban planning thought leaders. Ned Codd, Urban Ring project director for EOT also delivered a detailed update on the project benefits, as well as ridership data and a technically detailed overview of the corridor specifics.

 

 

    Urban Ring timeline

1972 - The Urban Ring concept first proposed in the Boston Transportation Planning Review.

1993 - The Boston Society of Architects convened a two day event that focused on "The New Urban Ring.”

1995 – A "compact" agreement was signed among six communities to ensure cooperation in planning within the Urban Ring corridor.

1996 - The MBTA initiated a Major Investment Study (MIS) for the Urban Ring and established a Working Committee to advise the planning process.

2001 - The MIS was completed. 

2004 – Draft Environmental Impact Report issued.

2005 – ABC establishes Urban Ring Institutional & Business Committee.

2006 – The Citizens Advisory Committee reconvenes and work begins on a Revised DEIS/EIR.

2007 - Project advocates secure a line item for funds devoted to the Urban Ring among other transportation investments in the Patrick administration’s first transportation bond bill, allowing project to continue planning.

2007 - EOT calculates improved demographic and ridership modeling to be submitted to the Metropolitan Planning Organization and used in the Urban Ring RDEIR/DEIS environmental report.

     

Additional Resources