Supporting and Improving the Transportation Bond Bill
April 10, 2014
The MA legislature is currently considering a major transportation bond bill, which authorizes spending on major capital projects over the next several years. ABC supports this important legislation, which contains funding authorization for many projects that will offer significant benefit to Greater Boston. These include the extension of the MBTA’s Green Line to Somerville, a down payment on the expansion of South Station, and funding for new vehicles on the MBTA’s Red and Orange Lines. These projects stand to considerably improve public transportation for the region.
Still, ABC was able to collaborate with several legislators to make significant improvements to the bill in both the House and the Senate. First, we were able to secure a $5 million authorization for a Greater Boston Transit Capacity Analysis. This analysis will help us more fully understand the capacity challenges facing the MBTA and what some approaches might be to address these needs in the coming years.
Second, we were able to secure a $25 million authorization for transportation improvements in the South Boston Waterfront. The South Boston Waterfront is one of the fastest growing areas in all of Massachusetts, having added 4,000 jobs since 2010 and already achieved its development forecast for 2025 in 2013, with 30 million square feet of mixed use development. In addition, there has and continues to be significant growth in the waterfront’s visitor/tourism industry and maritime and industrial industries, which will continue to strain the area’s transportation infrastructure. At this level of economic growth, transportation improvements of all types are sorely needed. The $25 million authorization would be expended based on the recommendations of the 2014 South Boston Waterfront Transportation Plan, a project ABC is currently managing on behalf of the City of Boston, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Massport and the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.
Finally, the bill calls for a new commission to review the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) in Massachusetts and make recommendations to improve their planning processes. Within the legislation, ABC secured language to ensure that the business community will be represented as those discussions get underway. Our thanks to Representative Nick Collins, Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, Senator Will Browsberger, Senator Pat Jehlen, Representative William Straus, Senator Thomas McGee, Representative Antonio Cabral, Senator Brian Joyce, Representative Brian Dempsey, Senator Stephen Brewer, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray for their leadership and hard work in shaping and improving this legislation.
