Transportation & Infrastructure

A Better City has long advocated for both reforms and new revenue to address our statewide transportation challenges. In prior years, A Better City produced multiple reports  including:

• The Transportation Dividend report, which showed the MBTA generates $11.4 billion per year in benefits— a 5x return on investment.
• An Update on Transportation Finance, that projected an $8.4 billion statewide funding gap over ten years.
• Funding Transportation Solutions, which described ways to solve this funding challenge.

Why it’s important:

Without sufficient state and federal funding, Greater Boston cannot deliver a safe, reliable, affordable, and modern transportation system that meets the needs of our economy and our environmental sustainability goals.  The MBTA is facing annual funding deficits and a $25 billion state of good repair backlog. There are also significant deficits for road and bridge maintenance repairs, resiliency needs, and the costs to meet our climate emission reduction goals. Failure to properly fund our transportation system would mean transit service cuts, more roadway congestion, and harm to our economy.

A Better City’s role:

In 2024, Governor Healey named A Better City to the Transportation Funding Task Force, because of our expertise on transportation funding issues. During this process, we worked closely with fellow Task Force members to produce a final report that delivered viable, actionable recommendations that would stabilize the MBTA operating budget, invest in critical transportation infrastructure throughout the entire Commonwealth, and develop a multi-year strategy for enhancing the system in the future.

In addition, A Better City staff is working with state legislative leaders to pass legislation that implements the Task Force recommendations, including dedicating 50% of all Fair Share surtax revenue (aka Millionaire's Tax) for transportation and using this funding to increase capital investments throughout the transportation system.

Public transit and the MBTA are critical to Greater Boston’s success. The regional economy cannot thrive and many communities are not accessible without a safe, reliable public transit system that is also affordable and accessible.

Why it’s important:

A vibrant public transportation system is essential for achieving multiple goals beyond just transportation benefits, including mobility, economic competitiveness, sustainability, equity, and future economic growth. The MBTA in the past year has made significant improvements and we are working to ensure this momentum continues.

A Better City’s role:

In addition to our advocacy for increased funding for the MBTA’s operating and capital infrastructure budgets, A Better City advocates for continued improvements to MBTA service plans across all modes. We continue to call for service and technology improvements that help increase the use of public transit as well as restore the public’s trust in the MBTA. This includes initiatives for increasing speed on the Red and Orange Lines, reducing wait times on Red, Orange, and Blue lines, better headway management on frequent bus routes, and improved reliability and frequency across all modes, including bus and ferry.  We are focused on near-term efforts to improve commuter rail service to increase service frequency, expand service hours, and improve connectivity across the commuter rail network. With each of these proposals, A Better City will continue to emphasize the need to prioritize modes and routes that serve vulnerable, transit dependent communities, and commuters traveling to the workplace.

The I-90 Allston Multimodal Project is a once-in-a-generation chance to replace a structurally deficient elevated highway with safer transportation connections and expanded access to the Charles River for Allston residents. The project also includes a new multimodal transportation hub at West Station that will improve transit connections for commuters throughout the region and support future development in nearby Beacon Park Yard. With the appropriate transportation infrastructure, Beacon Park Yard can become Greater Boston’s next vibrant mixed use and business district where jobs are accessible to workers all throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts.

Why it’s important:

In 1965, Massachusetts officials opened the Allston section of I-90 (commonly referred to as the Mass Pike), shoehorning an eight-lane elevated highway between Boston University and the Charles River, dividing a vibrant working-class community and wounding vital riverfront habitat in the process. Some 60 years later, Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge still endure impacts from this obsolete, failed transportation policy that placed a highway above the needs of neighborhoods and the environment.

Fortunately, this outdated viaduct is nearing the end of its useful lifespan and needs to be replaced, allowing the Commonwealth to construct a future where the needs of public transit riders, cyclists, pedestrians, and the health of the river are as important as motorists traveling on this section of highway. As part of this project, the Commonwealth must decide how to carry I-90 through the narrow strip of land between Boston University and the Charles River referred to as “The Throat” – either on an elevated viaduct or at ground level.

Thanks to support from a broad and diverse coalition of regional stakeholders, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is advancing an All At-Grade design as the Preferred Alternative for the Throat. This design will remove the existing highway viaduct, place the highway at ground level, establish a living shoreline to beautify and restore the riverbank, and create a new Paul Dudley White path that separates and enhances the safety of pedestrians and cyclists and will provide sweeping views of the Charles River. Additionally, replacing the viaduct with a straighter, flatter surface road at ground level that would be safer for drivers and easier for the state to maintain, while reducing roadway noise and pollution in adjacent communities.  This approach could also maintain weekday two-track Commuter Rail service throughout a six-to-eight-year construction period, and would be faster, cheaper, and less disruptive to build than other build options.

In addition to replacement of the existing viaduct along the Charles River, the former rail yard west of the river is being replaced with a new, more compact interchange serving Allston and Cambridge in the footprint of the former toll plaza that was removed several years ago. The reshaped interchange and elimination of the rail yard establish a new local street grid with dedicated bus and bike lanes that will support opportunities for mixed use development.  Air rights development over the roadway and rail lines can be supported at this pivotal site.

The most critical addition that will spark this transformational development opportunity is the addition of West Station commuter rail station and multimodal hub that will provide a center for bus and future rail connections to and from the Allston neighborhood with Harvard Square, MIT, Kendall Square, North Station, the Longwood Medical Area, Roxbury, and the growing center of development in Watertown.  It also should be the site for much needed residential development to house people who will help to fuel the future regional economy.

A Better City’s Role

A Better City has served on a 50 member Multimodal Project Task Force, established in 2014, along with Allston residents, business organizations, advocacy groups, and institutions abutting the interchange and the viaduct.  The major contributions to advancing the project include:

• A Better City was a strong advocate and addressed critical details leading to MassDOT adopting the All At-Grade alternative as the Preferred Alternative for the Throat area.
• A Better City developed a construction staging strategy that was adopted by MassDOT in 2023.
• A Better City has proposed a strategy for maintaining rail service access to maintenance facilities on the Grand Junction rail line through nearly all of the Multimodal Project construction period, which is a major concern of the MBTA and Amtrak.
• A Better City produced this video to describe the potential of the project and show its broad political support Watch Video.

A Better City continues as an active participant in monthly Task Force meetings, weighing in on the current design issues and helping to develop the finance plan to complete this project.

A high-quality, appropriately priced, modern approach to commuter rail service reduce roadway congestion, expand access to affordable housing, and cut carbon emissions.

Why it’s important:

There is great potential through the commuter rail service model called Regional Rail. This would mean better frequency, new commuter rail vehicles, and electrification of the infrastructure. With ridership rebounding to pre-pandemic levels (over 550,000 weekly trips), commuter rail is linking communities across eastern and central Massachusetts to jobs, education, and healthcare. Yet, much of the system still runs on outdated diesel equipment. A Regional Rail system offers a transformational opportunity for the future of Massachusetts.

A Better City’s Role

A Better City recognizes the significant opportunity presented by the upcoming MBTA commuter rail procurement to build and operate a modern, equitable, and regional rail system. We are members of the MBTA Rail Modernization Working Group that is working to bring together public and private stakeholders to advance implementation of regional rail and inform the MBTA’s oversight and policy in the procurement process.

A Better City continues to advocate for strategic capital investments that advance Phase 1 of the MBTA’s Rail Modernization program as well as any new legislation to address the costs of these upgrades. We are also supporting the upcoming Fairmount Line Decarbonization Pilot and advocating for new commuter rail fare incentives to encourage new ridership and support transit equity goals.

Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is a powerful strategy for managing urban transportation impacts and controlling pollution. Through TDM research and development, A Better City provides tools and resources to a wide range of stakeholders that encourage alternative transportation options and reduce the mobile sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

Transportation demand in Greater Boston will increase in volume and complexity as the city continues to grow. Transportation is the second largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting sector in Boston, currently responsible for close to 30% of the city’s emissions. TDM is a key strategy for supporting the continued economic vitality of the region and contributing to the achievement of local and state emissions reduction goals.1

A Better City operates two Transportation Management Associations in the Boston area: A Better City TMA and Allston Brighton TMA. The Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) are non-profit membership organizations made up of employers, developers, and property managers working together to address transportation, air quality, and commuter issues in a defined geographic area. TMA services can help reduce the number of drive-alone commuters, minimize vehicle emissions, and improve access to transportation options. Our TMAs provide commuting programs, incentives, and advocacy to our members to help employees and tenants commute more sustainably.