Photo courtesy of MassDOT
State officials should commence designs of big-ticket transportation projects such as the Massachusetts Turnpike Allston viaduct replacement to avoid losing out on funding in the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill, a transportation advocacy group said.
In a report issued today, A Better City said speed is of the essence to submit proposals likely to win federal grants.
“It can get done with state funds, or federal funds, or not at all,” said Tom Ryan, A Better City’s senior advisor on policy, government and community affairs. “That is a choice, and the most appealing is matching up with the federal government’s goal of spending money on infrastructure. They’ll be looking to fund shovel-ready projects and we have those.”
On Sunday night, senators announced bipartisan agreement on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with a final vote expected as soon as this week. The bill includes funding for road and bridge projects, public transit and rail upgrades over five years.
A Better City’s report said grants could be awarded as soon as summer 2022, and emphasized that the federal government likely will choose projects that are ready to break ground in the next two to three years.
“There will be tremendous pressure on the Biden Administration to show tangible action and start construction and job creation. Democrats in Congress will be facing their 2022 mid-term elections and President Biden will be campaigning for re-election in 2024,” it states.
A Better City recommended that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation set aside $50 million from the MBTA’s projected $200 million budget surplus in fiscal 2024 to begin designs of major projects and maximize the state’s chances of receiving federal funding.
It mentions a dozen unfunded major transportation projects in Massachusetts, ranging in cost from the $6 billion commuter rail network electrification project to the $850 million MBTA Red and Blue Line connector.
The $1.3 billion Massachusetts Turnpike viaduct project has been in the planning stages since 2014, but state transportation officials haven’t settled on a final design. The project would replace the aging Allston viaduct with a new elevated section of highway or an at-grade road design and add a new commuter rail and bus station, while realigning the highway to the south near the former Allston-Brighton toll plaza.
Other major projects cited by the report include $6 billion for climate resiliency infrastructure, the $5 billion East-West high-speed rail project, regional rail expansion, MBTA electrified bus maintenance facilities, bridge repairs, replacement of the Interstate 91 viaduct in Springfield, redesign of the Interstates 93 and 95 interchange in Woburn and Cape Cod access projects.
A Better City also called for changes to MassDOT and MBTA procurement laws that would allow the agencies to consider project timelines, as well as prices, to evaluate bids. The method was used temporarily as part of the 2009 federal stimulus package.
“It would show that Massachusetts is committed to get work done, and work done quickly,” Ryan said. “That would be appealing for the federal government when looking to fund projects.”
Boston-based nonprofit A Better City provides research and advocacy on transportation, land use and environmental policy.
