Latest news with #AllstonMultimodalProject
Boston Globe
24-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
On massive bridge project for North Station trains, T chief ‘confident' fed'l cash will come through
The United States Department of Transportation Advertisement But the Trump Administration's history of freezing and slashing funds at odds with its priorities piqued the concern of at least two MBTA board members. Advertisement The federal government in July CQ , a $2 billion 'Considering our climate right now, we're sure that we're going to get this funding?' board member Chanda Smart asked. 'We're confident. ' MBTA general manager Phillip Eng replied. 'We are in regular dialogue with FTA [the Federal Transit Administration]. This is, as this team mentioned, a very important project that they have been very supportive of.' The federal government obligated $283 million of the $472 million contract this fiscal year, according to the MBTA. The second installment — $189 million — is set to arrive in the fiscal year beginning this October. Board member Mary Skelton Roberts sought further reassurance. 'Are we confident that the $189 million that is expected to be awarded — is that also guaranteed or is that in jeopardy?' she asked, pointing to the rescinded money for the Allston Multimodal Project as a potential warning. 'Right now I have no reason to believe that that money is in risk — the remaining portion,' Eng responded. He reiterated that, in his view, federal officials recognized the project's significance. Eng mentioned that he'd met with the FTA's acting administrator at a transportation conference and 'discussed the importance of this project and the mega-grant.' 'We're monitoring everything very closely of course,' Eng said, 'but there is nothing that has indicated that we are concerned about those dollars.' Jaime Moore-Carrillo can be reached at
Newsweek
22-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Rail Project Suffers Blow as Trump Cuts $327 Million Funding
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump's administration has pulled $327 million in federal funding from Massachusetts' Allston Multimodal transportation project after signing a law to end the Neighborhood Access and Equity Program. Democratic Governor Maura Healey and state officials confirmed the rescission, which left the state with only $8 million of the original award and prompted a strategic review of the multimodal infrastructure overhaul planned for Boston's Allston neighborhood. Newsweek has contacted the Allston Multimodal Project for comment via email. Why It Matters The decision followed a recent pattern of federal infrastructure funding reversals under the Trump administration. In July, the federal government revoked $4 billion previously earmarked for California's high-speed rail system. State officials and transit advocates have voiced concern that such cuts could stall or derail ambitious public transportation upgrades intended to alleviate congestion, modernize travel and fuel economic revitalization in major metropolitan regions. What To Know The $327 million grant for the Allston Multimodal Project, awarded under the now-eliminated Neighborhood Access and Equity Program, was rescinded as part of a broader federal funding shift. According to official statements from the governor's office, the project's goals include new infrastructure for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, improved connections for underserved areas and eventual redevelopment of the adjacent Beacon Park Yard. State transportation officials said they would retain $8 million and have begun a strategic review of the project's scope and cost in light of the sudden financial shortfall. An Orange Line train at Assembly Station, a rapid transit station in Somerville, Massachusetts, on March 21, 2023. An Orange Line train at Assembly Station, a rapid transit station in Somerville, Massachusetts, on March 21, 2023. Getty Images The grant, originally awarded in 2023, was intended to help realign a stretch of Interstate 90, add a new MBTA commuter rail station in Boston's West Station area, support new pedestrian and bicycle routes, and expand space for local redevelopment. The rescinded Massachusetts grant follows Trump's high-profile withdrawal of $4 billion from California's rail program, which he described as "disastrously overpriced" and a "train to nowhere." The California High-Speed Rail Authority has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging that the decision to cut the funding was an "arbitrary and capricious abuse of authority." What People Are Saying Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said in a news release on July 18: "Massachusetts won this funding to support our communities and our economy—and the Trump Administration needs to restore it. "Why would any President of the United States oppose a project that will improve transportation for residents and visitors alike, create thousands of construction jobs, support local businesses and create space for new housing? We all benefit from that. The people of Massachusetts deserve better from their federal government." Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt said in the news release: "The loss of the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant does not change our commitment to the communities that are counting on this investment. We will move forward with a strategic review of the project, both analyzing the project costs and consulting with an outside engineering firm to assess the project." What Happens Next The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has launched a strategic review of the Allston Multimodal Project, evaluating new ways to achieve the project's transportation and urban planning goals within their reduced financial capacity.
Boston Globe
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Big Beautiful Bill cuts $335 million that was set aside for massive I-90 Allston highway project, state officials say
Advertisement 'MassDOT is awaiting clarification from the U.S. Department of Transportation and assessing what impact this will have on the $335 million grant we received for the Allston Multimodal Project,' the statement continued. 'MassDOT will stay in communication with project partners and stakeholders as we learn more.' The sizable cut was The Healey administration The project would would bring the eight elevated lanes of Interstate 90 down to ground level next to the four-lane Soldiers Field Road along the Charles River, while building a new commuter rail and bus hub known as West Station along the Framingham/Worcester Commuter Rail line and improving pedestrian and bike access to the river. The project would also open up dozens of Harvard-owned acres in a former rail yard hemmed in between the highway viaduct and the train tracks. Advertisement The project has long been billed as a way to stitch together a stretch of Allston that was divided by the construction of the Pike in the 1960s, though much of that stitching hinges on how Harvard develops the land in and around Beacon Park Yard, including projects built over the tracks and highway. Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat who's made public transportation a priority, bringing in Healey's office referred questions to MassDOT on Tuesday, and the offices of Massachusetts Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, both Democrats, didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. 'In the same way that they tore down the Central Artery so our community could reconnect to Boston Harbor and it has transformed Boston, this [$335 million federal] grant is transformative for Allston and Brighton because it, too, reconnects communities to [their] original identity,' Markey said last year when the state had initially secured the funding now-slashed by the Big Beautiful Bill. Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report. This breaking story will be updated when more information is released. Travis Andersen can be reached at
Boston Globe
02-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Federal proposal puts $335m grant for realignment of Mass. Pike in Allston in jeopardy
But since President Trump began his second term, calling Advertisement The state agency declined to comment beyond a spokesperson saying it was 'aware of the proposal.' Advertisement As part of the Republican-led effort to advance Trump's agenda, the 'What we're seeing right now is the Trump administration and a cohort of followers making an extremely partisan play in the executive and legislative branches that would have drastic negative consequences across party lines, whether you look at Massachusetts or elsewhere in the country,' said Seth Gadbois, a clean transportation attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental advocacy organization. The move by lawmakers followed a Overall, the transportation agenda of the Trump administration seems geared toward pushing federal dollars toward rural areas, and infrastructure to support private vehicles, and away from mass transit in urban areas with more racially diverse populations, Advertisement 'It's deeply concerning to think that an agency that is meant to safely and accessibly move people and goods around in the best possible way to reduce harm is doing the exact opposite,' Muratore said. In the case of the ambitious proposal for Allston, which would stitch together a stretch of the neighborhood divided by the construction of the Mass. Pike in the 1960s, and has been Already, as state transportation officials have faced The loss of the federal funding would not be surprising given the protracted planning, Kane said, but it would 'speak to a bigger issue, which is the fact that we just can't seem to move big projects quickly around here.' Still, it is early in the complicated budget reconciliation process. The proposal could fail to clear both chambers of Congress — and if it does pass, the move to claw back the funds might end up being challenged in court. Advertisement 'We're kind of in the second inning here of a nine-inning game,' said Tom Glynn, one of the most prominent civic leaders in Boston. 'A lot of this is uncharted territory and needs to get sorted out.' Regardless of what happens, Gadbois, a fierce advocate of the Allston Multimodal Project, said they are confident 'there is still a path forward,' calling the development 'an unfortunate step backwards.' 'But I don't want to treat it like a foregone conclusion either,' Gadbois said. 'In a moment where the federal level of government is attacking these kinds of initiatives, I think it presents an even stronger moment for MassDOT to stand strong to the commitments it's making to the Allston community and build a project that does right by them today and for the future generations of community members that will live there.' Shannon Larson can be reached at
