Rick Dimino

The strength of metropolitan Boston’s regional economy is directly related to our decisions to invest in major transportation infrastructure projects. From building the Massachusetts Turnpike, to extending the MBTA’s Red Line, to digging the Ted Williams Tunnel and Silver Line connections into the South Boston Waterfront, to the creation of Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway parks, these investments continue to pay dividends for the commonwealth. If President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion American Jobs Plan passes Congress this year the next major infrastructure projects may be possible, but only if Massachusetts leaders act with urgency.  

Before the pandemic, we faced a transportation crisis in the commonwealth. Poor infrastructure at the MBTA resulted in train derailments and an underperforming system, while drivers across the Boston area experienced the worst roadway congestion in the nation and the threats from climate change continued to grow. The metropolitan Boston area still requires a long-term solution to these challenges.  

Fortunately, the American Jobs Plan would bring an unprecedented level of new infrastructure funding for transportation and climate resiliency projects. President Barack Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill contained $48 billion for transportation infrastructure programs. President Biden’s proposal includes over $620 billion. More importantly, this plan intends to support the types of capital projects that lack funding from the MassDOT and the MBTA capital plans. 

Deliver Generational Change 

President Biden is proposing $20 billion to reconnect neighborhoods cut off by historic highway infrastructure and another $25 billion for large, ambitious transportation projects that would benefit regional economies. The Interstate 90 Allston Multimodal Project is an ideal fit for either program, if MassDOT moves quickly and correctly in selecting the official design plans for the replacement of the elevated viaduct.  

A broad coalition that includes A Better City, transportation advocates, environmental organizations, businesses, universities, the city of Boston and cities and towns in MetroWest are calling for the highway to be rebuilt at ground level. By taking down the existing viaduct and placing I-90 at ground level, we can unlock this area for a city-building opportunity, create greater access to the Charles River and improve safety of pedestrians and cyclists in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, MassDOT is currently considering repairing the elevated structure and delaying a permanent solution for a few years instead.  

The American Jobs Plan should tip the scales for MassDOT leaders. If we want to deliver on the generational change that Allston deserves and improve the transportation network that serves Boston’s MetroWest communities, MassDOT should end bureaucratic delays and move full speed ahead to with the all-at-grade design to pursue these federal funds. If we can get the federal government to pay for much of this billion–dollar project, the entire commonwealth would benefit. 

In 2019, the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board endorsed a future vision for replacing its commuter rail system with frequent, electrified trains, but the infrastructure plans are not funded in the MBTA’s capital plan. Replacing the existing diesel–powered locomotives would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and allow for faster train trips and more frequent service options for riders. The American Jobs Plan calls for over $80 billion for commuter rail improvements and is our best hope to see this rail vision become a reality within the next decade.  

Get a Head Start 

Congressional leaders have vowed to act on an infrastructure bill before September, so the next five months can be a time for Massachusetts to take advantage of the Biden administration’s promise to fund “shovel-worthy” projects. This is an important shift away from the “shovel-ready” criteria of the Obama stimulus bill and signals more discretion will be handed to federal transportation agencies. Congressional earmarks are likely to be included in the final bill, but under any scenario, Massachusetts will still be competing against other states for transportation grants, once the bill passes.    

MBTA and MassDOT leaders should show the federal government that our aspirational projects are actually shovel-worthy, and we are even willing to advance the early design, planning and permitting process to prove it. Any early spending now at the state level would bring a tremendous return on investment if the federal construction dollars arrive. Ideally, our major initiatives such as like the regional rail vision, the Red-Blue Connector and resiliency infrastructure projects can be six months ahead of proposals from other parts of the county, if we start preparing these capital projects this summer. 

Alternatively, we could sit back and forfeit our chances for a head start, and run the risk of losing out to other, more proactive states.  

Without federal funds, Massachusetts will have to address the structurally deficient infrastructure in Allston with state dollars or roadway tolls. The region would be stuck with a diesel-powered commuter rail system, and our major resiliency infrastructure efforts will continue to wait for a state finance plan before we see action. . The state’s approach to the American Jobs Act in the next few months will determine which future we want to see.   

This is a once–in–a–generation opportunity to see the next wave of transportation projects in the commonwealth and it calls for an ambitious action plan that fits with our history on delivering major transportation projects in Massachusetts and matches the magnitude of this moment with this federal bill.  

Rick Dimino is CEO of A Better City