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Rick Dimino
When the South Boston Waterfront Sustainable Transportation Plan was completed in early 2015, we recognized the need to begin work on immediate actions identified in the plan and to establish an Implementation Group to guide work on these actions. The group includes the agencies that were responsible for directing the transportation plan: MassDOT, the MBTA, Massport, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Boston Transportation Department, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, the Seaport Transportation Management Association and A Better City, which originally managed the planning process for the group. MassDOT Highway Division Administrator Tom Tinlin chairs the Implementation Group.
One of the recent tasks was addressing bottlenecks into and out of the district. The Boston Transportation Department addressed issues of traffic delay at the intersection where Purchase Street, Oliver Street, Atlantic Avenue, a southbound off ramp from the Central Artery and the Moakley Bridge come together. Analysis of the traffic movements led to a resequencing and retiming of the traffic and pedestrian signals to improve connections between the Financial District and the South Boston Waterfront. As a result of these adjustments, traffic delays have been reduced by 20 percent at mid-day to 60 percent in the afternoon peak hour.
Last year, MassDOT took the lead in devising and implementing a pilot program to evaluate the possible expanded use of the South Boston Bypass Road and the northbound High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane, which are currently restricted to commercial traffic only. During the pilot, portions of the Bypass Road and HOV lanes were open to general traffic during the morning and evening peak hours. There was an increase in traffic volume during that period, but the road operated under capacity and with little or no increase in delay. The results of the pilot will be taken into consideration in determining possible changes to restrictions placed on the roadways by environmental permitting conducted in the 1990s.
The Baker Administration has proposed allocating $25 million included in the 2014 Transportation Bond Bill to pay for several immediate and short-term actions. These actions range from new Silver Line vehicle design and district-wide bus improvements to improved pedestrian wayfinding and establishing mobility hubs to improve access to MBTA stations. A host of potential roadway improvements include improving regional gateways to the area with signal, signage and striping improvements to make connections more efficient and to reduce congestions. The final list of potential projects, which is still being developed, includes design and construction of new street connections as well as other local signage and signal improvements.
New Developments
ABC is also partnering with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and other city and state agencies on the feasibility of implementing a consolidated shuttle bus system and improved water transportation between North Station and the South Boston Waterfront.
Two new developments that have occurred following completion of the Transportation Plan are the decision by General Electric to locate its corporate headquarters between A Street and the Fort Point Channel, and the ideas competition underway for the Northern Avenue Bridge. The city of Boston has committed to reconnecting Northern Avenue across the Fort Point Channel, but the form of the crossing and the role of the existing bridge or parts of the bridge are yet to be determined. The competition is intended to surface ideas for what to preserve and how to connect Northern Avenue. ABC is on the 16-member jury for the competition. The results of the competition may well influence the priority projects chosen for funding.
The next step is to determine priorities that can be addressed with available funds for planning, design and construction. The criteria for setting priorities and selecting projects include expectation for completion within three years; distribution across transit, pedestrian and highway modes; and projects based on recommendations in the Transportation Plan.
Connecting planning, priority setting and implementation of short-term actions offers a textbook case for the way that transportation and planning issues should be addressed in order to deliver projects that meet local needs.
Rick Dimino is president and CEO of A Better City.
