Transreport Transportation News from the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization

OCTOBER 2004 TRANSREPORT TRANSPORTATION NEWS FROM THE BOSTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION TEA-21 Extended for Eight Boston MPO Suburban Mobility Program Moving Toward Months Implementation In September 30 Congress enacted HR The service will operate on a two-day 5183, a bill that extends the current advance notice in order to facilitate Transportation Equity Act for the 21st grouping of trips. Hours of service will be Century (TEA-21) until May 31, 2005. approximately 6:00 A.M. to 6:30 P.M., to While the funding sources for the exten- accommodate the MBTA commuter rail sion have shifted somewhat, federal schedule, Monday through Friday. Riders funding available for the nation’s Trans- can call to schedule trips between the portation Improvement Programs and hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. Unified Planning Work Programs There will be a $2.00 charge for each remains essentially unchanged. There one-way trip. were no project earmarks included in the extension. Founded in 1974, the WRTA is a public, nonprofit organization maintaining a The extension provides the option of fleet of 44 buses for 28 fixed routes in delaying decisions on a long-term reau- The Boston Metropolitan Planning Worcester and 13 of the surrounding thorization bill until next spring. The communities. The WRTA also provides Association of Metropolitan Planning Organization programmed congestion ■ Suburban Mobility cont. on p. 3 Organizations and delegations consisting mitigation and air quality improvement of MPO members, state highway and (CMAQ) funds to two new services transit officials, and public interest under its Suburban Mobility Program. Final Documents Available The Worcester Regional Transit Author- groups from across the nation will con- Final versions of the Boston MPO’s fiscal ity (WRTA) and the 128 Business Coun- tinue to provide input to congressional year 2005 Unified Planning Work Pro- cil will provide the services to improve representatives regarding the next gram and fiscal years 2005–2009 Trans- mobility in areas currently unserved or attempt at reauthorization, which will portation Improvement Program are underserved by transit. define programming of federal trans- available in print, on CD, or on tape. To portation funds for the next 5 to 10 The WRTA will operate a rider request request a copy call the Boston MPO at years. Issues such as state allocation service providing connections to com- (617) 973-7100 or (617) 973-7089 equations, planning funds available to muter rail and the LIFT transit system in (TTY), or e-mail us at publicinforma MPOs, and the funding split between the communities of Marlborough and [email protected]. The documents may also highways and transit all impact planning Southborough. It is designed to serve all be downloaded from the Boston MPO and projects supported by federal and trip purposes, including commuter, med- Web site at www.bostonmpoorg. state funds within metropolitan areas. ical, social service, and shopping. The full text and an overview of the Because the communities are large and INSIDE THIS ISSUE extension are available on-line from the have geographically dispersed population, Department of Transportation at www employment, services, and retail estab- MPO activities update . 2 .fhwa.dot.gov/reauthorization/stea04p5 lishments, service destinations will be For the record . 2 .htm. zone-oriented and will incorporate high- Nashua Street park opening . 3 News about the TEA-21 reauthorization density retail, service, and employment is regularly updated at www.fhwa.dot hubs. Residents from throughout both Big Dig open-space update . 3 .gov/reauthorization/index.htm. communities will be able to request ser- Meeting calendar . 4 vice into the destination zones. The members of the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization: Executive Office of Transportation • City of Boston • City of Everett • City of Newton • City of Salem • Federal Highway Administration • Federal Transit Administration • Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority • Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Advisory Board • Massachusetts Highway Department • Massachusetts Port Authority • Massachusetts Turnpike Authority • Metropolitan Area Planning Council • Regional Transportation Advisory Council • Town of Bedford • Town of Framingham • Town of Hopkinton BOSTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION ACTIVITIES FOR THE RECORD BOSTON METROPOLITAN PLANNING A TRANSREPORT Correction RGANIZATION CTION TEMS O A I Due to a reporting error, the article, “End of the On September 9, following a 35-day public review period Line for Elevated Trains in Boston,” in the Sep- and upon the recommendation of its Transportation Plan- tember 2004 issue of TRANSREPORT, incor- ning and Programming Committee, the Boston MPO rectly described the elevated Green Line tracks endorsed the following documents: that are currently in the process of demolition at • The fiscal year 2005 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) North Station as having been Boston’s first ele- • The fiscal years 2005–2009 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) vated railway. When it opened on June 1, • An amendment to the fiscal years 2004–2008 TIP concerning the phasing of the 1912, the Boston Elevated Railway Company’s Beacon Street, Brookline, project East Cambridge Extension did include the first and only section of elevated tracks for the use of See page one for information on how to request copies of these documents. streetcars above Boston city streets. However, TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE Boston’s first heavy (high-platform) rapid transit ACTION ITEMS lines, the Main Line from Dudley Street in Rox- In addition to reviewing the comments received on the draft TIP and UPWP and bury to Sullivan Square in Charlestown, and the developing recommendations on their endorsement, the MPO’s Transportation Plan- Atlantic Avenue Elevated from Castle Square in ning and Programming Committee approved a work program for the Central Trans- the South End to North Station in the North portation Planning Staff (CTPS) to provide assistance to the MBTA for its Title VI End, had opened in the summer of 1901. benchmarking. In this $139,200 work effort CTPS will create maps and compile These lines ran on elevated structures except service and planning statistics that describe the public transportation service pro- through downtown Boston, where the Tremont vided to neighborhoods in the MBTA service area. This data will be used for the Street Subway was used until the opening of the MBTA quarterly reports and future MPO reports to the Federal Transit Administra- Washington Street Tunnel in 1908. An elevated tion (FTA) Office for Civil Rights. CTPS will also prepare the triennial Title VI extension of the Main Line from Roxbury to report to be submitted to FTA in May 2005. Forest Hills opened in 1909. REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COUNCIL UPDATE By the time that the East Cambridge Extension The September Advisory Council meeting featured a presentation on the draft FY opened, elevated lines, though less costly to build 2005 UPWP and the draft FYs 2005–2009 TIP. The Advisory Council recommended than subways, were in disfavor because of their approval of the FY 2005 UPWP. Members strongly supported full funding for the blighting effect on the streets they covered. Suburban Mobility Program and restoration of funds for the Transportation Demand Attempts to block their further construction and Management Program in the FY 2005 element of the TIP, which they otherwise to mandate removal of existing lines were endorsed. already underway. The final elevated extension, The September Council meeting also included the election of new officers for the from Sullivan Square to Everett, opened in 2004–2005 Council year. Jeffrey Levine, the Inner Core representative, was elected 1919, but several other planned lines were either as chair, and Steven Olanoff, the Town of Westwood representative, was elected as built as subways or not built at all. vice chair. Their terms of office will start with the October Advisory Council meet- The Atlantic Avenue Elevated closed in 1938 ing. Members expressed deep thanks to Phil Hodge for his year of service as chair. without a replacement, and most of it was The October Council meeting will feature a briefing and discussion on the MBTA’s demolished in 1942 for wartime scrap metal. upcoming automated fare-collection system. The Main Line was replaced north of downtown Boston in 1975 by the Haymarket North ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE MBTA (AACT) UPDATE Orange Line extension, and south of downtown MBTA General Manager Michael Mulhern has accepted AACT’s invitation to in 1987 by the Southwest Corridor Orange Line address the Committee at a meeting to be held in the State Transportation Building relocation. Library on Tuesday, November 16, at 1:00 P.M.To ensure that AACT’s concerns are fully addressed at the meeting, members must prepare comments and questions in advance and submit them in writing by October 27. Questions and comments may be submitted via U.S. mail to Janie Guion, AACT Coordinator, CTPS, 10 Park Plaza, Ste. 2150, Boston MA 02116 or via e-mail to Ms. Guion at [email protected]. MBTA General Manager Michael Mulhern Construction of Dudley Street Station, 1900 TRANSREPORT 2OCTOBER 2004 Second New Charles River Park Opens on Nashua Street ■ Suburban Mobility cont. from p. 1 On September 17 officials from the Mas- pedestrian walkway; a 10-foot-wide path- demand-responsive, or paratransit, serv- sachusetts Turnpike Authority, state way for joggers,

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