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MassDOT News Home > Information Center > Weekly Newsletters > MassDOT News 04/21/2017

April 21, 2017 New Bedford: Baker­Polito Administration Celebrate Opening of New CoveWalk Governor Charlie Baker, Transportation Secretary and CEO

Stephanie Pollack, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, elected leaders, and local officials celebrated the official opening of the MassDOT May CoveWalk, New Bedford's newest recreational waterfront path Board Meeting located atop the Hurricane Barrier overlooking Clark’s Cove.

May 8, 2017 The 5,500 foot project was awarded $5 million from the Baker­ Transportation Building Polito Administration to help increase access to the historic 10 Park Plaza waterfront and better connect residents and visitors to local Second Floor Board attractions, businesses, and the natural landscape. Room , MA 02150 "Our administration is proud of its partnership with our Commonwealth's municipalities and pleased to make Full Meeting Schedule investments like these that strengthen opportunities in communities like New Bedford," said Governor Baker. "This innovative CoveWalk will provide a range On the MassDOT Blog of new recreational, transit, economic and tourism benefits for visitors, individuals and families Holyoke, South Hadley: throughout the region." "Roll and Stroll" Festival "We are dedicated to working closely with cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth to achieve May 7 our shared transportation and economic goals," said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. "By investing in local projects such as New Bedford's CoveWalk, we can empower our communities and better connect our citizens with opportunities that improve their quality of life.

"The new CoveWalk will help restore access to New Bedford Harbor and promote increased connectivity and development throughout the region," said Secretary Pollack. "We are pleased to have supported this project as we continue investing in local infrastructure upgrades that allow people to utilize all modes of transportation including bicycling and walking to reach the places they need to go."

MassDOT is pleased to The New Bedford Hurricane Barrier is the largest manmade structure on the east coast of the United announce that the first ever States and now features a recreational pathway that offers spectacular water views. In 2015, New River Roll and Bedford opened the HarborWalk on the east side of the peninsula, providing extraordinary views of Stroll Street Festival will take New Bedford Harbor. place on Sunday, May 7, marking the official kickoff of "Reconnecting the City and its neighborhoods to the waterfront is a project that I have felt is extremely Bay State Bike Week 2017. important to New Bedford, and that is something members of the Baker­Polito administration, including Secretary Pollack and Highway Administrator Tinlin, have supported," said Mayor Jon Mitchell. "With The Connecticut River Roll and the elevated hurricane barrier between South End neighborhoods and the water, the CoveWalk and Stroll Street Festival will HarborWalk once again offer spectacular views of Clark’s Cove and New Bedford Harbor for residents showcase the health, and visitors. It is a unique and beautiful space where you can walk, run, or bike with an extraordinary recreational and economic view." benefits of walking and cycling, and will take place on "MassDOT is continuing to work hand in hand with municipalities including New Bedford in the Vietnam Veterans strengthening our transportation systems and promoting economic growth," said Highway Administrator Memorial Bridge between 11 Thomas J. Tinlin. "We are proud to have provided the resources to ensure this project moved forward, a.m. and 3 p.m. and we thank all the stakeholders and personnel involved in creating this unique, new recreational path along the New Bedford shoreline." View the entire Roll & Stroll blog post. In 1962, construction of the hurricane barrier across New Bedford Harbor began in an effort to greatly minimize the destructive effects of flood waters associated with severe storms. Dedicated in 1966, the hurricane barrier remains the largest manmade structure on the east coast of the United States and provides security for industries, the fishing fleet, and hundreds of homes in residential neighborhoods. The Harbor Barrier and Dike have protected New Bedford and the neighboring communities of Acushnet and Fairhaven from storm surge but, the dike portion of the structure ­ a massive 18 foot high, 4,600 foot stone wall ­ has limited public access to the water. Renew Your Driver's License RMV, AAA Northeast Celebrate New Lowell Service Location Renew Your Registration The MassDOT Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), in partnership with AAA Northeast (AAA), announced the Service Center Lowell AAA Branch located at 585 Pawtucket Blvd now Locator offers select RMV license and registration services to AAA members. Social Media With the addition of Lowell, AAA Registry services are now available at 23 AAA locations across the Follow Us On... Commonwealth to AAA members. AAA Northeast already offers RMV services at branches in Auburn, Burlington, Fairhaven, Framingham, Franklin, Lowell, Newburyport, Newton, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Raynham, Rockland, Saugus, Somerset, South Attleboro, South Dennis, Waltham, Westwood, and Worcester. AAA Pioneer Valley offers services in Hadley, Springfield and West Springfield.

Registrar of Motor Vehicles Erin Deveney and AAA Sr. Vice President Public and Government Affairs Lloyd Albert were joined by local and elected officials to share remarks about the new Registry services available at the Lowell AAA location. Registrar Erin Deveney said, "April is one of the busiest months at our service centers. We're forecasting an increased number of customers who have to renew their driver’s license in person this month. We encourage AAA members to visit any one of the 23 AAA locations. For customers who are eligible to renew online, we encourage them to use the MassRMV.com Online Service Center as the fastest way to renew."

Over 25 transactions are available from the Online Service Center

"And with April school vacation here, we expect our annual rush of young people visiting service centers to take the Learner's Permit Test. Checklists for our most common transactions are available online to help customers arrive prepared to the service center with all required documents, including the Learner's Permit Test," added Registrar Deveney.

AAA Northeast President/CEO Mark Shaw added, "The launch of the Lowell AAA/RMV location marks yet another milestone in enhanced choice and convenience for AAA members and consumers across the Commonwealth. AAA Northeast sincerely values its partnership with the RMV and hopes to expand services into additional AAA offices in 2017."

At designated AAA Registry services locations, AAA members can perform select transactions including: driver’s license and ID renewals, duplicate licenses or IDs, registration renewals, duplicate registrations, duplicate titles, and registration transfers. AAA offers its members weekdays and Saturday RMV transaction options. For more information, visit https://northeast.aaa.com/automotive/registry­services/massachusetts.html

With a strong commitment to a personalized customer experience, the Registry of Motor Vehicles enables customer mobility and consumer safety across the Commonwealth.

MBTA: CapeFLYER Returns Memorial Day Weekend Entering its fifth year of service, the CapeFLYER is excited to announce that trains will once again run from Boston to starting on Memorial Day weekend. Service will begin on Friday, May 26th and operate on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout until Labor Day.

During the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, the CapeFLYER will provide free service for active service members and veterans in partnership with the 13th Annual Troops in the Spotlight event led by Cape Cod Cares for the Troops.

"Every year we are excited to start the trains to Cape Cod as a sign that summer is here and it is time for people to avoid the traffic and take the train to enjoy all the Cape and Islands have to offer," said Cape Cod Regional Transit Administrator Thomas S. Cahir. "What makes the opening weekend even more special is the opportunity to work with Cape Cod Cares for the Troops to honor and recognize our active and veteran service members who have done so much for our nation." Troops in the Spotlight is a twenty­four hour event to celebrate our service members and veterans; there are various activities and opportunities to support our troops. It begins on Sunday, May 28th at 11:30AM and concludes on Monday, May 29th at 11:30AM. For tickets, service members and veterans are encouraged to register at www.capeflyer.eventbrite.com

"We’re very pleased to partner with CCRTA and offer this service to current and former military service members during Memorial Day weekend, a time when our nation reflects on the ultimate sacrifices of those who served our nation," said Acting MBTA General Manager Brian Shortsleeve. "We also look forward to another successful season for the increasingly popular CapeFLYER."

For the season, the CapeFLYER will operate as its own dedicated train on Friday nights leaving at 5:50 PM and making stops in Braintree, Brockton, Middleboro, Wareham, Buzzards Bay and Hyannis. Trains also operate on Saturdays and Sundays and holiday Mondays until Labor Day weekend. The complete schedule is available at www.capeflyer.com

In addition to a convenient trip to Cape Cod, the CapeFLYER works closely with the operators to provide convenient connections to and from and Martha’s Vineyard. Cape Cod RTA buses are available at Buzzards Bay and Hyannis to bring passengers to the Cape communities. Finally, the CapeFLYER operates a café car that sells excellent food and drinks, including beer and wine, provided by Blonde on the Run Catering.

The CapeFLYER is a unique partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. For additional information, including a complete schedule, fares and information about connections, please visit: www.capeflyer.com

About the CCTRA: The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) is one of 15 Regional Transit Authorities within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and has been providing public transportation services since 1976 to residents and visitors as well as consumers of state agencies and human service organizations for all 15 Cape Cod communities. The CCRTA owns and operates the Hyannis Transportation Center in downtown Hyannis and the state of the art Operations and Maintenance Facility in South Dennis. For more information, visit Cape Cod RTA at our website www.capecodrta.org

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