JANUARY 2009 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE BOSTON REGION METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION WI-FI EXPANDING TO ALL COMMUTER RAIL LINES Urban Ring Public-Review Page 2 Period Underway MPO SURVEY COMMENTS ACCEPTED The document details the Page 3 THROUGH FEBRUARY 9; proposed plan for a bus PUBLIC HEARING ON rapid transit (BRT) system MPO ACTIVITIES JANUARY 6 that would provide circum - Page 3 ferential transit service Throughout the month of connecting locations in January, the Executive Office MPO TRIVIA Boston, Brookline, Page 4 of Transportation and Public Cambridge, Chelsea, Works (EOTPW) and the Everett, Medford, and Executive Office of Energy Somerville, and improve and Environmental Affairs connections between (EOEEA) will continue to MEETING CALENDAR points on the existing the Longwood Medical and accept public comments on rapid transit and commuter Academic Area, and new For the most recent information the Urban Ring Phase 2 on the following public meetings rail systems. transit stations. High- and others that may have been Revised Draft Environmental fr equency service would be scheduled after TRANS REPORT Impact Report/Draft As proposed, the project went to press, go to www.boston provided at peak travel peri - Environmental Impact would include dedicated mpo.org or call (617) 973-7119. ods (ranging from every 10 A photo ID is required to access Statement (RDEIR/ DEIS), roadways for 60-foot articu - most meeting sites. which was released for public lated buses, including a 1.5- G Urban Ring cont. on p. 4 AT THE STATE review in November. mile busway tunnel through TRANSPORTATION BUILDING, 10 PARK PLAZA, BOSTON Bridge January 8 (Thursday) Arborway Bus Study Program Boston Region MPO Transportation Planning and Programming Released Committee. Conference Room 4. In December the Boston Boston Region MPO staff Underway 10:00 AM Region Metropolitan used computer modeling to Significant progress is being Boston Region MPO Transportation Planning Organization evaluate the benefits of made on the Patrick Planning and Programming (MPO) released the MBTA employing traffic-system Administration’s $3 billion Committee: Suburban Mobility Accelerated Bridge Program and Transportation Demand Transit Signal Priority Study: management measures — Management Subcommittee. MPO Arborway Corridor, which such as improvements to sig - (ABP). The goal of the pro - Conference Room, Suite 2150. gram, which was approved 1:30 PM assessed options for improv - nal timing and geometric by the legislature in August January 14 (Wednesday) ing MBTA bus travel time configuration in intersections and schedule reliability along — as well as traffic signal 2008, is to reverse a trend Regional Transportation Advisory that, left unchecked, would Council Freight Committee. the Arborway corridor. The coordination and transit sig - Conference Room 4 . 1:00 PM study focused on a two-mile nal priority (TSP). TSP is a increase the number of Boston Region MPO Transportation segment of the corridor strategy for moving transit structurally deficient bridges Planning and Programming in Massachusetts from 543 Committee: Transportation from Forest Hills Station to vehicles through signalized Improvement Program (TIP) Huntington Avenue, which is intersections quickly by (as of May 2008) to nearly Subcommittee. MPO Conference 700 over the course of the Room, Suite 2150. 1:30 PM served primarily by the equipping them with detec - MBTA’s Route 39 bus. tors that can trigger an early next eight years. Since Regional Transportation Advisory Council. Conference Room 4. G Arborway cont. on p. 3 G Bridges cont. on p. 2 3:00 PM The members of the Boston Region MPO: Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works, Cities of Boston, Calendar continued on p. 2 Newton, Salem, and Somerville, 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, Towns of Bedford, Framingham, and Hopkinton Bridge Projects Announced Calendar cont. from p. 1 G Bridges cont. from p. 1 deliver projects ahead of Quincy–Weymouth Fore January 22 (Thursday) schedule, imposing penalties River Bridge, which is also Boston Region MPO Transportation October, when initial funds for late delivery, streamlined scheduled for advertising in Planning and Programming for the program were made Committee. Conference Room 4. environmental permitting, the spring of 2011 . The com - available, work beg an on 41 10:00 AM project bundling, and single- projects totaling more than January 26 (Monday) phase construction. $175 million, the hiring of MBTA Rider Oversight Committee. Conference Rooms 1, 2, and 3. engineers and other neces - 2009 –2011 BRIDGE LIST 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM sary staff got underway, and DEVELOPED January 28 (Wednesday) 14 design consulting con - The 2009 –2011 bridge list Access Advisory Committee to the tracts were procured. MBTA. Conference Room 4. developed by MassHighway 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM In addition to improving the and the Department of AT OTHER BOSTON condition of the Common- Conservation and Recreation AREA LOCATIONS wealth’s bridges, the ABP is (DCR), in coordination with January 6 (Tuesday) expected to stimulate eco - the Executive Office of EOTPW Public Hearing: Urban The Longfellow Bridge is one of the nomic development and job Transportation and Public Ring Phase 2. Leverett Saltonstall structures that the Accelerated Building, Second Floor, Confer- creation and save money by Works, identifies preliminary Bridge Program will address ence Rooms C and D, 100 allowing projects to be com - estimates totaling $975.7 mil - plete list of bridge projects, Cambridge Street, Boston. pleted sooner. (The Federal lion for 54 bridge projects which also includes dates for 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Highway Administration esti - located in the Boston Region design completion and end January 8 (Thursday) mates that road and bridge MPO area . It includes the of construction, is available MBTA Senior and Transportation construction costs increase Access Pass Registration. Boston–Cambridge at www.mass.gov/accelera ted Wakefield Council on Aging, 30 from 9 to 15 percent per Longfellow Bridge, which is bridges. Converse Street, Wakefield. year due to inflation.) The estimated at $267.5 million 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM ABP will employ i nnovative and slated for advertising in January 13 (Tuesday) techniques such as offering the spring of 2011, and MBTA Senior and Transportation Access Pass Registration. Lynn bonuses to contractors who $242.6 million for the Senior Center, 8 Silsbee Street, Lynn. 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM January 14 (Wednesday) MassHighway Public Hearing: Wireless Internet Service Expanding Reconstruction of East Main Street in Marlborough. City Hall, to All Commuter Rail Lines Memorial Hall, 140 Main Street, Riders on the Framingham/ trains has been fantastic,” The MBTA plans to equip Marlborough. 7:00 PM Worcester commuter rail line said Lt. Governor Timothy more than half of its 410 January 21 (Wednesday) have been enjoying free Murray, who worked with commuter rail coaches for MBTA Senior and Transportation wireless technology service the MBTA to advance this wireless Internet connection. Access Pass Registration. Newton Senior Center, 345 Walnut Street, on their commutes since last Approximately 30 coaches Newtonville. 12 noon to 3:30 PM spring, when the MBTA per month will be retrofit - launched its Wi-Fi Com- ted, and will be moved into muter Rail Connect Pilot service as they come online. Meetings sponsored by the Boston Project. The project was such By spring of 2009, all com - Region MPO are conducted in a success on that line that muter rail lines will have at accessible locations, and materi - als can be provided in accessible the MBTA is expanding the least two Wi-Fi-equipped formats and in languages other service to all commuter rail coaches per train. Riders will than English. If you would like lines. The service enables be able to identify those accessibility or language accom - Lt. Governor Timothy Murray (right) and modation, please contact the riders to access the Internet coaches by the Wi-Fi sign on MPO at (617) 973-7100 (voice), MBTA General Manager Daniel (617) 973-8855 (fax), (617) 973- using laptop computers, cell Grabauskas next to a Wi-Fi-equipped the outside of the coach. 7089 (TTY), or e-mail public commuter rail coach at North Station phones, and other Wi-Fi- The MBTA is partnering [email protected]. enabled devices while service when he was the with technology providers enroute. mayor of Worcester. “It AT&T, WAAV, and Terminial became clear early on in the “The positive feedback we’ve Exchange Systems to provide pilot that this service should received from commuters this service. be expanded to all com - who are using Wi-Fi on the muter rail trains.” 2 TRANS REPORT January 2009 www.bostonmpo.org Working Group Formed for Arborway Take Our Transit Improvements Surveyy!! G Arborway cont. from p. 1 Executive Office of would have added a new The Boston Region MPO green light or lengthen the Transportation and Public light rail line along the has introduced a survey amount of time a light stays Works, and the City of Arborway, from the original feature on its website to green. Boston have assembled a group of State Implemen- find out what people are Citizens Working Group and tation Plan (SIP) transit proj - thinking about timely The study addressed the are holding meetings to dis - ects (those projects the transportation topics. Visit applicability of implement - cuss opportunities for transit Commonwealth is committed www.bostonmpo.org to ing TSP with present bus improvements along the cor - to building as mitigation for participate. stop locations and with bus ridor. The next meeting of the Central Artery/Tunnel stops consolidated, as well as the Working Group will be project). The U.S. Environ- Last month we asked . alternatives such as adding held in February.