Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation

Safe Driving Student Video Contest

The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Highway Safety Division has organized the 5th annual "Dance. Don’t Chance" prom and graduation safe driving video contest for schools across the Commonwealth.

The safe driving video contest asks students to write and produce a 60-second video to promote safe, drug and alcohol free driving both during the prom and graduation season and year-round.

The two top-rated videos will be publicly announced later this spring, with winning schools and individual students receiving prizes from participating sponsors.

Student videos must be submitted by early March 2012. Visit the "Dance. Don't Chance" website to learn more about deadlines and guidelines for participating in this year's contest.

MBTA Fare, Service Hearings February 6-8

The MBTA next week continues a series of more than 20 public hearings regarding proposed fare and service changes with four hearings in Lowell, Lynn, Boston, and Hingham. 

The public is encouraged to participate.  Times and locations  for next week's meetings are as follows:

 

Monday, February 6, Lowell- 5:00-7:00 PM, City Hall Council Chambers, 375 Merrimack Street
Tuesday, February 7, Lynn- 6:00-8:00 PM, City Hall Auditorium, Main Floor, 3 City Hall Square
Wednesday, February 8, Boston- 4:30-6:30 PM, Shriners Hospital Auditorium, 51 Blossom Street
Wednesday, February 8, Hingham- 6:00-8:00 PM, Town Hall Sanborn Auditorium, 210 Central Street

For a full list of future public meetings and information, please visit MBTA.com/join the discussion.

Have your voice heard by sending an email with your questions, comments, and ideas to fareproposal@mbta.com.

The MBTA’s public outreach process continues with the acceptance of public comment through March 1, 2012 electronically at mbta.com, by email at fareproposal@mbta.com, via mail to MBTA, Ten Park Plaza, Boston, Ma  02116, Attention: Fare Proposal Committee, and by phone at 617-222-3200/ TTY (617) 222-5146. 

A final fare increase and service reduction recommendation will be made to the MBTA’s Board of Directors this spring and changes will be implemented on July 1, 2012.

Charles River: Anderson Bridge Project Advances

The Patrick-Murray Administration is moving forward with reconstruction of the Anderson Memorial Bridge, funded by the Accelerated Bridge Program to repair or replace structurally-deficient bridges across the Commonwealth.

The $19.9 million project approved by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors will rehabilitate the historic bridge, often known as the "Larz Anderson Bridge," a critical transportation link connecting Cambridge and Boston.   The project is one of several funded by ABP along the Charles River Basin, including the Longfellow and Boston University (BU) Bridge projects.

The Anderson Memorial Bridge project will repair deterioration, upgrade structural capacity and improve local street connections and accessibility, while preserving as many of the original bridge elements as possible. MassDOT will minimize disruptions to all bridge users and maintain access during construction, which will begin in spring 2012 and is scheduled for completion in 2014.

More than $400 million in Accelerated Bridge Program funding has been allocated to Charles River Basin projects, including the Craigie Dam Bridge and Drawbridge, Longfellow Bridge, B. U. Bridge, Western Avenue Bridge, River Street Bridge and Magazine Street Pedestrian Bridge.  The Craigie project is complete and BU Bridge substantially complete, while the Longfellow Bridge and Magazine Pedestrian Bridge projects are ongoing and the Western and River Street projects are in design.

MBTA Partnership: Real-Time Bus Information by Text

Starting today, riders of certain MTBA bus routes can receive real-time bus schedules sent by text message to their mobile phones as part of a partnership with software company CooCoo.

A rider can use any mobile phone to make a schedule request and get an immediate text response.  For example, bus riders can text “MBTA Bus [stop ID]” to 266266.  The stop ID is available at www.coocoo.com/MBTA.

The real-time text message pilot will be expanded to additional MBTA bus routes and commuter rail trains in the coming weeks.  CooCoo’s text-based service is available free of charge to commuters.  The MBTA will receive a modest portion of revenues generated by advertising linked to the service. 

CooCoo, a New York-based company, also has partnerships with the Long Island Railroad, Metro North Rail Road and New Jersey Transit, with further expansion planned.

The CooCoo partnership is the latest innovative step by the MBTA to provide customers with real-time information about bus and train location and arrival. The U.S. Department of Transportation last month pointed to the MBTA as a transit agency leading the way nationally in these initiatives.

Visit the MBTA App Showcase to check out the latest apps built by independent developers at no cost to the T that help customers know where the next bus or train is located and when it will arrive.

MBTA Ridership: 2011 Sets Records

MBTA ridership saw a record-setting year in 2011.  Average weekday ridership for the entire year was 1.279 million, the highest weekday ridership for a calendar year in MBTA history.   

2011 ridership exceeded the previous record year of 2008.  2011 average weekday ridership was 4.5 percent greater than 2010.

The total number of 389.8 million unlinked passenger trips is also the highest for a calendar year in the MBTA era beginning in the 1960's. 

December 2011 average weekday ridership was 11.3 percent greater than December 2010, the largest monthly increase in almost four years.  The average weekday ridership has been higher compared to the previous year for 11 consecutive months.

MBTA Acting General Manager Jonathan Davis sayes the record ridership reflects a strengthening economy and a strong demand for public transportation.

Visit www.mbta.com to buy Charlie Cards & Tickets.

Aviation: "Link to Economic Prosperity"

The Patrick-Murray Administration in December announced the results of a comprehensive statewide airport economic impact study finding that Massachusetts public airports generate $11.9 billion in economic activity and support approximately 124,000 jobs.  MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey calls Massachusetts airports "economic engines" for the Commonwealth from the Berkshires to Cape Cod.  Check out the video story of the importance of Massachusetts aviation. 

 

Green Line Extension Station Designs Meeting

The Green Line Extension Project Team will hold a public meeting to review the latest design plans for Washington Street/Union Street Stations.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 8, 6:30-8:30pm, at the Holiday Inn Hotel Somerville, 30 Washington Street, Somerville. If you need access or language accommodations to fully participate in this public meeting,
please contact Beverley Johnson at 617-438-2767 or bjohnson@bevcoassociates.comcastbiz.net at least one week before the event.

More information about the project is available on the Green Line Extension website at: www.mass.gov/greenlineextension.

As always, if you have any questions on the Green line Extension Project, you can email us at info@glxinfo.com.

MBTA Hearings: Boston Neighborhoods

The MBTA next week continues a series of more than 20 public hearings regarding proposed fare and service changes with four hearings in Boston neighborhoods.  The public is encouraged to participate.

Tuesday, January 31, Mattapan: 6:00-8:00 PM, Mildred Avenue Community Center, 5 Mildred Avenue

Wednesday, February 1, Jamaica Plain: 6:00-8:00 PM, Hennigan Community Center, 200 Heath Street 

Thursday, February 2, Dorchester: 1:00-3:00 PM and  6:00-8:00 PM , Dorchester House Multi-Service Center, 1353 Dorchester Avenue

For a full list of future public meetings and information, please visit MBTA.com/join the discussion.

Have your voice heard by sending an email with your questions, comments, and ideas to fareproposal@mbta.com.

The MBTA’s public outreach process continues with the acceptance of public comment through March 1, 2012 electronically at mbta.com, by email at fareproposal@mbta.com, via mail to MBTA, Ten Park Plaza, Boston, Ma  02116, Attention: Fare Proposal Committee, and by phone at 617-222-3200/ TTY (617) 222-5146. 

A final fare increase and service reduction recommendation will be made to the MBTA’s Board of Directors this spring and changes will be implemented on July 1, 2012.

USDOT on Transit Apps: MBTA Sets National Example

The U.S. Department of Transportation this week singled out the MBTA as among those transit agencies leading the way nationally in facilitating smart phone transit apps that provide customers with real-time information about bus and train location and arrival.

A USDOT "FastLane" blog article entitled, "Transit Apps Empower Riders with Information," says more people use public transportation when they have access to more accurate information about the location and arrival time of the next bus or train.  Yet its review of 276 transit agencies found just 15 that offer riders real-time information about the next arrival.  It provides the MBTA as one example:

"Boston's MBTA had one solution.  They discovered that opening the data from their system to the public actually reduced their own costs because app developers and everyday citizens took the data and designed ways to make it useful to riders.  One coffee shop actually has installed a real-time countdown sign that tells customers when the next train is due at a nearby station."

Read the entire article on the USDOT FastLane blog.   And visit the MBTA App Showcase to check out the latest apps built by independent developers at no cost to the T that help customers know where the next bus or train is located and when it will arrive.

Fore River Bridge Replacement Hearing Set

MassDOT has scheduled a Design Public Hearing for the proposed Fore River Bridge Replacement Project in Weymouth-Quincy for the following date and location:

Thursday, February 9, 7pm, Adams Middle School Auditorium, 89 Middle Street, East Weymouth

The purpose of this hearing is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed bridge replacement alternative. All views and comments made at the hearing will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.

The proposed project funded by the Patrick-Murray Administration's historic Accelerated Bridge Program to repair or replace structurally-deficient bridges will replace the current temporary bridge with a new, movable span that will safely and efficiently meet the needs of motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and maritime users for the next 75 years. The new bridge will include two travel lanes, a bicycle accommodating shoulder and sidewalk in each direction. The project also includes removal of the temporary bridge.

Plans will be on display one-half hour before the hearing begins, with an engineer in attendance to answer questions regarding this project.  For more information, visit the Fore River Bridge Project website.

Written statements and other exhibits in place of, or in addition to, oral statements made at the Public Hearing regarding the proposed undertaking are to be submitted to Thomas F. Broderick, P.E., Acting Chief Engineer, MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, ATTN: Michael O’Dowd, Project File No. 604382. Such submissions will also be accepted at the hearing.  Project inquiries may be emailed to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us