Officials at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) have secured $335 million in federal funding for an infrastructure megaproject in Allston that will provide long-awaited access to the Charles River waterfront and push the state closer to a westward passenger rail expansion.
Massachusetts transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt touted the so-called Allston Multimodal Project as a way to achieve multiple goals at once, not limited to replacement of the viaduct that carries Interstate 90 through the region.
"It's not just the roadway. It really, as I said, is connecting this environmental justice community, but it's also giving people access to the waterfront, which has been a really big deal for a lot of these neighborhoods," said Tibbits-Nutt in a statement. "They know it's there. They just can't see it and they just can't access it. This project is looking to address that."
The turnpike currently slices through a narrow stretch of land between Boston University and the river, dividing the area with an aging, elevated viaduct.
The estimated $2 billion project aims to reorganize the knot of infrastructure by aligning the highway, Soldiers Field Road, rail tracks and a new pedestrian boardwalk side-by-side at ground level.
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Source: WBUR.org
