The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will receive $472.3 million in federal funding to replace a Depression-era drawbridge over the Charles River, the agency announced Sept. 23
The North Station Draw One Bridge connects Boston and Cambridge, carrying more than 11 million passengers per year on the Commuter Rail and Amtrak trains. Replacing the structure is a high-priority project for the MBTA, according to state authorities.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) funding, which represents the largest federal grant ever received by the Massachusetts agency, will not only help fully rebuild the existing drawbridge, but also renovate portions of North Station, and conduct other work to upgrade the train infrastructure in the area.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in a statement that the investment is “a game-changer for the thousands of passengers who pass through North Station every day — and will build a safer, more reliable public transit system for the Commonwealth.”
Additionally, the project will allow for more train capacity, faster and more reliable rides, and increased safety on MBTA commuter rail and Amtrak trains, noted Gov. Maura Healy’s office, as well as make the bridge more resilient to climate change and rising sea levels.
“We know that improving our transportation infrastructure is critical for improving quality of life and making sure Massachusetts remains the best place to live, work, raise a family and build a future,” Healey said in a statement. “That’s why our administration is competing so aggressively to win federal funding that can be put toward our roads, bridges and public transportation.”
The federal grant came from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program as part of the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant program.
According to MBTA, the program “supports large, complex projects that are difficult to fund by other means and likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility or safety benefits.”
The Draw One bridge carries both MBTA commuter and Amtrak passenger trains. The MBTA lines that utilize the drawbridge are the Haverhill, Lowell, Newburyport/Rockport and Fitchburg commuter rail lines.
The project’s features include replacing and modernizing the existing drawbridge, building a new control tower, extending the bridge platform, connecting tracks 11 and 12 to the existing network, making station improvements and working to upgrade tracks, signals, communications and infrastructure.
In addition, MBTA said the effort also will support more than 14,500 jobs, make the bridge more climate resilient by bringing it above projected sea-level rises, and lower emissions.
Photo courtesy of MBTA
The North Station Draw One Bridge connects Boston and Cambridge, carrying more than 11 million passengers per year on the Commuter Rail and Amtrak trains.
Pols Tout Bridge Project’s Many Benefits
Massachusetts’ political leaders stressed the vital importance of the span to transporting residents between Boston and communities to the North.
“As someone who often commutes from north of Boston, I know firsthand what a difference this bridge replacement will make,” said Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll.
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, added, “Transit justice is a racial and economic justice issue, and a matter of public safety. This massive federal investment helps make the Commonwealth more connected.
“I’m glad that families in the Massachusetts 7th who depend on the commuter rail will be better able to access jobs, healthcare, education and essential services in other parts of the state, and we won’t stop fighting to build the more just, equitable, and accessible transit system our communities deserve,” she continued. “I thank my delegation colleagues and the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their partnership, and the Biden-Harris Administration for continuing to invest in Massachusetts.”
MBTA noted in a news release that Healey and Driscoll have put a priority on being aggressive in competing for federal funding since they were sworn in last January.
“Since Governor Healey took office, the state has pulled in almost $8 billion in federal funding, including over $4 billion allotted by formula and more than $3.5 billion in discretionary grant awards. The funds have successfully supported projects across the state related to transportation, climate resiliency, job creation and economic development.”
The North Station Draw One Bridge funding is just the latest in a string of federal grants awarded to the MBTA, which has successfully secured an award from every grant program it has applied for since the beginning of the year, signaling a growth in confidence in its ability to efficiently deliver productive results.
Massachusetts also has been the recipient of several large transportation awards, such as the $1.2 billion it received to replace the Sagamore and Bourne bridges on Cape Cod, $335 million to reconnect communities and increase mobility through the Allston I-90 Multimodal Project, $108 million for West-East Rail, $75 million for schools to electrify their bus fleets, $60 million for transit agencies to acquire zero- and low-emission buses, and $24 million to rehabilitate Leonard’s Wharf in New Bedford.
Other recent awards include:
- A $67.6 million grant to advance accessibility at MBTA Green Line stations.
- Nearly $40 million in support of the Battery-Electric Bus Transition Phase 1B Project to replace the diesel-fueled buses at the Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility with battery-electric buses (BEBs).
- Another $22 million to construct hybrid center-running bus lanes and make bike and pedestrian improvements through the Lower Broadway Everett Transit Priority Corridor Project.
- Transit security funds totaling $3.8 million.
- A total of $2.1 million to pilot technology upgrades on 175 buses to assist with “blind spot” challenges.
- A $1.2 million grant to advance the Alewife Station and Garage Technical Assistance Program.
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