BOSTON — Five rail-related projects are among those in Massachusetts to receive U.S. Department of Transportation funding under various Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant programs, Gov. Maura Healey and the state’s congressional delegation announced on Thursday, Jan. 9.
In all, 11 projects were selected to receive a total of more than $102 million in funding.
Three of the five projects selected directly involve the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority:
— More than $14.4 million for electric-vehicle charging equipment to be installed in MBTA station parking lots, as well as at state-owned Park and Ride facilties.
— More than $4 million for the agency’s High-Risk Grade Crossing Elimination Master Plan, which will see the MBTA evaluate 42 high-priority roadway and pedestrian crossings across the regional rail network.
— About $2 million for the JFK/UMass station redesign and replacement. The project will bring the facility, used by Red Line rapid transit, commuter rail, and buses, into a state of good repair, and increase accessibility and resiliency.
“It is because of the hard work across the MBTA that our projects are well positioned to be strong candidates for every federal dollar available,” the agency’s CEO, Phillip Eng, said in a press release. “I’m proud of the team’s efforts that have resulted in strong applications in pursuit of every federal dollar possible.’
The other two projects involve $2 million to the city of Boston to reconnect separated portions of the Mattapan neighborhood, connecting them to natural resources and transportation networks, and $1.2 million for the city of Longmeadow to improve grade crossing along Amtrak’s right-of-way on its route to Springfield, Mass.
“Massachusetts continues to bring home major federal dollars to make our roads, bridges, paths and rails more safe, reliable and connected,” Healey said. “We’re so proud of MassDOT, the MBTA, and municipalities across the state who put forward strong applications and won, often with the help of our team at the Office of Federal Funds and Infrastructure.”
Talk about subsidies!!!!! In my opinion the sum total of state, local and federal appropriations for EV charging stations should be ZERO.
As for $2 Million to reconnect separated portions of Mattapan, whatever that means, I say the Commonwealth should pay for it. Mattapan borders one of the wealthiest towns (Milton) in one of the wealthiest counties (Norfolk) in America. The Bay State has more money than the federal government. In fact the federal government has no money, it’s way past broke. Money aside, I struggle to understand how it is (or better stated, I absolutely deny) that local infrastructure in Mattapan has a federal component.