The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing the award of $3,053,464.41 in the second round of funding from the Administration’s Shared Winter Streets and Spaces Program, including another dedicated bus lane for the Charlestown buses.
The program, a new phase of the Shared Streets and Spaces Program which launched in June and provided a total of $10.2 million to municipalities, provides technical and funding assistance to help Massachusetts cities and towns during the winter months conceive, design, and implement tactical changes to curbs, streets, and parking areas in support of public health, safe mobility, and renewed commerce.
The awards announced today will support 17 projects in 15 municipalities, of which 62 percent are designated Environmental Justice communities and 80 percent are considered high-risk for COVID-19 infections. The first round of funding in the Shared Winter Streets and Spaces program was announced December 10 and was awarded to projects in 11 municipalities, of which 55 percent had been designated Environmental Justice Communities and 54 percent considered high-risk for COVID-19 infections.
“City and town officials have worked hard during the pandemic to support small businesses and provide sufficient space for safe outdoor activities, including walking and biking,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. “The Baker-Polito Administration has made a total of $10 million available in this new phase of Shared Streets because the challenges of getting around and of keeping businesses open are different and more complex in the winter. I am proud of the mix of projects and municipalities represented in this round of awards and look forward to receiving more applications over the next few months. This funding will help communities keep vibrant until next year when a vaccine is more widely available and when there comes a time when physical-distancing restrictions can be loosened.”
The list of cities and towns awarded Shared Winter Streets and Spaces grants include funding for another dedicated bus lane in the North End to accommodate the Charlestown bus routes:
•The MBTA, in partnership with the City of Boston, received $123,200 to install a dedicated bus lane on the northbound side of Cross Street/North Washington in the North End neighborhood, from Sudbury Street to Causeway Street. The bus stop at Thatcher Street will move to a safer, improved location, closer to crosswalks and away from vehicles. The existing dedicated bicycle lanes will be maintained.