Christian MilNeil

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25% design plans for the Rutherford Avenue corridor, showing the reconfigured Sullivan Square. The current traffic circle would be replaced with a grid of streets, new developable lots, and an expansion of the Ryan Playground. Courtesy of MassDOT and the City of Boston.

Boston, MassDOT Reveal Plans to Reconfigure Sullivan Square By 2026

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 24, 2021 | No Comments

Although it would be narrower, with more crosswalks, wider sidewalks, and dedicated bike infrastructure, there's little doubt that the new Rutherford Avenue will still be a high-speed, multi-lane highway.

A quick-build protected bike lane on State Street in downtown Boston, pictured in October 2020. Courtesy of the City of Boston.

Report: Workplace Parking Subsidies Could Drive A Return to Gridlock

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 22, 2021 | No Comments

"Boston and other municipalities should accelerate the reconfiguration of roadways for the highest and best use of that space," the report urges.

Walking from one side of McGrath Highway to the other along Mystic Avenue requires pedestrians to cross multiple highway ramps and and along a "sidewalk" in the middle of the highway.

Bowing to Pressure, MassDOT Will Fast-Track Traffic Calming in Somerville’s ‘Corridor of Death’

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 21, 2021 | No Comments

Under intense pressure from Somerville advocates and elected officials, MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver reported on Monday afternoon that the agency would accelerate key safety improvements around the intersections of Mystic Avenue and the McGrath Highway ahead of a three-year highway viaduct repair project in the area. At Monday’s meeting of the MassDOT Board of […]

Does A Fare-Free 28 Also Need to Pay For A Free RIDE?

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 16, 2021 | No Comments

“Giving primarily white and wealthy transit riders a free trip, while forcing primarily Black and low income riders to jump through hoops to access similar fare-free service, is exactly what structural racism looks like," says Stacy Thompson, executive director of the LivableStreets Alliance.

During the morning rush hour on July 11, 2019, dozens of safety advocates gathered to create a "people-protected" barrier for the painted bike lanes on Park Drive in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.

At Long Last, DCR Releases Master Plan for Safer Parkways

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 14, 2021 | No Comments

DCR also revealed Friday that the agency had created an "office of Green Transportation" to lead implementation of the Master Plan's recommendations.

On-street dining in Hanover Street in the North End, pictured in the mid-afternoon of May 26, 2021.

Poll: Metro Boston Voters Strongly Support Reconfigured Streets With Fewer Cars, More Public Space

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 10, 2021 | No Comments

A new poll of Boston-area voters finds strong support for more diverse uses of the public space on city streets, with a desire for more space for outdoor dining, expanded sidewalks, dedicated bus lanes, and protected bike lanes, and less space dedicated for privately-owned motor vehicles. Over the past year, cities in towns across Massachusetts […]

Mystic Ave. in Somerville at the intersection with Temple Street, with the Interstate 93 viaduct at left.

MassDOT Ghosts Somerville Critics At I-93 Virtual Public Meeting

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 10, 2021 | No Comments

"People started to realize they’re not hear to hear us," says Somerville resident Melissa McCue-McGrath. "They’re here to say they had a meeting, but they’re not going to do anything for the people who live here and are dying here... It wasn’t that they didn’t hear us; they were just choosing not to."

The T's new Orange Line trains, like the one pictured here, remain out of service indefinitely.

MBTA Board Updates: Inside the T’s New $2.35 Billion Budget

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 8, 2021 | No Comments

There's still no timeline for returning the T's new Orange and Red Line trains to service.

A rendering of a future Blue Line station entrance from the lobby of the existing Charles/MGH station in Charles Circle. Escalators would lead underground to a new Blue Line platform under Cambridge Street. Courtesy of the MBTA.

T Making $13 Million Commitment Toward Building the Blue Line Extension

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 7, 2021 | No Comments

The MBTA has set aside $13 million in earnest money to conduct preliminary design work and secure environmental permits for the project.

Advocates and elected officials gathered at an abandoned gas station on May 26, 2021 to memorialize victims of traffic violence in the area and demand immediate safety improvements to nearby roadways, including Mystic Ave. and the McGrath Highway.

This Week: Two MassDOT Public Hearings on Safety Priorities in Somerville

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 1, 2021 | No Comments

"I'm so furious that after three deaths in two years MassDOT has done nothing for us. Nothing," said Mystic Avenue resident Emily Vides at the May 26 rally.

MassDOT’s MUTCD Letter Calls for Safer Streets for People, Not Just for Cars

By Christian MilNeil | May 28, 2021 | No Comments

In a May 13 letter to the Federal Highway Administration, MassDOT officials urged the agency to adapt to new mobility options and focus more on the safety of street users who aren't in cars.

MassDOT Prioritizing Highway Project Before Safety Fixes At Somerville’s Most Deadly Intersection

By Christian MilNeil | May 25, 2021 | No Comments

Elected officials and advocates in Somerville are putting intense pressure on state highway officials for fast-tracking a $37 million project to repair the Interstate 93 viaduct ahead of a modest $6 million safety project for nearby surface roadways where reckless drivers regularly kill and maim local residents. At the May 17 virtual meeting of Somerville’s […]

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