Christian MilNeil

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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. The Red and Blue Lines are currently the only two lines in the T's network that don't directly connect to each other at a downtown station. Courtesy of the MBTA.

What’s In Gov. Healey’s Budget Proposal

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 6, 2023 | No Comments

The state government expects to get over $1 billion next year from a new surtax on high-income earners. Here's how the Governor plans to spend it.

A view of a downtown street lined withparked cars and historic 3-story brick buildings with a highway overpass crossing over the street in the middle distance. In the background are green hills below a blue sky.

Boston, North Adams Win Federal Funds to Heal Highway Blight

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 1, 2023 | No Comments

The USDOT awarded over $2 million to the cities of Boston and North Adams to address the blight and pollution of I-90 and Route 2, respectively.

A crowd of people wearing bright construction vests and helmets crosses a bridge next to a chain-link fence (left) and railroad tracks (right)

Somerville Approves Community Path Lease Agreement; Opening Delayed ‘Til April

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 1, 2023 | No Comments

Last Thursday, the Somerville City Council endorsed a proposed lease agreement between the city and the MBTA that, once executed, will formalize maintenance responsibilities and open up public access to the new path.

Attorney General Maura Healey speaks at an event launching her campaign for governor outside the Maverick Blue Line station earlier this year.

Three Things to Watch in Gov. Healey’s First Budget Proposal

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 27, 2023 | No Comments

Later this week, Gov. Maura Healey is expected to release her administration’s first state budget proposal, which will be a key indicator of how she expects to implement her campaign promises. This morning, at a YMCA in Lynn, the Governor announced one big-ticket idea from her budget plan: a $750 million tax relief package, the […]

Walking from one side of McGrath Highway to the other along Mystic Avenue requires pedestrians to cross multiple highway ramps and walk along "sidewalks" like this one, in the middle of the roadway.

Somerville Preps Petitions for Lower Speed Limits on State-Controlled ‘Corridor of Death’

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 7, 2023 | No Comments

A new roadway safety law enacted at the end of December created a new process by which local municipalities could petition state agencies to reduce speed limits on state-owned roadways within their boundaries.

MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack, wearing a blazer over a red top, stands next to Steve Poftak (center) wearing a suit and pink-and-blue plaid tie, and Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker, wearing a buttoned suit and green tie. All three are holding scissors and segments of a cut orange ribbon. They stand in front of a new Orange Line train car bearing the words "OAK GROVE" on the destination sign above the door.

The T’s New Train Factory Has Gone Off the Rails

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 3, 2023 | No Comments

Acting General Manager Jeff Gonneville told MBTA board members that “as of right now, we have 78 (Orange Line) cars that have been delivered to Wellington and 12 (Red Line) cars that have been delivered to Cabot… That number hasn’t changed in 7 months.”

State Street and the Springfield Central Library in downtown Springfield.

City of Springfield Wins $15 Million to Improve Street Safety Citywide

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 1, 2023 | No Comments

"Safe Streets and Roads for All unlocks federal dollars to fund some of the most effective safety interventions on streets – small-scale investments deployed at scale – that were previously inaccessible to communities without strong local funding sources."

An architect's rendering of a new building with a ground-floor space signed "Boston Public Library" and 11 floors of apartments above. The upper floors are clad in green bricks and a small elevated plaza with ramps and small trees leads to the building's main entrance.

In 2022, Boston Planners Once Again Approved More Parking Spaces Than Homes

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 1, 2023 | No Comments

In spite of the city's pressing housing shortage and ambitious climate goals, which call for fewer cars on Boston's streets, the BPDA's project approvals for 2022 include more parking and less housing compared to 2021.

Easy commute, no place to live: the MTBA commuter rail station at West Hingham on the Greenbush Line.

Suburbs Face Their First Deadline for New Transit-Oriented Zoning Law

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 30, 2023 | No Comments

Where many suburbs currently only allow single-family homes with large lawns, the new rules will require new zoning districts "of reasonable size," and generally within a half-mile of transit stops, where builders would be allowed to construct at least 15 homes per acre.