Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about MassDOT

A heat map of harsh braking incidents recorded by the City of Boston's "Safest Driver" app in 2019. Courtesy of the City of Boston.

‘Safest Driver’ Data Reveal Where Boston’s Most Dangerous Driving Is

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 20, 2020 | No Comments

Data collected from a city-sponsored safe driving competition reveal that Boston’s notoriously bad drivers are at their worst behavior on major high-speed state roadways that lie outside of the city’s direct control. In 2019, the City of Boston’s Office of New Urban Mechanics re-launched its “Boston’s Safest Driver” contest, an app-based competition that challenged travelers […]

A map of pedestrian routes (highlighted in red) through the junction of McGrath Highway and Mystic Ave. in Somerville, the city's most dangerous intersection for crashes.

State Proposes Modest Tweaks to Somerville's Deadliest Intersection

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 13, 2020 | No Comments

A $5 million safety improvement project for the dangerous intersection of Mystic Avenue and McGrath Highway will provide basic accessibility upgrades to sidewalks and crosswalks, but largely will not address the reckless, high-speed driving behavior that killed two people in hit-and-run crashes in the area over the past year, according to plans presented by MassDOT […]

An Amtrak Lake Shore Limited train passes through Chester, Mass. Photo by Benjamin Turon, licensed under the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license.

Advocates Spotlight Strange Math In MassDOT East-West Rail Study

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 7, 2020 | No Comments

MassDOT believes that adding more passenger rail service between Springfield and Boston would cost more than twice as much – and attract fewer than one fifth as many riders – as a similar higher-speed rail upgrade on the Hartford Line between Springfield and New Haven.

MBTA workers replace rail inside the Haymarket Orange Line station. Courtesy of the MBTA.

The Green Line Is Taking A Summer Break

By Christian MilNeil | Feb 6, 2020 | No Comments

The C and E branches will each close for a month this summer to accelerate track work and intersection upgrades. Will MassDOT give buses the space they need to pick up the slack?

Governor Charlie Baker at the Massachusetts State House. Courtesy of the Office of the Governor.

Governor Proposes More Transport Funding, Partly Reversing Past Cuts

By Phineas Baxandall | Feb 3, 2020 | No Comments

MassBudget is a nonprofit think tank that conducts research and analysis on economic and budget policy in Massachusetts, with a particular focus on improving the lives of moderate- and low-income residents. This guest post is part of a MassBudget series looking ahead at some major stories to watch for in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 […]

A bicyclist rides along the Paul Dudley White Path along Soldiers Field Road, just west of the Boston University Bridge, on Sept. 11, 2019.

Baker Budget Portends Changes For Boston’s Waterfront ‘Parkways’

By Christian MilNeil | Jan 23, 2020 | No Comments

Under the Governor's budget proposal released Wednesday, ownership of four Department of Parks and Recreation roads - Storrow Drive, Soldiers Field Road, Day Boulevard and Morrissey Boulevard - would be transferred to MassDOT.

Show More Stories