Recent Streetsblog MASS posts about Dorchester

A rendering illustrates the City of Boston's proposal to add a two-way protected bikeway on Massachusetts Avenue between Melnea Cass Boulevard and Columbia Road in Dorchester. Courtesy of the City of Boston.

Boston to Break Ground On Mass. Ave. South Bikeway Later This Year

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 29, 2021 | No Comments

The project will repurpose the westernmost lane of Mass. Ave. from Melnea Cass Blvd. to Columbia Rd. into a two-way cycletrack – essentially a protected bicycle path, separated from traffic with low concrete barriers – along the western curb of the street.

Flooding on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester during a "king tide" event

One More Study Will Try to Save Morrissey Boulevard From Drowning

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 5, 2021 | No Comments

"The study will prioritize infrastructure designs that meet the City and Commonwealth’s net-zero emissions targets, including maximizing opportunities for sustainable transportation such as walking, bicycling, and transit use," according to the press statement.

The Morrissey Marshes: Where Boston’s Climate and Transportation Challenges Collide

By Christian MilNeil | Nov 17, 2020 | No Comments

Major redevelopment schemes and the city's climate resiliency strategy all hinge on a plan that doesn’t exist yet: how Morrissey Boulevard will be rebuilt for a future with higher sea levels and fewer motor vehicles.

A City of Boston rendering illustrates the center-running bus lane concept for Blue Hill Avenue near Walk Hill Street. Under the plan, bus lanes and dedicated stations would run in the middle of the street, away from double-parked cars and turning vehicles. Pedestrian crossings would also be significantly shorter. Courtesy of the City of Boston.

Washington Snubs Dorchester Bus Riders In Favor of a Suburban Highway Interchange

By Christian MilNeil | Sep 17, 2020 | No Comments

New bus lanes on Blue Hill Avenue would benefit roughly 20,000 bus riders in Dorchester and Mattapan, reduce their collective commuting times by 800 hours every day, and allow the T to make over 100 additional daily bus trips along existing routes using the same number of buses and drivers, according to a rejected application for federal funding.

An MBTA Route 111 bus bound for Haymarket Station uses the new inbound bus lane on North Washington Street on October 9, 2019.

Demands of ‘Essential’ Work Put Boston’s Neighborhoods of Color at Higher Risk

By Christian MilNeil | Apr 27, 2020 | No Comments

'Essential' workers are more likely to live in the Boston region’s neighborhoods of color, according to an analysis by the ACLU of Massachusetts.

Boston Pitches Major Transit-Focused Redesign For Blue Hill Ave.

By Christian MilNeil | Mar 5, 2020 | 2 Comments

Because the vast majority of Blue Hill Avenue's neighbors identify as people of color, the addition of high-quality bus lanes and stations could offer a major improvement to inequities in the city's bus network, where black bus riders currently spend, on average, 64 more hours every year traveling than white bus riders.

The Blue Hill Avenue Fairmount Line stop, pictured in spring 2019. Courtesy of the MBTA.

Mayor Walsh, Advocates Call For More Fairmount Line Trains

By Christian MilNeil | Oct 7, 2019 | No Comments

A proposed demonstration project could significantly reduce wait times for commuter rail riders from Dorchester, Mattapan and Hyde Park.

A map of Blue Bikes stations in Dorchester as of June 13 illustrates the long-delayed dock locations, in gray, proposed for T stops on the Red and Fairmount lines. Source: Bluebikes.com

Dorchester to Get Better Blue Bikes Connections to the Red Line

By Christian MilNeil | Jun 17, 2019 | 1 Comment

The City of Boston is finally poised to build a long-awaited Red-Blue connection (no, not that one): new Blue Bikes stations have finally been permitted for installation at four Red Line stops in Dorchester. “After nearly a year of working with the T on permits, we recently completed the process for seven locations in Boston, […]