Biggest transit and infrastructure stories of 2023?

[StreetsblogMASS]

Hi everyone!

Christian MilNeil here, editor of StreetsblogMASS. I've been a longtime lurker on this site (thanks for all the story ideas) and finally have a good reason to post for the first time.

As the end of 2023 approaches, we typically run a roundup of the year's biggest stories. This year, we'd like to offer readers a chance to weigh in.

What were your favorite infrastructure projects that got built in 2023? What was the biggest transit story? Who built the best new bike lane? And who demonstrated the boldest political leadership?

We just started an open thread on StreetsblogMASS, and I'd like to invite you all to weigh in:

Open Thread: What Were the Biggest Transportation Stories of 2023? - Streetsblog Massachusetts

As the end of 2023 approaches, we typically run a roundup of the year’s biggest stories. This year, though, there was so much that happened all over the Commonwealth – both in politics and on city streets – that we’d like to offer our readers a chance to weigh in. What were your favorite...

mass.streetsblog.org

 

[Justbuildit]

Thanks for posting this and glad you're doing a roundup of regional transit and infrastructure issues. I'm a novice by any measure on this board so I hope the real pros jump in and share their thoughts.

It's too early to tell, but if the acute issues plaguing the T are at least partially resolved, trip frequency increases and ridership comes back, the hiring of Phil Eng will be a marker for transit in 2023.

Probably also worth shouting out the delayed, but soon-to-open N Washington Bridge (Dec 9) and the opening of the Terminal E expansion.

Sadly, the T is still miserable and big key projects like commuter rail electrification remain stalled, but hoping there are some more breakthroughs in 2024.

 

[Delvin4519]

Thank you for posting this onto the AB forum. Ever since the reddit API changes in July 2023 I am no longer posting onto reddit, due to the changes on the platform there. I would be interested in a mastodon and/or lemmy community for the Boston urbanism/transit discussion space.

Anyhow, my thoughts on the biggest happenings in 2023. It's probably hard to say. Many infrastructure projects remain stalled or delayed. MBTA slow zones, plus reduced MBTA bus service due to a lack of operators; are some of the biggest issues facing Boston this year. Those would probably be at the top, as well as GM Eng being enlisted to help with resolving them.

 

[Delvin4519]

It's too early to tell, but if the acute issues plaguing the T are at least partially resolved, trip frequency increases and ridership comes back, the hiring of Phil Eng will be a marker for transit in 2023.

Probably also worth shouting out the delayed, but soon-to-open N Washington Bridge (Dec 9) and the opening of the Terminal E expansion.

The MBTA winter 2024 schedules should be released by December 12th or 13th, maybe earlier. We will see then if service is starting to be restored or not.

We should also see an update on December 7th regarding the bus operator shortage. A subcommittee meeting is scheduled for that date.

We just need to hang on for 8-9 more days and we'll see the new winter schedules for the MBTA, whether the bus operator crisis is improving, and the partial opening of the new North Washington Street Bridge.

 

[Equilibria]

Thank you for posting here and thank you in advance for considering comments made on this platform...

- You mention "Hampshire Street in Cambridge", but that could be better stated as the Inman Square Redesign, which has a strong case for a place on the list.
- The I-495/I-90 Interchange Project really kicked off in 2023, which will be transformative for freight movement (as a biggest transportation story).
- As a biggest blunder: the collective failure to win grant money for either Allston or the Cape Cod Bridges. Both will probably receive it at some point, but it has already resulted in the Bourne Bridge being off-the-agenda.

Of the ones you already mentioned, the biggest transportation story of the year is the MBTA slow-zone saga. The effectiveness of their plan to fix it will be the biggest story of 2024.

 

[ritchiew]

Hey, love the blog

The biggest transit story of the year is the MBTA saying their infrastructure is deteriorating faster than they can replace it. It suggests that things will continue to get worse without some pretty large new source of money. Getting that money will be a big political battle. But without it, it's likely that after all the 2024 shutdowns, the backlog of problems will be larger than it is today.

@StreetsblogMASS covered this when it came out in the Capital Needs Assessment, but it seems to have been kind of buried elsewhere.

 

[Ruairi]

Personally, the biggest infrastructure project of 2023 was the opening of the GLX community path.
The GLX opening earlier was good but there is an air of 'budget cuts' about that whole project.
I wasn't expecting the path to be such a life changer.
Before the path, the only way to get from most of East somerville in to the city by bike or walking took you up on to McGrath. A pretty horrible dangerous experience.
Now I can safely take my kid to the parks at north point or the other direction to davis in minutes. I no longer have to negotiatie McGrath highway or the hell that Highland ave currently is.
My wife works in CX and bikes in most days. She'd never have done that before.
A piece of infrastructure that has unlocked a huge chunk of the community.
And to think they were on the verge of scrapping it.

 

[PercyL]

Well, while realization is years in the future, the announcement of the beginning of preparation for planning the eventual replacement of the Tobin Bridge (the need for which would not shock anyone who has used the bridge regularly since roughly 1992) was a rare albeit brief moment of transparency about a critical piece of infrastructure in the heart of the metropolitan area. The more that media retain a light on it, instead of letting it sink back into the murk, the better.

 

[Teban54]

This may be more of a general note rather than a specific 2023 year-in-review, but I feel there needs to be a stronger emphasis in the media on the root causes of all the issues that the T is facing.

If we're talking about positive stories, we should be talking about negative stories too: from the MBTA letter that claims CRRC had "completely abandoned" its responsibilities in winter, to the sudden systemwide slow zones due to the Department of Public Utilities inspection in spring, to the widespread reduction of bus services due to operator shortages in summer, to the 3 mph GLX slow zones in fall, not to mention nonstop issues throughout the year (especially before September) where slow zones were being added faster than they were eliminated. Of course, there are even more incidents in 2022 and years before, but that's beyond the scope here...

Or, not really.

All these issues did not start within a single year. Deferred maintenance that causes track faults, staff shortages, construction issues that were uncovered but with no actions taken, and even fleet procurement - these all stem from the state's lack of investment and in public transit for decades through multiple administrations, combined with the T's internal culture that was, to put it simple, rotten. Baker may be the most obvious person to blame, but he's far from the only one (as recently discussed starting from here).

Fortunately, positive stories have surfaced since Eng, from Ashmont branch reopening with all slow zones fixed (and Braintree branch also achieving major improvement at the same time), to seemingly recovering relationships with the CRRC, to the T finally releasing the first timeline of slow zone fixes. But these victories do not erase the deep organizational issues (governance, funding, internal dynamics), many of which remain unaddressed. Not pressing hard enough on them -- and focusing solely on surface-level issues like slow zones -- will eventually send the T back to where it was in September 2023, especially in the inevitable future after Eng retires again.

 

[Delvin4519]

But these victories do not erase the deep organizational issues (governance, funding, internal dynamics), many of which remain unaddressed. Not pressing hard enough on them -- and focusing solely on surface-level issues like slow zones -- will eventually send the T back to where it was in September 2023, especially in the inevitable future after Eng retires again.

Cannot mention the major issue that the MBTA's fiscal cliff in 2024 remains unresolved, and leaves a significant, significant, amount of uncertainity for the MBTA as spring turns into summer next year in 2024. This should be one of the biggest things that needs to be pressed hard, and very hard. This issue cannot be understated at all going into 2024, as it's a major factor, especially with the state of good repair backlog report that was released a few weeks ago, which is another major story to come out in 2023.

 

[dshoost88]

Hi everyone!

Christian MilNeil here, editor of StreetsblogMASS. I've been a longtime lurker on this site (thanks for all the story ideas) and finally have a good reason to post for the first time.

As the end of 2023 approaches, we typically run a roundup of the year's biggest stories. This year, we'd like to offer readers a chance to weigh in.

What were your favorite infrastructure projects that got built in 2023? What was the biggest transit story? Who built the best new bike lane? And who demonstrated the boldest political leadership?

We just started an open thread on StreetsblogMASS, and I'd like to invite you all to weigh in:

Open Thread: What Were the Biggest Transportation Stories of 2023? - Streetsblog Massachusetts

As the end of 2023 approaches, we typically run a roundup of the year’s biggest stories. This year, though, there was so much that happened all over the Commonwealth – both in politics and on city streets – that we’d like to offer our readers a chance to weigh in. What were your favorite...

mass.streetsblog.org

Favorite Infrastructure Project of 2023: Logan Airport Terminal E Expansion (with honorable mention to Terminal B to C Connector... not certain if that opened in '22 or '23).

Biggest Transit Story (that nobody is talking about, but should): MeVa (formerly Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority) continues to not only provide fleet-wide fare free transit service, but has bucked statewide and national trends in ridership that currently exceed 2019 use by more than 35%.

Best New Bike Lane (facility): Northern Strand. The south extension to the Mystic River in Everett opened in 2023, and MassDOT funded/advertised for construction the northern extension through Lynn to Nahant Beach this year as well. We've effectively witnessed a regionally significant, safe bicycle and pedestrian facility for more than 1/4 million residents north of Boston appear within the last 7 years.

Boldest Political Leadership: City of Everett's DeMaria Administration. Full disclosure that I live in Everett, but want to set that aside for a minute. Think about this:

• Aggressive, progressive pursuit with state leadership for the conversion of the Mystic Generating Plan into a new home for the New England Revolution Soccer Stadium, circumventing Boston from the MOA process negotiations in the process
• Breakneck pace at which the tiny community has permitted, approved, constructed, and opened thousands of new transit-oriented housing units
• Approval and shovel ready East of Broadway expansion development for the Encore Boston Harbor... faster than the state's been able to approve
• Rollout and implementation of the city's Urban Forestry Plan
• Completion of the Silver Line Extension Study through Everett to better connect it to jobs throughout region
• Recipient of competitive federal aid funding for design and construction of regionally significant transportation projects, including the reconstruction of Ferry Streets and Revere Beach Parkway into complete street facilities.

All things considered, Everett punches above its weight in a number of areas where other municipalities fall short--especially where it's concerned addressing challenges that the whole region and Commonwealth faces, and often without asking for permission. I think that's bold political leadership.

 

[Jahvon09]

Sorry to have to say this, but I'm sure that the biggest ones in the news for 2023, & no one needs to 2nd guess on this, is the MBTA. I think that they top the news, mainly because of screw-ups, mismanagement, extensive repairs & much much more!! Can't put it any plainer than that.

But I don't blame GM Phillip Eng because he came into this big mess that already got started long before he was chosen to help get us out of this mess.