The Manager's report back on coordinated and timely communication related to interjurisdictional transportation projects

The State of Massachusetts owns and manages a wide variety of transportation facilities in Cambridge. These include transit lines, bus facilities, roadways, parkways, traffic signals, underground utilities, and many bridges on both state and local roads. These assets are owned and managed by different state agencies – Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) being the principal among them. Maintenance and upkeep of these facilities requires both day-to-day operations and from time to time, long-term infrastructure improvements.

State agencies have several major capital transportation projects in various stages of planning and design. Staff from CDD, Department of Public Works, and the Traffic, Parking & Transportation Department coordinate with them, particularly on issues affecting Cambridge streets, neighborhood and utilities. Our goal is to advocate on behalf of the City’s goals as articulated by the City Council and City plans and policies and to help manage the impact on Cambridge streets and neighborhoods.

INTER-AGENCY COORDINATION

Generally, state projects follow steps that may differ from city projects, and they may move at a somewhat slower pace due to planning, inter-agency coordination, funding or other reasons. When State agencies undertake a project in or impacting Cambridge, they are expected to initiate public outreach to keep City staff and the Cambridge community informed. Given the longer-term horizon of many projects, there has not always been a regular schedule of updates.

To try and better manage the flow of information, we recognize the value of regular coordination to share updates on projects and advocate for municipal priorities. Given the large number of MBTA projects impacting Cambridge in 2024, we have begun to test this process with MBTA.

City staff from the City Manager’s office, CDD, DPW, and TPT have scheduled quarterly meetings with MBTA staff to get the latest information on their upcoming projects, coordinate on city projects affecting MBTA, and discuss issues of mutual concern. In addition, we have project-specific meetings for projects that are in active phases where work is anticipated in the short term and greater, more frequent coordination is needed.

This is a coordination model that we are working to replicate with MassDOT and DCR starting in 2025.

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ON-GOING STATE PROJECTS

The following is a list of the most notable State projects in or affecting Cambridge that the State is currently pursuing. Projects are listed by agency.

MBTA PROJECTS

1. MBTA Track Improvement Program: The program began in 2023 and is a major track repair and replacement initiative to eliminate 191 speed restrictions, as of November 2023, and bring all tracks into a five-year state of good repair by the end of 2024” according to the MBTA website. This program includes work on tracks on the Red, Orange, Green, and Blue lines to

Enhance safety

Reduce delays and disruptions Improve train speeds Deliver timely, reliable, and consistent service for riders

Status: Per the MBTA, as of June 2024, the project has reduced the percentage of track under speed restriction to 8%. It has replaced 12,973 ties and 82,796 feet of rail, with additional improvements including 130 speed restrictions eliminated and 43 minutes returned to riders.

Next Steps: Completing this program by the end of 2024 is important to Cambridge residents and workers so that trains on the Red and Green line work as efficiently as possible for trips within and outside of Cambridge. More reliable train service will enable more people to choose transit over making trips by car within or through Cambridge.

2. Bus Network Redesign: The MBTA is updating the bus network to better match service to where people live, work, learn, and play. The Bus Network Redesign plan will update bus routes and schedules based on analysis and has taken substantial community feedback into account. The proposed changes to buses in Cambridge will add more frequent service, make better connections for riders to surrounding communities, and maintain the existing most of the local bus routes within Cambridge. Cambridge staff have given substantial input to the MBTA in this

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process and meets regularly with MBTA on implementation issues such as creating more space for buses to wait when needed, and places where drivers can access restrooms.

Status: Changes to bus service will start with Phase I in December 2024. In Cambridge, this will include Shortening Route 86 to serve only Harvard to Reservoir station in Brookline and Boston

Several improvements to Route 109

o Extending the route to serve Linden Square in Revere to Harvard, serving the section of today’s Route 86 between Harvard and Sullivan Sq. o Improving the frequency so that buses arrive at least every 15 minutes o Extending the hours of service to 4:30 a.m. to 1:45 a.m. on weekdays and 4:45 a.m. to 1:45 a.m. on weekends Riders who travel on today’s Route 86 through Harvard will transfer between Routes 86 and 109 at Harvard station upper busway to travel toward Sullivan or on Mass Ave at Dawes Island to travel toward Reservoir Future changes for routes in Cambridge include: New all-day and all-week frequent bus routes serving Central, Kendall, and Lechmere Squares New frequent route between Kendall and Lechmere Squares where no MBTA bus currently travels New frequent and local bus service to eastern Cambridge on weekends Some reductions in hours of service on local bus routes like Route 68 on Broadway

Next Steps: These route changes will take place beginning in 2025 and continue in phases until 2029. Here is the final report on the Bus Network Redesign.

3. Bus Shelter Program: There are currently 66 stops with bus shelters in Cambridge that give bus riders a place to wait or sit out of the weather. Since 2004, The City and MBTA have worked together to provide shelters to riders where maintenance of the shelters is provided by an MBTA vendor and paid for through print advertising in shelters. Un-used advertising space has also been used many times for public service announcements of city programs. There are 40 stops with advertising bus shelters.

The MBTA currently has a new program and vendor to provide these services, with expanded options for real time bus arrival information for riders and different shelter sizes to fit in narrower spaces. Digital advertising is an integral part of this program to help pay for expanded amenities. Digital ads will be visible at all times on the new advertising panels, but, will not be moving or animated images. Real time bus arrival information would always be available on a separate screen in the shelter.