Around Town

2017 Boston Marathon: Road Closures, MBTA Impact and Prohibited Items

By |

People planning to go out to watch the Boston Marathon should be aware of certain restrictions this year, as well as road closures and impacts on users of the MBTA. The Boston Athletic Association (BAA) and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) announced that spectators along the course may have to go through security checkpoints and released a list of restricted items, including backpacks, suitcases or rolling bags. Spectators can have clear plastic bags containing personal items.

Part of the 2017 Boston Marathon Spectator Guidelines announcement said:

Spectators along the course are discouraged from possessing any of the items listed below. Possession of any of these items may result in delays when passing through security checkpoints and enhanced screening. Weapons or items of any kind that may be used as weapons, including firearms, knives, mace, etc.

Government

MBTA Officials Discuss Ways to Improve the 70 Bus, Other Transporation

By |

The MBTA may change to bus routes in Watertown, adding new routes and improving all routes by making changes to fare collection, but all these moves will take some time. Wednesday night representatives from the MBTA and other transportation officials spoke to the Town Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation. They also went into some options that had not previously been discussed in Watertown. The focus of the meeting was on the 70/70A bus, which runs through Watertown on Main Street and Arsenal Street and goes from Waltham to Cambridge. The route is one of the longest in the MBTA system, said Melissa Dullea, director of Planning and Schedules for the MTBA.

Arsenal Street Corridor

Town Council Supports Projects in MassDOT’s Plan, Asks for Additions

By |

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation included a couple of projects in Watertown in its draft 2018-22 Capital Improvement Plan, which the Town Council supported in a letter to state officials. They also asked for a few more. 

During the report about the Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation during the March 14 Town Council meeting, Councilor Aaron Dushku said the MassDOT plan includes improvements to the Watertown Square Transportation hub and creating a multi-use path through the center of Watertown. He noted that these projects made the proposed funded list, but were not actually requested by the Town or local legislators. The Watertown Square improvements include redesigning the Watertown Delta and improving signage on Galen Street. “While it was unclear how this project (Project ID 1972) got on the list, it was agreed by most in attendance that the combination of new developments on Arsenal and Pleasant Streets plus the cut-through traffic from I-90 all warranted more investment in this bottleneck area and our letter should mention it,” Dushku said.

Ease Connect

Financial Commitments Made to Start Watertown TMA, More Needed for Shuttle

By |

The cost of getting the Watertown TMA (Transportation Management Association) up and running will be more than $150,000, but the shuttle would be an additional cost. Allison Simmons of Ease Connect, showed the members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation the cost estimates Tuesday night, which include about $26,000 in upfront costs (incorporation, legal fees, creating a website and marketing), $100,000 in salary for the program manager, benefits, and the cost of running the office, and another $5,000 for ongoing marketing – a total of $158,000. All those costs, and the assessments, would go toward the creation and running of a TMA, but not for the cost of setting up and running a shuttle. The developments required to contribute to the TMA will also be required to help support the shuttle, however, Simmons added that the members of the TMA would only have to pay for the shuttle if it serves their development or complex. While it is agreed that Watertown residents will be able to ride the shuttles, what remains up in the air is whether they will have to pay to ride.

Government

Developers Will Pay More for Shuttle, TMA When They Move Forward

By |

The $30,000 pledged by developers toward Watertown’s Transportation Management Association is just the start of the funding, said Assistant Town Manger Steve Magoon. A report of the Town Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation in February said that the owners of large commercial and residential projects had committed $30,000 towards the TMA. Magoon said this money will help establish the TMA, and once it gets going the members will pay more. “A big part of the work establishing a TMA is front loaded,” Magoon said. “It’s hard to get payments when there is not an organization yet.”

Hosmer School

UPDATE: Hearing Planned for Project to Improve Streets Around Hosmer School

By |

Note: The meeting originally scheduled for March 15 has been postponed to April 5. A Design Public Hearing will be held by MassDOT to discuss the proposed improvements project under the “Safe Routes to School” program for the Hosmer Elementary School in Watertown, MA, state officials announced. See more information about the project here: http://www.watertowndpw.org/Pages/construction/HosmerIndex

WHERE: Hosmer Elementary School Cafeteria, 1 Concord Road, Watertown, MA 02472

WHEN: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 7 p.m.

PURPOSE: The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Town of Watertown are proposing pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements for the Hosmer Elementary School as part of the Safe Routes to School infrastructure program. The project is located at the intersection of Chauncey Street and Boylston Street and continues on Boylston Street through the School Street intersection, ending just north of Fairfield Street. The goal of the project is to improve walking and bicycling safety and access to/from the Hosmer Elementary School.

Around Town

Town Council Disappointed to Hear About Delay of Watertown Shuttle

By |

After years of pushing for a shuttle as an addition to the public transportation options in Watertown, Town Councilors were disappointed to hear that for the second time the roll out of the shuttle buses would be delayed, and that there was a suggestion to do away with the shuttle. On Tuesday, the Ad Hoc Committee on Transportation report from its Jan. 12 meeting was presented to the Town Council, including word that the shuttles would not start in the spring, as hoped, but in the fall of 2017 – at the earliest. This comes after it was announced in September that the start of the shuttle would be delayed from the Fall of 2016 to the spring of 2017. The effort to create a Watertown Transportation Management Association (TMA) is being spearheaded by the 128 Business Council, which has been hired as a consultant.

Transportation

MTBA Offering Free Service New Year’s Eve Night, Extra Trains

By |

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is advising travelers to take public transportation when possible, make informed decisions, and utilize MassDOT’s many travel resources ahead of and during the New Year holiday weekend, officials said. “We encourage everyone who will be celebrating the New Year to make responsible decisions to ensure they are able to reach their destinations safely,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. “All of the MBTA’s transit systems will be free after 8 p.m., New Year’s Eve and travelers should take advantage of these and other opportunities to utilize public transportation and plan ahead.”

“Drivers should use our technology tools including mass511 and our online real-time information when they plan their trips,” said Highway Administrator Thomas J. Tinlin. “Most importantly for a driver’s safety and the safety of the traveling public there should be no drinking and driving. Designated drivers are essential to consider when making holiday plans.