Cambridge staff brief council committee on state-led transit, bridge and energy projects that will affect city mobility

At a meeting of the City of Cambridge Transportation and Public Utilities Committee, city staff summarized the status and local implications of several major interjurisdictional transportation and energy projects that city officials say will affect mobility across Cambridge.

The presentation, led by Community Development Department staff and technical leads from Public Works and traffic operations, highlighted five projects in particular: the MBTA’s bus network redesign; the Allston I‑90 multimodal project; Eversource’s Greater Cambridge Energy Project; MassDOT’s study of the Reid Overpass and the BU Rotary; and the MBTA’s Alewife garage redevelopment and an Alewife commuter‑rail demand study. City staff emphasized that these projects are led and funded by state agencies or utilities and that Cambridge’s influence depends on proactive advocacy, data and coordination.

Jeff Parente, assistant commissioner for street management and traffic operations for the City of Cambridge, told the committee that “the city has no direct role in those assets, and we also have no jurisdiction or authority over the way that those assets are managed, maintained, and built,” and that the city must therefore be “proactive to engage with the state” to influence outcomes. Parente reviewed which pieces of infrastructure are state‑owned (MBTA, MassDOT, DCR) and summarized active projects on those properties.

Bus network redesign: Andy Recker, assistant transit planner, summarized MBTA work to reorganize bus service across Greater Boston and how it affects Cambridge. MBTA’s 2023 bus vision emphasizes more frequent routes (target: about every 15 minutes from early morning into late evening) and expanded local routes (about every 30 minutes), plus new connections such as a frequent route linking Harvard Square and Linden Square (Everett). Recker said Cambridge contributed outreach that yielded roughly 1,400 comments during early phases and noted the T’s recent ability to hire more bus operators as a key factor enabling service improvements. He said MBTA implemented an initial set of service changes in December and that further changes — including reconfiguring route 47 through Kendall Square and adding frequency to route 70 — are planned over coming years, subject to operator availability and continued coordination on bus lanes and other street changes.

Allston I‑90 multimodal project: Recker described the Allston I‑90 multimodal effort as focused on removing an elevated viaduct, reconnecting and expanding parkland, rebuilding ground‑level roadways, and creating a prospective “west station” location that could serve future passenger rail. MassDOT has received a $335 million federal Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant that will fund portions of viaduct removal and parkland work; project teams report roughly $1.8 billion in pledged funding to date against an estimated total cost of about $2.8 billion, leaving a funding gap the state still must close. MassDOT hopes to complete permitting and design milestones by the end of 2025, but staff stressed that construction timing depends on resolving additional permits and securing the remainder of the funding.

Eversource Greater Cambridge Energy Project: Jim Wilcox, city engineer, described Eversource’s project to build a roughly 35,000‑square‑foot below‑grade substation on the Boston Properties MXD site in East Cambridge and to install transmission mains under city streets to tie that facility into the local grid. Wilcox said excavation at the substation will reach more than 100 feet below grade and that transmission‑main work is expected to continue through 2029, with portions of the system coming into service by 2029 and full completion targeted for 2031. He said Eversource plans directional drilling under the Charles River with work likely to occur in the November–April construction window and currently anticipated near the end of 2026.

Reid Overpass and BU Rotary: Parente explained that MassDOT is studying options for the Reid viaduct, including repairing and retaining the viaduct or removing it and handling traffic at grade. He noted that the rotary itself is Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) property and that MassDOT’s study of the viaduct will inform any surface‑level redesign for the rotary. City staff said DCR has completed Paul Dudley White Path improvements through the rotary and that advocates and DCR have discussed additional lane allocation and signal timing changes; the city said it will continue to coordinate with Boston Transportation Department, DCR and DOT on signal operations and other changes that could affect Cambridge neighborhoods.

Alewife redevelopment and commuter‑rail demand study: City staff said the MBTA is soliciting a development partner to redevelop the Alewife garage and surrounding MBTA property and that the MBTA has committed to working with Cambridge on a rezoning process for the station area if a development partner is selected. The MBTA is also conducting an Alewife commuter‑rail demand study — initiated as part of a 2022 state authorization — to estimate potential ridership at a prospective Alewife commuter‑rail stop. City staff said this study is a near‑term demand assessment (roughly nine months) rather than a design study and is intended to show how an added station could affect ridership along the line given current schedules and development in the area.

Public comment and council questions: Public speakers urged the city to press state agencies and utilities on accessibility and neighborhood impacts. Resident Clive Lawrence highlighted accessibility problems at Alewife and other stations and urged continued city advocacy; Heather Hoffman raised concerns about the cumulative infrastructure impacts of development in East Cambridge and about contaminated soils during heavy construction; Chris Casa urged aggressive city advocacy to prevent state projects from prioritizing vehicle capacity over transit and nonmotorized modes; and Robert Winters suggested reconsidering older river crossing concepts (a Museum‑of‑Science promenade) to improve pedestrian connections. Council members asked city staff which street segments are candidates for bus lanes, how community engagement with state agencies works, the timeline for Memorial Drive Phase 3 (DCR staff indicated design and bidding are advancing with construction expected this summer), and how the city can support advocacy with state agencies.

City action and next steps: City staff told council members the city will continue to build relationships with MBTA, MassDOT and DCR at staff and leadership levels to influence design and implementation; staff noted the city co‑chairs or participates on several interagency task forces. Staff also said the Alewife commuter‑rail demand study will be coordinated between MBTA and Cambridge, and that MassDOT’s public process schedule will determine when the Reid Overpass/rotary options are released for public review. Several staff noted immediate operational items (MBTA adding service on affected Cambridge routes such as route 77, and the city pursuing bus lanes where street redesign projects allow).

Votes at a glance: The only formal recorded vote in the transcript was the committee’s motion to adjourn. The committee approved the motion to adjourn (mover: Councillor Sabrina Wheeler); roll call recorded three yes votes and no opposing votes.

The committee closed after the briefing; staff said they will return with further updates as state and utility project milestones (permit filings, public hearings, MBTA partner selection, and funding decisions) move forward.