Mass. Pike overhaul project wins $335 million in federal funding

Lawmakers lauded the more than $335 million in federal funding awarded Monday to partially fund the $1.9 billion project that will replace the Allston Viaduct on I-90 and straighten the Massachusetts Turnpike.

The Allston Multimodal Project will also make room for a new commuter rail station on the Framingham/Worcester line with a new layover facility.

For Allston/Brighton neighbors, there are plans for more pedestrian and bicycle open spaces, green space along the Charles River, and improved neighborhood views, the state said. For drivers, the elevated bridge structure will be completely removed and the Allston interchange will be shortened.

Sen. Ed Markey touted the grant award on Monday, saying the project will reconnect the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods with the Charles River and downtown Boston. Aptly, the state said the $335.4 million award came from the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program from the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

The state didn’t get everything they asked for. Last September, they applied for $500 million in federal funding for the project, which was previously rejected for federal grants during Charlie Baker’s administration. In September, the state said the rest of the funding would come from the Fair Share act, federal loans, the City of Boston, Harvard University, and Boston University.

The project will develop the Harvard-owned Beacon Park Yard, a former transportation rail yard.

The Charles River Watershed Association, a member of the Allston Multimodal Project Task Force since 2014, has concerns with the project’s current design. With 12 lanes planned along the river by BU, the association said the project lacks climate resilience. 

“Let’s build this project, but let’s build it right, with a 2024 mindset, not a 1950s highway mindset,” CRWA Executive Director Emily Norton said in a statement.

State officials are emphasizing how the  project will improve efficiency for commuters.

“This is another major win for Massachusetts,” Healey said. “The Allston Multimodal Project is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve transportation infrastructure in the Allston community and better connect residents across the state with housing and job opportunities.”