Last fall, the Baker administration achieved a major breakthrough on the $1.7 billion I-90 Allston project, embracing the idea of rebuilding the Turnpike, Soldiers Field Road, and commuter rail tracks all at ground level as they run through a narrow strip of land called the throat, which is sandwiched between Boston University and the Charles River.

The big squeeze, as some have called it, was accomplished by shaving 4 feet from the various transportation elements — two feet from the four lanes of Soldiers Field Road (making the roadway width 10.5 feet rather than 11 feet) and two feet from the four commuter rail tracks.

But since the throat decision was made, the project has gone into silent mode. State officials said they expected to file a notice of project change with environmental regulators by the end of 2021, laying out the new design elements. Several times, however, the timeline has been extended.

It turns out the parties have moved on to new challenges. The throat is only a small portion of a much larger project, which would straighten the Turnpike as it moves through Allston, opening up a huge tract of land for a new neighborhood of Boston being developed by Harvard University. The new neighborhood is expected to be accompanied by a new MBTA bus and commuter rail station.

State transportation officials have started meeting with representatives of the city of Boston and Harvard to discuss financing options. Participants describe the talks as productive, with officials from Boston and Harvard acknowledging they have to contribute significant dollars to the project. One participant said the talks are in the early stages, with both sides trying to find common ground on the parameters of the overall project and where their responsibilities begin and end.

The approach used with the Green Line extension into Somerville and Medford is also being followed in Allston. With the $2.3 billion Green Line project, Somerville and Cambridge pledged a total of $75 million to make the financial numbers work. Both communities are getting their money back now that the project is coming in under budget. In Allston, the financial contributions being sought from Boston and Harvard are likely to be much higher because their benefit from the project is expected to be greater.

“It is a stated guiding principle of MassDOT that stakeholders will need to contribute funding for the multi-modal project,” a state official said. “We are encouraged by the parties’ willingness to take part in meaningful financing and funding discussions. MassDOT recognizes that the realignment of I-90 creates a multi-generational development opportunity for Harvard and the city of Boston and looks forward to understanding more about the plans for the re-development.”

City officials say the talks are in the early stages. Harvard officials declined comment. State officials say the federal environmental permitting process is expected to be completed by this fall.

State transportation officials are planning to seek federal funding for the Allston I-90 project, attempting to tap into the billions of dollars in discretionary money expected to be available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law includes a pot of money that seems particularly well suited for the Allston project; funds have been set aside for projects that knit together communities severed by highways built long ago.

BRUCE MOHL

 

FROM COMMONWEALTH

Alternative fare proposals: The MBTA board of directors is slated to discuss “alternative fare proposals” today, an indication the agency will start to compare the pros and cons of the free fare approach favored by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the low-income fare favored by some T officials and transit advocates. 

– James Aloisi, the former state transportation secretary and TransitMatters board member, is a fan of fare free buses because dispensing with collecting fares attracts more riders, speeds up boarding, and improves the quality of bus service. He opposes a low-income fare because it doesn’t improve service and could become a costly bureaucratic nightmare. Unlike Wu, he doesn’t favor fare free subways or commuter rail.

– Staci Rubin of the Conservation Law Foundation prefers the low-income fare because it offers a systemwide fix to the challenge of helping T riders. She said many people take two-seat transit trips, riding the bus to the subway or the commuter rail. Making the bus free doesn’t really help people who then have to pay fares when they board the subway or commuter rail.

Moving target: Meeting the Massachusetts greenhouse gas emission targets is about to get a little tougher, as state officials prepare to revise downward the 1990 base emission level that the targets are based on. Read more.

OPINION

Don’t end mask mandate in schools: Drs. Lara Jirmanus and Juliana Morris say they are appalled that the Baker administration is putting kids at risk by ending the school mask mandate. They say ending the mandate won’t get the kids back to normal. Read more.

Use ARPA funds to take on racism: State Sen. Adam Hinds, who is running for lieutenant governor, says the state should devote the remaining $2.3 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funding to tackle racial inequities in housing, education, and wealth. Read more. 

 

FROM AROUND THE WEB

 

BEACON HILL

A state audit finds the agency in charge of constructing and managing state buildings failed to keep on top of women and minority hiring goals and as a result a large number of sampled projects failed to meet their targets. (Associated Press)

A perennial push to expand the state’s bottle bill is gaining new momentum this year with support from municipal officials. (Salem News)

MUNICIPAL MATTERS  

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is opening an Office of Early Childhood at City Hall to help families seeking help in finding early education and child care programs. (GBH)

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Russia attacks Ukraine as world leaders deplore the unprovoked invasion ordered by President Vladimir Putin. (New York Times) 

ELECTIONS

Aaron Saunders, a former Ludlow selectman, says he intends to run for the state rep seat being vacated by Jake Oliveira, who is vying to replace Sen. Eric Lesser, who is running for lieutenant governor. (MassLive) 

EDUCATION

National and local teachers union leaders say stress from the pandemic is driving a massive exodus of teachers and creating a crisis of empty teaching positions. (Boston Herald)

TRANSPORTATION

Sen. Diana DiZoglio, who is running for state auditor, calls for Senate oversight hearings on the recent disclosure that some 2,000 driver’s licenses were granted at the Registry of Motor Vehicles office in Brockton to people without having them take road tests. (Boston Herald) 

The MBTA and Keolis announce new safety measures after a fatal crash at a road crossing in Wilmington. (State House News Service)

Opposition grows to digital billboards along Route 3 in Weymouth, as the Town Council votes to overturn a zoning change that allowed them. (Patriot Ledger)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS

Crime and criminal justice researchers Christopher WInship and Anthony Braga argue that dismantling Boston’s gang database would strip the city of a key tool in the strategy that has helped tackle gang violence since the city’s widely acclaimed successes of the mid-1990s. (Boston Globe)  

MEDIA

GBH CEO Jonathan Abbott, who has overseen huge growth in the station’s endowment and a successful turn of local radio programming to news, will step down at the end of the year. (Boston Globe) 

PASSINGS

Rosemarie Sansone, a former Boston city councilor who became a leading champion for downtown revival as CEO of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, died at age 77. (Boston Globe)