MassDOT Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt addressing Charles River Regional Chamber (photo: CRRC)
Traffic congestion is getting worse and crippling our communities, said Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Secretary of MassDOT, at a Charles River Regional Chamber forum on May 14. She said that it’s not exactly clear why traffic is getting worse, but her best guess is “people are causing a lot of traffic accidents” and are living farther away from work due to high housing costs.
Secretary Tibbits-Nutt said that most of the State’s transportation plans are old and do not account for post-COVID traffic changes (increased working from home, delivery services, etc.) or weather changes. She noted that MassDOT spent $28 million to repair Leominster’s transportation infrastructure after a recent heavy rainstorm. This work had to be done and was completed in 48 hours, but it had not been anticipated in the current planning model.
MassDOT is building a strategic plan, Beyond Mobility, to assess what the department does, how it is funded, and what communities need. It is streamlining the transportation grant process for communities by providing “Grant Central” — a single website to search for grants and track grant applications so that grant money is used and does not go back into the general budget unused at the end of the year. She noted that State law mandates money raised from tolls can be spent only on the tolled roadway (Massachusetts Turnpike).
Secretary Tibbits-Nutt expressed pride that the MBTA Board recently approved low-income fares. She said that both Cape Cod bridges will be rebuilt, but the designs need to be refined. Rail use in Massachusetts is running at 90% of pre-COVID levels, the highest in the nation. Rail in the state is being fixed at a new, faster pace.
She said that the Newtonville Commuter Rail station will be one of the first stations to be redone. When City Councilor Susan Albright asked, “Are you going to build it, or…