BOSTON – A report has been released by MassDOT which details congestion impacts and recommendations to make commutes more reliable, accessible and predictable while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Sagamore Bridge was one of nine roadway segments in the state identified as seeing more than 10 hours of congestion per day.
The five most severe occurrences of weekday congestion occur on: I-93 southbound from Mystic Valley Parkway in Medford to McGrath Highway in Somerville at 7 a.m., Route 2 eastbound approaching Alewife Station at 8 a.m., I-93 northbound from the Braintree Split to Neponset Circle at 7 a.m., Route 2 eastbound approaching Alewife Station at 7 a.m., and I-93 southbound from Mystic Valley Parkway in Medford to McGrath Highway in Somerville at 8 a.m.
As part of efforts to provide workers with more options for commuting, MassDOT announced that it is accepting applications for a new grant program to support innovative programs.
Those include first/last mile van connections, partnerships between municipalities or employers with regional transit authorities, and vanpools and carpools, which will help increase shared ridership options.
The administration will also create a new grant program for municipalities to offer technical support so that cities and towns can develop their own transportation and management plans.
“Traffic and congestion are a nuisance for too many residents, and this report provides our administration with robust data to help us make informed decisions on how to build on our efforts to tackle the Commonwealth’s congestion issues,” said Governor Charlie Baker.
“From this report, we have identified several ways to address congestion by expanding capacity on our transit system, adding more housing, and exploring managed lanes to help make people’s commutes be more reliable. We look forward to working with the Legislature, local government and the private sector to develop solutions to reduce the variability in people’s commutes.”
Recommendations include addressing local and regional bottlenecks where feasible and actively managing state and local roadway operations.
It also calls for reinventing bus transit at MBTA and Regional Transit Authorities; increasing MBTA capacity and ridership; working with employers to give commuters more options and creating infrastructure to support shared travel modes.
A copy of the MassDOT Congestion Report can be viewed here.
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