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The federal government granted Massachusetts $335 million to partially fund the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project, state leaders announced on Monday.
The grant leaves the state $165 million short for funding the project, an effort to realign a portion of the Massachusetts Turnpike and create new transportation infrastructure which began in 2014.
The announcement comes after the state’s application for the same funding last year was rejected because the project was at an earlier state of planning, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 said at the time.
Since then, Harvard — which owns the land on which the project will take place — has increased its funding pledge to $90 million. The state also has committed more than a billion dollars to the project.
State Senator William N. Brownsberger, whose district encompasses Allston, wrote in an emailed statement that there remains “a heavy funding lift ahead of us.”
Though it is not yet clear where the remaining money will come from, Anthony P. D’Isidoro, president of the Allston Civic Association, said the federal funding has put them “in better shape,” and that it would hopefully “energize” stakeholders as planning proceeded.
State and local leaders celebrated the critical funding in press releases this week, calling the advancing project “transformational” and a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.” Harvard spokesperson Amy Kamosa said the University was “delighted” by the news.
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) welcomed the bike lanes, open space, and “thousands of good, new jobs” she said the development will bring.
The realignment will also “help address the dysfunction of the current lay-out and give us the opportunity to build equitable, accessible, and safe commuting options” for residents, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) said.
Beyond merely realigning the Mass Pike, the operation will include constructing a new commuter rail station, a bicycle and pedestrian bridge, allowing greater access to the Charles River, and opening up more than 90 acres of land currently enclosed by the Pike.
The land will form a new neighborhood within Allston following the realignment, called Beacon Park Yard. The city is currently in the process of creating a joint vision for that neighborhood, which will sit entirely on land owned by Harvard.
In a statement, Wu committed to continuing public engagement in the immediate future for the project.
“We will continue to work with the Allston community to refine a design that improves for our City for generations to come,” she said.
The federal grant follows months of lobbying from both University officials and Massachusetts legislators. Last August, Harvard’s executive vice president Meredith L. Weenick ’90 wrote a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg ’04 in support of the state’s funding application. In January of this year, every member of the Massachusetts delegation signed a letter advocating the same.
Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) also said he had worked behind the scenes to secure funding.
“I was proud to advocate to Secretary Buttigieg personally on behalf of this project,” he said.
The project is expected to begin construction in 2027.
—Staff writer Jack R. Trapanick can be reached at jack.trapanick@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @jackrtrapanick.
