Boston just watched a key pot of federal money slip away from a long-promised safety overhaul at the Boylston Street and Park Drive intersection in the Fenway, one of the city’s most notorious crash hot spots. Regional transportation planners quietly yanked the project from their five-year spending plan and shuffled the cash to other projects that are ready to go, as reported by Boston Region MPO.
How the MPO Pulled the Plug on Funding
In a March 19 amendment to its Transportation Improvement Program, the Boston Region MPO voted to strip the Boylston Street reconstruction out of the federal fiscal years 2026 to 2030 program and "deprogram" roughly $10.19 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds. Boston Region MPO records show the money was redirected to other projects that are ready to advertise, including accessibility upgrades at Downtown Crossing.
Why the Project Fell Off the Plan
Local planners and safe-streets advocates say this was not a case of shifting regional priorities, but of Boston City Hall running out the clock. StreetsblogMASS reported that the city’s Streets Cabinet did not finalize designs in time, scrapped a 2021 concept, then restarted work on a smaller redesign. That reset left the project short of "shovel-ready" status when the MPO’s funding deadline arrived.
History and High Stakes at the Crossing
The Boylston, Park Drive, and Brookline Avenue tangle has been on watch lists for years as a top crash location. In February 2019, a cement truck struck and killed librarian Paula Sharaga as she biked through the intersection, a tragedy that galvanized calls for change. WBUR chronicled her death and the community outcry that followed.
The City of Boston has already done some early work, including installing protected bike lanes in 2022. A larger MassDOT-led reconstruction had been penciled in for 2027, before the MPO’s move scrambled that schedule. Boston.gov lays out the earlier scope and timeline for the bigger rebuild.
According to the same amendment, the MPO now expects the Boylston project to be proposed for funding in federal fiscal year 2031 as part of the next five-year program, unless Boston speeds up its design work. Boston Region MPO documents describe the decision as consistent with its readiness policy, which favors projects that are likely to advertise for construction within the year they are programmed.
During the board’s discussion, some regional members warned that Boston’s slow pace is dragging down the wider program. "Not making those decisions... it has this impact on the whole TIP," MPO board member Eric Bourassa said, according to StreetsblogMASS.
What Happens Next
At the MPO’s Process, Readiness, and Engagement committee meeting on March 16, Boston Transportation Department planner Jen Rowe said the city plans to host a public meeting in late April as it reworks parts of the design with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. A recording of that discussion is posted on YouTube.
Until Boston finishes a design that meets the "shovel-ready" bar, the Fenway corridor’s promised safety upgrades will stay on the back burner. The MPO has signaled it could plug the project back into the program in 2031, but that hinges on timely design work and interagency agreements. For now, the city’s own updates live on Boston.gov.
