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Progress  Report     August  2015      

   The  South  Boston  Waterfront  is  the  fastest  growing  urban  area  in  the  Commonwealth,  with  ten  million  square  feet  of  development  built  between  2000  and  2013,  adding  more  than  4,100  new  residents  and  7,700  jobs.    Over  the  next  two  decades,  an  additional  17  million  square  feet  of  development  is  underway  or  planned  with  projected  growth  to  a  total  of  approximately  20,000  residents  and  more  than  59,000  jobs.    Using  data  driven  analysis,  and  testing  more  than  one  hundred  transportation  alternatives,  the  South  Boston  Waterfront  Sustainable  Transportation  Plan  (the  Plan)  was  developed  as  both  a  blueprint  for  transportation  system  improvements  necessary  to  support  this  growth  and  an  action  plan  defining  more  immediate/short-­‐term  strategies  to  address  existing  transportation  and  mobility  issues,  capacity  constraints,  transit,  pedestrian  and  bicycle  needs,  and  operational  enhancements.    Since  the  Plan  was  issued  in  January  2015,  the  agencies  involved  in  its  development  have  continued  their  focus  on  providing  transportation  improvements  to  support  the  existing  system  users  and  future  economic  growth  in  the  Waterfront.    Under  the  leadership  of  Acting  Highway  Administrator  Thomas  J.  Tinlin,  staff  from  MassDOT,  the  Massachusetts  Convention  Center  Authority  (MCCA),  Massport,  the  City  of  Boston,  and  the  Seaport  TMA,  with  coordinating  support  from  A  Better  City,  have  been  working  to  implement  a  number  of  short-­‐term  improvements  identified  by  the  Plan.    This  report  will  recap  progress  on  efforts  to  date,  and  outline  an  agenda  for  continued  improvements.    Transit    Current  transit  connections  in  the  Waterfront:  

• Are  at  or  nearing  capacity  • Do  not  provide  direct  or  efficient  access  from  many  key  commuting  points,  most  notably  

North  Station  • Provide  limited  service  for  movement  within  the  Waterfront  and  from  the  adjacent  

neighborhood    To  begin  addressing  these  concerns,  work  is  underway  on  the  following  initiatives:    

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 1. Consolidating  Private  Shuttles    Currently,  area  businesses  provide  privately  funded  shuttle  service  to  improve  transit  access  for  their  employees  and  tenants,  particularly  to  and  from  North  Station  and  South  Station,  and  the  Waterfront.    Approximately  20  routes  and  approximately  74  buses  are  operating  to  address  this  service  gap,  and  provide  additional  business-­‐related  transportation  services,  resulting  in  inefficiencies,  excess  capacity,  and  contributing  to  roadway  congestion,  increased  emissions  and  curbside  congestion  at  both  North  and  South  Stations  and  throughout  the  Waterfront  area.    Since  the  commencement  of  the  South  Boston  Waterfront  Sustainable  Transportation  study  in  2014,  the  Massachusetts  Convention  Center  Authority  and  the  Seaport  TMA  have  been  working  with  these  employers,  developers,  property  owners,  and  a  variety  of  other  stakeholders  to  develop  consolidated  shuttle  services  with  better  levels  of  service,  added  amenities,  lower  costs,  and  lesser  impacts  to  the  environment.    This  work  has  included  multiple  reviews  of  on-­‐site  passenger  counts,  ridership  demand  analysis,  financial  analysis,  and  employer  engagement.    The  team  is  targeting  a  projected  implementation  date  of  January  2016.    2. Silver  Line  Operational  Improvements    Two  improvements  are  underway  to  increase  Silver  Line  capacity  and  improve  the  customer  experience:    

• Starting  in  June,  modifications  were  made  to  the  signal  timing  for  the  Silver  Line  Transitway  at  D  Street  so  that  the  Silver  Line  buses  can  cross  at  every  timing  cycle  (previously  the  signal  was  triggered  only  by  a  bus  entering  the  intersection).    This  change  has  resulted,  on  average,  in  a  17  to  20  second  reduction  in  trip  time  for  the  Silver  Line.    Further  enhanced  timing  changes  may  be  considered.  

• In  the  fall,  real  time  arrival  information  will  be  posted  at  South  Station,  Courthouse  Station,  and  World  Trade  Center  Station  so  that  customers  know  how  long  they  need  to  wait  for  the  next  bus  –  of  particular  importance  when  they  are  unable  to  board  an  overcrowded  vehicle.  

 Regional  Access    Downtown  gateways  to/from  the  Waterfront  are  at  or  near  capacity  today,  and  both  trucks  and  private  vehicles  rely  heavily  on  the  interstate  highway  system  for  access  to  the  Waterfront.    Improved  operations  at  key  access/egress  points  are  critical  to  ensure  the  future  vitality  of  the  Waterfront  and  reduce  impacts  on  local  neighborhoods.    Improvements  underway  include:        

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3. I-­‐93  Access  at  Purchase  Street    During  the  evening  peak  more  than  900  vehicles  cross  the  Moakley  Bridge  heading  westbound.    Access  improvements  to  make  Oliver  Street  one-­‐way  eastbound  is  projected  to  reroute  20  percent  of  this  traffic,  with  about  half  diverting  to  other  channel  crossings  or  highway  access  points,  improving  access  to  I-­‐93  North  as  well  as  pedestrian  safety  at  this  intersection.  The  reopening  of  the  Northern  Avenue  Bridge  will  complement  this  proposed  change  in  circulation.    A  public  meeting  to  review  this  change  will  be  scheduled.    4. Improvements  at  D  Street  Merge  to  I-­‐90  Eastbound    Striping  improvements  to  the  I-­‐90  East  merge  into  the  Ted  Williams  Tunnel  to  smooth  the  flow  of  traffic  will  be  completed  by  August  17.    5. South  Boston  Bypass  Road  and  I-­‐93  HOV  Pilot    Beginning  August  17,  expanded  use  of  the  South  Boston  Bypass  Road  (SBBR)  and  the  northbound  High  Occupancy  Vehicle  (HOV)  lane  will  be  piloted.    These  roads  are  currently  restricted  to  commercial  traffic  only.    Access  will  be  expanded  as  follows:    

• Full  access  (24-­‐hour)  to  all  vehicles  of  the  section  of  the  SBBR  from  Richards  Street  to  West  Service  Road  

• Eastbound  only,  AM  peak  (from  6:00  am  to  10:00  am)  access  to  all  vehicles  on  the  SBBR  from  I-­‐93  to  West  Service  Road  

• Full  access  (24  hour)  for  all  vehicles  on  the  northbound  HOV  from  I-­‐93  to  the  Ted  Williams  Tunnel  

 This  pilot  will  be  closely  monitored  to  ensure  no  degradation  to  truck  access  to  the  Waterfront  with  ongoing  evaluation  and  a  six-­‐month  assessment.    6. Dedicated  Freight  Corridor  and  Thomas  J  Butler  Memorial  Park    Massport  is  in  the  process  of  constructing  a  new  road  for  freight  to  eliminate  truck  traffic  on  East  1st  Street  and  build  a  new  park  between  1st  Street  and  the  Port.    Work  is  underway  on  these  improvements  with  projected  completion  in  late  2016.    7. Traffic  Circulation  Changes  Within  the  Waterfront    Building  upon  preliminary  conceptual  designs,  the  City  is  working  on  design  and  analysis  to  explore  converting  Sleeper  Street  and  Thomson  Place  into  one-­‐way  pairs  to  improve  traffic  flow,  pedestrian  conditions  and  bicycle  accommodations.        

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Pedestrian  and  Bicycle  Improvements    Lack  of  network  continuity,  missing  connections,  and  limited  pedestrian-­‐scale  wayfinding  signage  make  it  difficult  to  walk  and  bike  in  the  Waterfront.    A  number  of  initiatives  intended  to  improve  access  are  underway:    8. Pedestrian  Wayfinding  Signage  Pilot    A  pilot  series  of  pedestrian  wayfinding  signs  will  be  installed  by  August  10  in  20  locations  around  the  Waterfront  along  three  paths  to  and  from  the  Boston  Convention  &  Exhibition  Center.    The  signs  guide  visitors  to  important  destinations  such  as  transit  stations  and  restaurants.    The  pilot  will  run  until  October  2015,  at  which  point  public  feedback  will  be  evaluated  for  development  into  a  more  permanent  wayfinding  signage  system.    9. New  Hubway  Stations    In  August,  two  new  Hubway  stations  will  be  added  to  the  Waterfront  network  near  the  Blue  Hills  Bank  Pavilion  and  the  Lawn  on  D  Street.    With  these  additions,  there  will  be  twelve  Hubway  stations  in  the  Waterfront.    Funding  for  the  new  stations  was  provided  by  developers  of  Seaport  Square.    10. Northern  Avenue  and  East  Service  Road    By  March  2016,  streetscape,  circulation,  pedestrian,  and  bicycle  enhancements  will  be  complete  in  the  Seaport  Square  area,  including  straightening  Northern  Avenue  and  extending  East  Service  Road    (to  be  renamed  Pier  Four  Boulevard).        11. Seaport  Square  Green  and  Pedestrian  Enhancements    This  fall,  in  conjunction  with  the  opening  of  Seaport  Square’s  new  building  on  Parcel  L1  (at  Boston  Wharf  Road  and  East  Service  Road),  Seaport  Square  Green  will  open  across  the  street  providing  a  new  publicly  accessible  park.    This  park  will  replace  an  existing  parking  lot  and  provide  new  pedestrian  connections  from  Northern  Avenue  to  Seaport  Boulevard  and  the  Silver  Line  Courthouse  Station.    A  longer-­‐term  component  of  this  work  is  a  new  headhouse  for  the  Silver  Line  Courthouse  Station.    12. Local  Pedestrian  and  Intersection  Improvements    Eighteen  neighborhood  locations  were  identified  in  the  Plan  for  operational  and  pedestrian  safety  improvements.    In  conjunction  with  development  activity,  the  City  is  working  to  implement  improvements  at:    

• Dorchester  Street  and  Old  Colony  Avenue  • D  Street  and  Old  Colony  Avenue  

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• Pappas  Way  at  East  and  West  1st  Street    Restriping  of  crosswalks  within  the  Waterfront  has  been  underway  throughout  the  summer.    Parking    13. New  Parking  Technology  

 In  July,  Park  Boston  meter  technology  was  installed  on  the  Waterfront  with  smartphone  and  credit  card  pay  applications.      Agenda  Going  Forward    The  short-­‐term  improvements  outlined  in  this  report  have  been  implemented  with  the  benefit  of  private  developer  funds  and  existing  agency  resources.    Capital  funding  is  necessary  to  complete  the  following  initiatives:    

• Purchase  Street  access  improvements  -­‐  $1M  for  design  and  construction  • Permanent  pedestrian  wayfinding  signage    -­‐  $1.5M  for  design  and  construction  

 Additionally,  funding  is  needed  to  make  progress  on  the  following  critical  longer-­‐term  initiatives  identified  by  the  Plan:    

• New  Silver  Line  vehicles  (a  minimum  of  60  vehicles  are  required  to  replace  existing  fleet  and  meet  45  second  headways)  

• Further  evaluation  and  design  completion  for  the  extension  of  the  Silver  Line  tunnel  under  D  Street  

• Bus  Rapid  Transit  along  Congress  Street  • Supplemental  bus  service  from  Broadway  and  Andrew  Station  to  the  Waterfront  • South  Station  expansion  • Ferry  service  from  Lovejoy  Wharf  to  the  Waterfront,  including  a  new  water  

transportation  hub  at  World  Trade  Center  • Evaluation  of  new  urban  rail  transit  services  from  Back  Bay  to  the  Waterfront  • Evaluation  of  prior  plans  and  engineering  studies  for  the  Silver  Line  connections  to  the  

Orange  and  the  Green  Lines  • Advance  the  design  to  rehabilitate  or  replace  the  Northern  Avenue  Bridge  to  

accommodate  pedestrians,  bicyclists  and  peak  directional  vehicular  traffic  • Continued  improvements  to  local  street  networks,  including  a  road  safety  audit  on  Day  

Boulevard  • Multimodal  accommodations  along  Summer  Street  • Reopening  Dorchester  Avenue  to  vehicular  and  pedestrian  traffic  

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• Regional  improvements  to  the  I-­‐93  /southbound  Frontage  Road  system  and  along  Morrissey  Boulevard,  including  Kosciuszko  Circle  

• Providing  new  north/south  truck  and  general  vehicle  connection  by  extending  the  Haul  Road  to  Summer  Street  and  Pappas  Way  

• Redesign  and  reconstruct  E  Street,  realigning  opposite  Pumphouse  Road  and  connecting  with  Cypher  Street,  to  provide  better  truck  access  and  reduce  commercial  traffic  on  D  Street  

• Reconfiguration  of  Haul  Road/Drydock  Avenue/Pappas  Way  to  improve  and  simplify  access  to  the  Boston  Marine  Industrial  Park