What Street Projects Are Included in Boston’s Multimillion-Dollar Public Works Budget?
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration released its proposed capital budget for fiscal year 2026. The budget includes details of street construction projects that the City aims to focus on for…
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's administration released its proposed capital budget for fiscal year 2026. The budget includes details of street construction projects that the City aims to focus on for the next fiscal year.
Bluebikes Additions, Equipment Repair
The City previously budgeted $7.4 million for a Boston Transportation Department (BTD) line item to install new Bluebikes docks across Boston. This spending is expected to close with a final $720,000 commitment for 2026. Another line item of $500,000 will be allocated to replace broken and old Bluebike equipment.
Charles Street (Beacon Hill) Projects
The BTD budget also contains a proposal addition of $650,000 for the "design for a reconstructed Charles Street between Beacon Street and Cambridge Street, including bike lanes and widened sidewalks."
Improvements to Commonwealth Avenue Mall Crosswalks in Back Bay
A $600,000 proposal in the budget, with $150,000 going toward spending in the 2026 fiscal year, is to redesign seven intersections along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall between Berkeley and Hereford streets. The project's goal is to improve pedestrians' walking experience and increase overall public safety.
Northern Avenue Bridge
What started as a $100 million commitment from former Mayor Marty Walsh has resurfaced. Walsh had hoped to construct a bridge across the Fort Point Channel. The project remains in the City's budget; however, Wu's administration wants to add an additional $15 million in capital funds for it.
A Boston Globe report noted that these budget funds would be used to carefully demolish the old bridge instead of building a new one.
Street Safety Design and Construction
According to a post by StreetsBlogMass, two items appearing in the capital budget plan for the Department of Public Works would concern the financing of the construction, design, and engineering of "street safety improvements across the City, including intersection redesign, raised crossings, speed humps, bike lanes, and other traffic-calming strategies to promote Vision Zero."
The proposed Department of Public Works budget would earmark approximately $13 million for design and engineering. Approximately $15 million would account for construction, while another $9.6 million is anticipated to be spent in the upcoming fiscal year.
The City's Streets Cabinet's complete plan contains more than 100 pages detailing more projects in addition to those described above.
