U.S. DOT rescinds $327 million in funding for Boston road/rail project
The Allston Multimodal Project would include realignment of Interstate 90 as well as a new MBTA commuter rail station and layover facility. Massachusetts DOT
BOSTON -- The Trump administration has rescinded a £327 million grant awarded in 2023 or the Allston Multimodal Project, which calls for realignment of Interstate 90 and a new Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail station and layover facility, among other features. The funding termination follows President Donald Trump's signing of a bill that eliminated the Neighborhood Access and Equity Program, the Department of Transportation program that sought to address physical barriers that isolated communities and improve transportation in underserved communities.
The DOT has deleted a program fact sheet[1] from its website, but some information is available in this 2022 document[2] explaining the then-new program. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation received confirmation of the termination late last week, leading Gov. Maura Healey to call for its restoration.
"Why would any President of the United States oppose a project that will improve transportation for residents and visitors alike, create thousands of construction jobs, support local businesses and create space for new housing? We all benefit from that," Healey said in a statement[3] on Friday (June 18, 2025). "The people of Massachusetts deserve better from their federal government." Healey said the state remained committed to do everything it can to continue the project. State Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt said the state would undertake a strategic review "both analyzing the project costs and consulting with an outside engineering firm to assess the project."
The project would see creation of a new "West Station" on the MBTA's Worcester/Framingham line in the neighborhood west of downtown Boston, bordered by the Charles River on the north and the Boston neighborhoods of Fenway, Kenmore, and Brighton. There would also be an adjacent layover facility, the nature of which was still subject of some debate[4] earlier this year. Other roadway realignments and pedestrian and bike routes are also part of the plan.
A fact sheet on the Allston project is available here[5]; this web page[6] has additional information.
References
- ^ deleted a program fact sheet (www.transportation.gov)
- ^ this 2022 document (highways.dot.gov)
- ^ a statement (www.mass.gov)
- ^ subject of some debate (mass.streetsblog.org)
- ^ is available here (www.mass.gov)
- ^ web page (www.mass.gov)