The South Boston Seaport Strategic Transit Plan was undertaken by the City of Boston, jointly led by the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) and the Boston Transportation Department (BTD). We began this planning process in the spring of 2019 with the goal of improving the operations, capacity, and connectivity of the transit network serving the South Boston Seaport.
Latest Updates: BPDA Board Approval and Release of the South Boston Seaport Strategic Transit Plan Final Report
The Agency released the Draft Final Report for public comment in November and December of 2023 and incorporated changes to the Final Plan and its recommendations. The revised Plan was presented to the BPDA Board on December 14, 2023, and formally adopted. We are now pleased to share the Adopted South Boston Seaport Strategic Transit Plan Final Report. This report summarizes the planning process and details the revised prioritized recommendations. It also includes an implementation section that provides for each recommendation a timeline, partners and next steps. Any of the Plan’s project recommendations as they move forward will include their own public processes that will help to further inform and refine each specific project.
A Guide to the Draft Strategy Evaluation: A Video Update
The South Boston Seaport Strategic Transit Plan began in the spring of 2019 with the goal of improving the operations, capacity, and connectivity of the transit network serving the South Boston Seaport. As part of public meetings throughout 2019, you asked us to focus around the goals of Expand, Rely, Respect, and Equalize when identifying potential solutions. Strategies were developed and individually scored against objectives that reflected each of the four goals, such as connecting to underserved areas, reducing transfers, and making transit more competitive with driving. In total, 51 short-,medium-, and long-term strategies were developed and evaluated.
In the summer of 2020, we shared evaluations of 21 short-term strategies online. Now, we are releasing refined short-term strategies and the remaining medium and long-term strategy evaluations for your review. Because it’s been some time since we have been together, we developed a series of five short video presentations to remind you of the process we went through to establish goals, identify strategies, and evaluate the strategies. The videos can be accessed in the links below and cover these topics:
Below are the revised short-term,and proposed medium and long-term strategies:
Previous Public Engagement
Presentation | Meeting Recording
At this meeting, we presented the plan recommendations for consideration and received crucial feedback from those that were able to attend. Above are both the presentation that was given, which includes the plan recommendations, and a video recording of the virtual meeting.
Presentation | Boards
At this meeting, there was both an open house portion as well as a presentation. The open house boards highlighted proposed transit strategies and evaluation methodology to compare the different strategies. The presentation went into more detail on these strategies as well as recapping the study overview, progress since the October 2nd meeting, and updates on next steps.
Presentation | Boards
At this meeting, the project team presented the goals and objectives of the Study, preliminary existing conditions analysis, and the evaluation process for selecting and prioritizing transit recommendations. Throughout the presentation there were several portions of Q+A.
Draft Previous Work and Plans Chapter
For a preview of the "Previous Work and Plans" chapter of the existing conditions report, click here. This draft chapter catalogues the previous planning initiatives and studies in and around the South Boston Seaport.
Presentation
This public meeting was the official kick-off for the South Boston Seaport Strategic Transit Plan. The meeting included an open house, a brief presentation, and a breakout session. Attendees participated in a goals prioritization activity and shared their thoughts about improving transit to, from, and within the South Boston Seaport.
Summary & Goals
The South Boston Seaport Strategic Transit Plan will identify specific recommendations to improve the operations and capacity of the transit network serving Boston’s Seaport District. The Plan will study current transit connections and recommend specific improvements in the short-term, as well as for the next 15 years and beyond. The plan is being undertaken by the City of Boston, led by the Boston Planning and Development Agency with support from the Boston Transportation Department. Partner agencies include the MBTA, MassDOT, Massport, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) and Seaport TMA. All will be key team members with roles in implementing the recommendations.
Rapid growth in the Seaport District has increased the number of residential, commercial, and institutional destinations in this area of Boston. Additional developments are either under review, BPDA Board approved, or under construction. The Plan will develop an integrated inventory of pending development, infrastructure plans, and transportation projects and visions, including Go Boston 2030. The Plan also involves direct coordination with studies relevant to the scope, including the Silver Line Capacity Study conducted by Massport, MBTA’s Better Bus Project, and other transit initiatives.
The South Boston Seaport Strategic Transit Plan calls for a comprehensive transit vision for the District based on a data driven understanding of the demands placed on the neighborhood by both existing and planned future development. The focus is on transit, including the Seaport’s bus and shuttle network, water ferries, ride-sharing and bike-sharing, and other private-sector initiatives. This includes the MBTA’s Red and Silver Lines, MBTA bus service, and bicycle and pedestrian networks to them. The Plan will identify key activity points, circulation networks, and primary origins and destinations both locally and regionally. It will analyze bicycle and pedestrian conditions, as well as safety for all users. Based on a thorough analysis of the data and conditions, the Plan will identify potential infrastructure or roadway changes to improve transit movement and enhance pedestrian and bicycle conditions.
Robust engagement with residents, advocacy groups, and business and property owners will be a key attribute of the Plan. The project team will seek input from the Seaport community on goals and objectives for improving transit through public meetings and briefings. Draft and final recommendations will be refined based on community and stakeholder feedback. Final strategic recommendations will demonstrate the benefits of a prioritized list of projects with estimated costs, funding sources, and operations and management strategies. The plan will include monitoring and reporting on the recommendations. Implementing the Plan will be a crucial element of the recommendations. The City hopes to implement immediate transportation improvements in the Seaport as the first step in a vigorous and successful South Boston Seaport Strategic Transit Plan.