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MassDOT Substantially Completes Sumner Tunnel Project Ahead Of Schedule

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On Monday, Massachusetts DOT declared its $160 million Sumner Tunnel restoration project “substantially complete” and announced that further periodic closures will not be required. The department stated all remaining work can be completed during off-peak hours.

Last week saw the end of full weekend work closures that were initially expected to continue into November. MassDOT highway administrator Jonathan Gulliver commented, “We are thrilled that we have been able to deliver this project ahead of schedule. I want to thank our [lead] contractor, JF White, who worked tirelessly with our team at MassDOT to find ways to accelerate this important work.  I also want to thank the travelling public and residents for their patience and support during this important project.”

Started in 2022, the rehabilitation effort aimed to extend the 90-year-old tunnel’s useful life by at least 75 years. Work was so extensive that it required two lengthy summertime closures — they created major metro Boston mobility problems — as well as 59 full-weekend closures. Among other things, contractors removed a suspended ceiling and installed more than 700 precast concrete arches and new fireproof wallboard throughout the facility. The roadway, curbing, and drain inlet were completely restored, and light fixtures, conduits and cables were replaced. (TRN inserted a link in quoted text.)

The Boston Globe covers this story.

A Learning Curve And Unfamiliar Collaborators Slow NEVI Program’s Rollout

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POLITICO’s E&E News provides an in-depth look at why the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program’s electric vehicle (EV) charger buildout is progressing so slowly, to the frustration of agency officials and lawmakers from both parties. The program was authorized in 2021 under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). To date, only 19 NEVI-funded charging stations have come online in nine states, according to the federal government’s Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. However, that agency’s executive director, Gabe Klein, predicts that the pace of installations will increase and the program’s impact will peak between 2026 and 2028.

The E&E News article is largely informed by a panel discussion at last month’s EV Charging Infrastructure National Conference in Detroit, co-hosted by the National Association of State Energy Officials, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. The range of conference participants explains one of the difficulties with the program’s implementation: “It requires collaborations between the worlds of energy and transportation that are newly minted.” State DOT’s, the drivers of program implementation, are unaccustomed to working with energy companies and utilities on projects “intimately tied to the electric grid, or on private property.”

Two other drags on progress are highlighted in the article. One is the inevitable complexity of managing a program with multiple stakeholders, including federal and state agencies, private host businesses, landowners, electric companies, and charging-network providers. The other, “the single biggest bottleneck in building a charging station is getting the electric utility to build the necessary interconnections to supply at least 600 kilowatts of power, the minimum necessary for a NEVI station.” The program’s challenges for power providers are significant and not easily overcome.

Urban Designers See An Upside Under Houston Freeways

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Houston Chronicle explores the potential for the shaded spaces under elevated freeways to be utilized as urban green spaces. “’We would absolutely like to see Houston freeways serve as multi-use space for communities, and think it’s achievable,’ said Natalia Beard, a principal with SWA, a design firm with offices in Houston.” The Hardy Toll Road and the mammoth I-45 rebuild around downtown are identified as prime locations for innovative development. The article cites playgrounds, exercise space, and bike repair stations as examples of the facilities that can benefit communities located around elevated highways. Lighting, safe access, and discouraging loitering are mentioned as potential obstacles for which practical solutions exist.

MTA Commits To Significant Increase In Contracting With Historically Underutilized Businesses

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As part of its FY 2025-2029 capital plan, New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has made a commitment “to award a historic amount to historically underutilized businesses . . . , with $6.5 billion to $7.5 billion in contracts to be awarded to New York State Certified Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses (SDVOB), and/or Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE).” In addition to its set-aside goal, MTA proposes to:

  • Add 350 new businesses to the agency’s Small Business Mentoring Program, with a commitment to provide up to $400 million in contracts to participating firms. 
  • Certify 300 more firms as DBEs.
  • Add local hiring goals to $5 billion worth of contracts.

“To jump start these efforts,” MTA recently hosted an event for 250 businesses at which MTA prime contractors could connect with potential MWBE subcontractors and graduates of  MTA’s Small Business Development Program. MTA chair and CEO Janno Lieber commented, “When we talk about rebuilding and improving the transit system, this includes billions of dollars of work to be done by our diverse contracting community. As the fourth largest employer in the region, the MTA is proud to partner for an equitable and inclusive economy.”

New York Thruway Reopens Two More Renovated Service Plazas

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Today, it reopened the Malden Service Area on I-87 northbound between exit 20 and exit 21 in Ulster County. During the renovation project, “all of the components inside the restaurant building were removed including the restaurants, restrooms and interior seating. The renovation includes a new floor plan, new restaurants, new restrooms, the addition of two new family assist restrooms, private nursing area, additional seating as well as customer access to electrical outlets and phone/laptop charging stations.” All service areas along  I-87 north have now been restored to public access.

On Friday, October 4, the Thruway’s Ontario Service Area on I-90 westbound between exit 46 and exit 47 in Genesee County reopened. That facility underwent the same range of upgrades.

The Thruway’s $450 million public-private partnership with Applegreen’s parent to redevelop and modernize all service areas has recently picked up pace. With the Malden facility’s completion, 23 restored service areas have now reopened. The Ontario and Malden locations were two of the four to undergo extensive renovation.