Millions in federal cash has been awarded to upgrade traffic signals so that buses are given priority when moving through Chelsea, Everett and Revere.
The U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration announced an MBTA project in those cities totaling $2.96 million under a grant program created through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Your zip code shouldn’t determine whether you have access to safe, affordable transportation,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said with the announcement.
The project, which will complete design work next year and begin construction in 2025, will add technology to signal arrays that identify and allow buses to move more quickly through traffic, improving commute times for mass transit users and making transportation times more predictable.
According to the MBTA, the communities covered by the grant are some the most desperate for easy bus connection to the transit systems’ other modes of travel, like the rapid transit and commuter rail.
“Upgrades to come as a result of this award include the technology to create a regional Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measurement system that will support current and future intersections where the MBTA implements transit signal priority. This will result in more efficient bus service for residents who rely on transit to get to and from work, school, healthcare appointments, and recreational opportunities,” MBTA GM Phil Eng said with the announcement.
