New Hubway Station Coming, MassDOT Contract Extended

Brookline is getting a new Hubway Station on Harvard Street near Thorndike Street and the station at Town Hall will be moved to Washington Square.

The Town received a contract from MassDOT on March 1, 2012 for $96,308 as Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds. These funds were used to implement the Brookline Bike Share program as part of the Hubway program. 

While the Town is not seeking any additional funds, Assistant Director for Community Planning Joe Viola asked the Board of Selectmen for an extension of the contract from March 31 2013 to March 31, 2014.

“The CMAQ funds that we’re using through MassDOT pays for launch fees with the operator (Alta Bike Sharing), for putting the equipment on the street, and maintaining that equipment,” Viola said. “The Town fronts the money and we put in a reimbursement request after every month after we pay for those expenses.”

The contract will run out at the end of this month and MassDOT recommended that the Board of Selectmen extend the contract for a year.

As early as January 2013, Brookline requested $56,368.75 in eligible reimbursements through MassDOT, which was short of the expected budget.

One of the reasons why Brookline did not use the full $96,308 available was that Brookline, Somerville and Cambridge did not launch the bike share program until August of 2012, limiting the first year of operation from August to November.

The other reason why the town didn’t use all of the funds is because the town only launched three Hubway stations. A fourth will be implemented in March or April of this year.

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor of allowing the contract extension with MassDOT for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds for another year.