Next Steps for Transit Center Along Route 128

Things are moving forward with a plan to build a on Route 128, with an aim to relieve traffic pressures and encourage more commuters to use public transportation.

The 128 Central Corridor Coalition, made up of representatives from Weston, Waltham, Lexington, Lincoln and Burlington, met Friday morning in Weston Town Hall to discuss the next steps for a transit center.

Jeanne Krieger, a former selectman in Lexington and chairman of the coalition, said the coalition is moving forward to get approval from the state to hire a full-time staff person to coordinate efforts among the towns, local business owners, property owners and others.

And only through that kind of collaboration will there be a solution, said Krieger.

“If you can improve the shuttle service than you’re going to get more people making demands for better transportation,” she said.

According to a handout from Krieger, there are currently 13 MBTA bus routes and 22 shuttle buses that serve the 128 corridor from Waltham to Burlington. The Fitchburg commuter rail line also crosses over 128 from Weston to Waltham.

“Many residents and jobs are within a 10-minute walk of transit, but a very small percentage of the travel in the corridor is currently made by [public] transit,” according to the handout.

The coalition will move forward with a job description and other paperwork for the full-time coordination staffer, and will meet again, Friday, April 15, at 8:30 a.m. in Weston Town Hall. The purpose of that meeting will be to meet with the three largest developers along the 128 corridor to talk about their plans for the future, as well as funding plans for the transit center.