MA Roadway Safety Org Gets $7.5 Million Grant

BOSTON, MA — A regional organization has a plan to prevent traffic deaths and serious injuries across Greater Boston. Now, it also has serious funding dollars to implement that strategy.

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has been awarded a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support the implementation of the Boston Region’s Vision Zero Action Plan across 97 cities and towns in the area.

(To view a map of those communities, click here.)

Officials said the organization will collaborate on design and safety intervention strategies with the municipalities.

Some things residents could see implemented included "quick-build traffic calming projects" like speed humps and high-visibility crosswalks.

The MPO will also conduct planning projects, crash analyses, roadway safety audits and community engagement campaigns, which officials hope will "foster regional coordination, enhance safety planning efforts, and lay the groundwork for future large-scale transportation infrastructure projects aligned with Vision Zero principles."

This is the second SS4A grant awarded to the Boston Region MPO. In 2023, the MPO received $2.7 million in funding to support the development of a regional Vision Zero Action Plan.

“This grant builds on the momentum we’ve created with the Vision Zero Action Plan, allowing us to take tangible steps toward safer streets,” said Tegin Teich, Executive Director of the Boston Region MPO. “By funding essential safety projects and planning initiatives, we’re able to partner with municipalities to bring forward the resources and support they need to address pressing roadway safety challenges.”

In addition to support from the DOT, the organization also has support from policymakers across the state.

“Thanks to the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, all signs are pointing toward roadway safety in Greater Boston,” said Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.).

“I am proud to have helped secure this federal funding for critical safety improvements in the region through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. We cannot cycle past this opportunity to coordinate safety across our communities, and I am grateful for the partnership between the Boston Region MPO, the Biden-Harris administration, our federal delegation, and our municipal leaders to make this investment a reality.”

The Boston region is relatively diverse in what types of communities fall within those borders. Those 97 cities and towns the MPO is working with cover approximately 1,360 square miles, stretching from Boston to Ipswich in the north, Marshfield in the south, and approximately Interstate 495 in the west.