When incoming Mayor Marty Walsh takes office in January, he will be inheriting a booming Boston waterfront made possible thanks to the efforts of outgoing Mayor Tom Menino and his administration. In the past five years alone, thousands of new workers and residents have located in the Seaport/Innovation District, joining long-time Fort Point residents and artists. In the next 10 years, another 18,000 workers and 2,000 residents are projected to locate in the Seaport area, joined by thousands more conventioneers annually if plans for an expanded Boston Convention and Exposition Center move forward.
Facilitating better access in and out of the Seaport District has been a priority of planners. The city of Boston, MassDOT, MBTA, Massport, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and A Better City are working together to implement measures to prevent traffic congestion through such measures as better traffic signal timing, better information to drivers on alternate routes and improvements to service on key commuter bus routes. A South Boston transportation study funded by these entities is underway to develop a comprehensive view of transportation needs for general traffic, public transportation, truck traffic, parking, pedestrians and cyclists. This is much needed and welcomed.
As Boston plans for additional growth in the Seaport and in other waterfront neighborhoods, emphasis needs to shift to development of a robust, forward-looking water transportation system complementing other transit options. Existing water transportation routes reflecting decades-old commuting and tourism patterns centered around the Financial District and Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market areas should be supplemented by new routes to emerging parts of the waterfront. Ferries being purchased by the Boston Redevelopment Authority will soon run between East Boston and South Boston, a good example of linking relatively affordable housing in East Boston with growing employment opportunities in the Seaport District. Frequent, affordable water transportation from the North Station area at Lovejoy Wharf, and from the UMass Boston/Kennedy Library area in Dorchester, should be an integral part of the development plans for these neighborhoods.
Guests to waterfront cities often consider water transportation part of the unique visitation experience. Consistent with this, regulatory approval of an expanded Convention Center in South Boston should require annual support of water transportation service from the Fan Pier and/or World Trade Center docks to the Charlestown Navy Yard and the Boston Harbor Islands, destinations popular with both visitors and residents. Similarly, gaming facilities proposed in Everett and Revere, each of which border Boston, should be required to provide regularly scheduled, affordable water transportation to help minimize local traffic impacts.
Key to an expanded water transportation system will be consistent funding. In addition to fares from riders, current water transportation services are supported by a mix of public and private funds. Better coordination of existing and new water transportation funds related to a comprehensive, integrated plan needs to occur. We look forward to working with the new mayor as he continues the city’s ongoing promotion and support for water transportation.
Vivien Li is president of The Boston Harbor Association, www.tbha.org. Email: vli@tbha.org
