Boston City Council Approves $14.4M Traffic Safety Grant, Condemns Federal Cuts

BOSTON — February 26, 2025 — Boston City Council unanimously approves $14.4 million federal grant to upgrade traffic signals at 50 high-crash locations across the city. The Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, administered by the Boston Transportation Department and brought forward by Planning, Development, and Transportation Committee Chair Sharon Durkan, targets intersections identified through the city's crash-network data, including the North Washington Street and Causeway Street corridor. The council also approved a $775,855 Blue Bikes grant for station replacements and bike-rack conversions, with Councilor Edward M. Flynn casting the lone dissent over electric bike safety and parking concerns. By unanimous votes, the council condemned Trump administration cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Institutes of Health — Councilor Sharon Durkan cited more than $2 billion in NIH-linked research activity in her district alone and noted Massachusetts receives roughly $3.5 billion in NIH funding annually. A resolution supporting Boston Public Library staffer Eve Griffin, who has stage 4 breast cancer and was denied access to a colleague-funded sick leave bank, passed 8-to-0 with five members voting present, including Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, who said personnel disputes fall within the administration's purview.