Boston Council Hearing Targets 15-Year-Old Permit System Behind Street Chaos

BOSTON — April 19, 2023 — Boston City Council hearing exposes limits of 15-year-old street permit software. The Committee on City Services and Innovation Technology, chaired by outgoing District 8 Councillor Liz Breadon, convened Wednesday on a docket sponsored by Councillor Gabriela Coletta Zapata and Council President Edward M. Flynn to examine how the city coordinates construction and utility permits. Public Works Chief Engineer John Bozzella confirmed that the COBUX system, in use since 2008, functions solely as a street-by-street resurfacing reservation tool and cannot display a neighborhood-wide view of concurrent excavations — "I would love to say yes, but no, we cannot do that." The streets cabinet issued 58,005 permits in calendar year 2022, and National Grid alone averaged 2,500 to 2,600 per year while responding to roughly 576 grade-one gas emergencies. Jeffries Point Neighborhood Association representative Andrew Pike testified that last summer's construction surge in East Boston was severe enough that the MBTA briefly suspended a bus route through the neighborhood with minimal notice. Coletta Zapata and Flynn said they will seek budget funding to develop a GIS-based replacement, with National Grid's Joe Carroll adding his public endorsement for an upgraded system.