Boston PIC Advances Seaport Street Overhaul, Copley Bus Stop Redesign to Public Hearing

BOSTON -- March 14, 2024, Boston's Public Improvement Commission advanced a Seaport streetscape overhaul and a Copley Square bus stop redesign to public hearings set for March 28. The commission heard first presentations on the city-initiated reconstruction of Congress Street, Sleeper Street, and A Street in Fort Point, the final piece of the Big Dig-era Crossroads Initiative, which would widen sidewalks to up to 17 feet, install two 7.5-foot separated cycle tracks, and replace all street lighting with Four Point District-style fixtures along roughly 900 feet of Congress Street alone; construction is not expected before spring 2025. The MBTA's Pete Roby told commissioners that the St. James Avenue and Trinity Place redesign would serve the ninth-busiest bus stop in the entire MBTA network, with a roughly 60 percent service increase planned in coming years. Fort Point Neighborhood Association member Tom Ready warned that the Congress Street project would eliminate all 15 resident-only parking spaces on A Street, a conflict the city has not yet formally resolved. The commission also unanimously approved a Verizon conduit installation at 660 Tremont Street and sidewalk repairs for GCB Realty LLC on Center Street and Greenview Avenue, while setting a March 28 hearing for a pedestrian easement tied to a 126-unit, 100-percent affordable building at 341 LaGrange Street in Chinatown.