Boston Streets Cabinet Presents $193 Million FY25 Budget to City Council

BOSTON — April 25, 2024 — Boston's Streets Cabinet is seeking $193 million in FY25, a half-point increase over last year, anchored by a record $42.8 million capital authorization for sidewalks, pedestrian ramps, and road repaving. Chief of Streets Franklin Hodge and Director of Budget and Finance Koucha presented the figures Thursday to the City Council Committee on Ways and Means, chaired by Councilor Liz Breadon, with Councilor Edward M. Flynn also present. Nearly $30 million of the capital total is earmarked for curb ramps under a court settlement requiring ADA compliance citywide, with officials noting the city must make up a deficit of roughly 600 ramps from last year. A $1.5 million increase in the Public Works budget is driven by a new mattress collection contract after MassDEP banned mattresses from the regular waste stream. The administration also reported that its speed hump safety surge program, which installed about 300 speed humps in a single construction season last year, is on pace to match that total by the end of just the first two quarters of the current year.