Gracie WarhurstThe Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) a $67 million grant to improve accessibility on the nation’s oldest light rail subway line. The money is a part of the $1.75 billion All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
“A critical part of modernizing and improving our historic transit system is ensuring that every rider is able to use the system with ease and comfort,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “These federal awards are critical to our efforts to make the upgrades necessary to deliver this for our residents.”
ASAP helps fund projects to make older transit systems more efficient and accessible for the elderly and disabled. The program has $1.75 billion available from FY 22-23 through 2026, with hundreds of millions still available for grant awards.
Recent projects announced through the ASAP program include $156 million for New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority to improve five stations with new elevators and audio announcement systems, among other upgrades.
The MBTA plans to use the grant money to further its goal of making green line stations more accessible, since many of them were constructed before the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. The green line sees more than 100,000 riders each weekday, serving more than 70 stations in the Boston area.
The project will make 14 ground-level stops fully accessible along two branches of the green line in three neighborhoods. This includes raising, widening, leveling and illuminating platforms to ensure safe navigation for passengers who may have impaired mobility or who use wheelchairs or strollers.
