Government

Sen. Brownsberger Hosting Town Halls on Transportation, the Census

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

The following announcement was provided by State Sen. Will Brownsberger, who represents Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston:

Senator Brownsberger is hosting a series of Town Halls for each community in January – February 2020. These town halls will focus on Transportation, as well as the 2020 Census. Logistics about the upcoming town hall taking place in your community can be found below:

Watertown

Date: Tuesday, January 28thTime: 6:00PMLocation: Watertown Free Public Library (123 Main St, Watertown, MA 02472), Savings Bank Meeting Room

Fenway & Back Bay

More information about the January 22nd Town Hall can be found here: https://willbrownsberger.com/january-22-back-bay-transportation-2020-census-town-hall/

Brighton & Allston

Date: Tuesday, February 4thTime: 6:00PMLocation: Presentation School Foundation Community Center (640 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135)

Belmont

Date: Tuesday, February 11thTime: 6:00PMLocation: Belmont Public Library (336 Concord Ave, Belmont, MA 02478, USA), Assembly Room

Around Town

First Public Meeting on Watertown Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan Coming Up

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Find out about the Watertown Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan and share your experiences to identify priorities and problem areas in Town. Town officials provided the following information:

The meeting will be held at the Watertown Middle School Cafeteria, 68 Waverley Ave., Watertown, MA 02472 on Monday, Jan. 27, 20202, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Watertown encourages active transportation — walking, biking and transit — to help reduce congestion, and improve both air quality and public health. The Watertown Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan aims to help achieve those goals by identifying future improvements to the Town’s streets and walkways. Join us for a discussion on the future of Watertown’s bicycle and pedestrian transportation networks and tell us what you would like to see.

MBTA

Discount MBTA Passes Now Available for Watertown Youth

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Buses like this one on the 71 bus will get priority heading toward Harvard Square on Mt. Auburn Street in the new Cambridge-Watertown Bus Priority Pilot program. State officials announced youth from Watertown can receive discount passes to ride the MBTA buses and trains through the Youth Pass program. The program is aimed at people between age 12 and 25 who are not enrolled in school or college (they already qualify for passes for school or college students). Students over 18 must be enrolled in an alternative education program (such as GED), a job training program, or a federal benefit program, including MassHealth and SNAP.

Government

Watertown Gets Boost in Road/Transportation Funds from State of Nearly $74K

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A road after being milled and prepared for overlay of new asphalt.

Watertown will get its share of the $20 million added to the state’s road and transportation improvement funding as part of the supplemental budget approved by Governor Baker in December. The money comes on top of the $200 million already in the Fiscal Year 2020 State budget for Chapter 90. Watertown will receive and extra $73,924, for a total of $813,159 in Chapter 90 funding for FY20. “This funding represents our continued commitment to supporting communities as they address the maintenance and modernization of local infrastructure, which are a critical part of the Commonwealth’s transportation network,” said Governor Charlie Baker in an announcement this week.  “We are pleased to provide this additional transportation funding for local projects in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.”

Chapter 90 transportation funds support all 351 cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth. Funding for each municipality is predetermined by a formula that includes factors such as population, road miles, and employment, according to the release from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).

MBTA

See the MBTA Schedules for New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day

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An MBTA bus in Watertown. The MBTA will be running special service on New Year’s Eve, including free service in the evening. Find out more details below. The following information came from the MBTA:

New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 2019

Fares will not be collected after 8 p.m.

All modes will run on a weekday schedule. 

Subway will have additional, late-night service.

52 bus

Changes to MBTA Buses Serving Watertown Start in Late December

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An MBTA bus in Watertown. Watertown public transit riders will soon see some changes to bus routes as part of the MBTA’s Better Bus Project. Beginning Dec. 22, 2019, the 70 and 70A buses will see changes in its service to north Waltham,, and the 71 bus will have shortened routes during the morning and evening rush hours. Also, stops will be eliminated on the 52 bus, which runs out of Watertown Yard.

MBTA

MBTA Announces Recommendations to Improve Safety for Riders, Staff

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The following announcement was provided by the MBTA:

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and its Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) accepted a report from the MBTA Safety Review Panel on Dec. 9 that offers 34 recommendations with 61 corrective actions to improve safety for MBTA riders and staff. The panel, commissioned by the FMCB in June after a series of derailments and other safety incidents, comprises three nationally recognized experts in transit safety: former US transportation secretary Ray LaHood; former Federal Transit Administration acting administrator Carolyn Flowers; and former NYC Transit president Carmen Bianco. “While the agency performs the necessary core functions to be considered a relatively safe system, many aspects of the T’s approach to safety and operations need immediate attention,” the report states. “In almost every area we examined, deficiencies in policies, application of safety standards or industry best practices, and accountability were apparent.”

FMCB Chairman Joseph Aiello praised the Safety Review Panel’s 63-page report.

Around Town

First Winter Storm Due to Hit Watertown Sunday, Parking Ban Starts

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A storm that will stretch from Sunday into Tuesday could drop as much as six inches of snow on the Watertown area, and make travel tough for people returning from Thanksgiving trips. At the same time, the winter parking ban begins in Watertown. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued by the National Weather Service from 11 a.m. on Sunday to 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Watertown is in the area forecast by WCVB Channel 5 to get 3-6 inches of snow, but areas of northern Massachusetts and New Hampshire could get more than a foot. The Cape, on the other hand, will get an inch or less.