October 31, 2023

Warren, Markey, Pressley Celebrate Nearly $4 Million to Make Safe Bike Paths Accessible in Somerville

Washington, D.C.  – United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) celebrated the Department of Transportation awarding nearly $4 million – through the first round of the Fiscal Year 2023 Safe Streets and Roads for All grants – to make safe bike paths accessible by developing critical transportation infrastructure, including pavement markings, signs, and biker lanes, which will bolster roadway safety and connectivity in Somerville.

“Incredible news for our Somerville community! Thanks to this federal funding, Somerville will build more protected bike lanes and make our roads safer for everyone: bikers, pedestrians, and drivers,” said Senator Warren. “This investment is key towards building greener, healthier, and more sustainable communities in Massachusetts and I will keep pushing for these grants to improve our transportation and transit systems across the Commonwealth.”

“The roads we use every day shouldn’t pose a threat to pedestrians or cyclists,” said Senator Markey. “The nearly $4 million in federal funding will ensure that our roadways are more accessible and safe for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike – all while lowering carbon emissions. I will keep working with local leaders and my Massachusetts colleagues to fight for a safe, reliable, and accessible transit system that moves us closer to a future free from fossil fuels.”

“Cycling is at the intersection of climate justice, transit justice, and health justice, which is why I’ve consistently advocated for multi-modal transit infrastructure that includes safe, reliable, connected bike lanes,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “This nearly $4 million in federal funds will help Somerville improve the safety of cyclists, reduce traffic and greenhouse gas emissions, and help connect more residents to major employment areas. I’m thrilled to partner with our Senate colleagues and the Biden Administration to help deliver these much-needed resources for Somerville and I look forward to working with Mayor Ballantyne and city officials to see the project implemented.”

Three other communities in Massachusetts also received funding in the current round:

  • $200,000 for the City of Haverhill to improve roadway intersection safety.
  • $200,000 for the City of Lowell to help inform the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments' Regional Safety Action Plan.
  • $188,480 for the City of Brockton to plan and implement a systemic safety pilot at three high-crash, high-risk intersections.

The Department of Transportation will announce a second round of the Fiscal Year 2023 Safe Streets and Roads for All grants in the coming months.

Senator Warren has championed green investments in transportation infrastructure:

  • On October 20, 2023, chairing a hearing of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy, held at UMass Lowell, Senator Warren highlighted how historic federal infrastructure funding she has fought for has benefitted Massachusetts and its residents. 
  • In June 2023, Senator Warren sent a letter to the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and 33 Commonwealth municipalities, highlighting the benefits of electrifying the Commonwealth’s school bus fleets and encouraging the Associations and their members to take full advantage of the newly-announced EPA Clean School Bus (CSB) Grants Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
  • In July 2022, Senators Warren and Markey and Representatives Richard E. Neal (D-MA-01), James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.), Bill Keating (D-Mass.), Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Ayanna Pressley, Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), and Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) announced that General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport in Boston will receive $62 million in FY2022 funding from the FAA as a part of the Airport Terminals Program. This grant is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in November of 2021.
  • In April 2022, Senators Warren and Markey celebrated the more than $537 million investment in Massachusetts transit announced by the Department of Transportation. The funding, authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will provide Massachusetts with critical resources to upgrade the MBTA and regional transit systems, modernize our fleets, cars, and buses, and improve the resiliency of our transit infrastructure.  
  • In February 2022, Senator Warren and Markey, along with Representatives Neal, McGovern, Lynch, Keating Assistant Speaker Clark, Moulton, Pressley, Trahan, and Auchincloss announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded Massachusetts state and regional transit authorities an estimated total of more than $196,126,742 in funding under the Further Extending Government Funding Act, which provides partial-year spending authority through February 18, 2022. The amounts also include funding identified as advance appropriations in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022) for the State of Good Repair and the Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities formula programs. These FTA grants are allocated to local public transit systems, to help fund buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, trolleys, ferries, and other services. 
  • In April 2021, in a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing, Senator Warren made the case for the need to tackle climate change by investing in our nation's clean energy infrastructure, including the replacement of buses powered by diesel with electric buses. In  March 2021, Senator Warren and Congressman Andrew Levin (D-Mich.), along with Senator Markey (D-Mass.), and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), unveiled the BUILD GREEN Infrastructure and Jobs Act. Modeled after the Department of Transportation's successful BUILD grant program, BUILD GREEN would invest $500 billion over ten years in state, local, and tribal projects to jumpstart the transition to all electric public vehicles and rail and help modernize the nation's crumbling infrastructure.  

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