MBTA GM Phil Eng, seen here at North Station in February alongside Gov Maura Healey, said his first year on the job has seen a change in the way business is done at the MBTA. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)
If you’ve got something to say to the people in charge over at MBTA about their plans for the future of the transit service, now’s your chance.
On Thursday, the MBTA announced a 21 day public comment period for their proposed five year, multi-billion dollar capital investment plan.
This time period will give the public a chance to weigh in as the T looks to undertake over 600 independent projects from now until the end of 2029, according MBTA General Manager Phil Eng.
“The MBTA’s five-year CIP is the framework that guides how the T plans critical investments in the system, and public feedback is invaluable to us as we prioritize and deliver critical work for the public we serve,” Eng said with the announcement.
Currently coming in at a price tag of $9.6 billion, the 5-year plan is updated annually to ensure that the agency’s projected improvements align with the needs of the service.
“We understand our responsibility to make wise investments as we rebuild our system, providing improved, reliable, and safe service today while we also plan and strategically deliver capital projects that will serve the needs of future generations,” Eng said.
The MBTA will hold two public comment sessions on the proposed investment plan. The first will be an in-person meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. on the second floor of the State Transportation Building at 10 Park Plaza in Boston. The second will be held virtually on May 7 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. More information about either session can be found at mbta.com/events.
Written comments can be submitted before May 16 on the MBTA’s Capital Investment Plan page at https://www.mbta.com/financials/capital-investment-plan.
According to the MBTA, “public input is essential to the MBTA’s capital planning effort, and rider input is appreciated. All comments will be reviewed and considered by MBTA staff and summary responses will be shared after the release of the final CIP in June 2024.”
The MBTA defines a capital project as “investments or activities related to acquiring, renewing, constructing, improving, or maintaining a capital asset, including project planning and design.”
