Earlier this year, Congressman Stephen Lynch submitted a funding proposal in the amount of three and a half million dollars ($3,500,000.00) to reconstruct Allen Street as part of the FY23 Community Funding Process. “This investment presents an exciting opportunity for the residents of East Braintree and I look forward to favorable action by the Senate,” said Mayor Charles C. Kokoros.
This project will address a major infrastructure need for the Town of Braintree. Specifically, it will increase pedestrian and bicycle access from Quincy Avenue and Shaw Street to the site of the planned development on the 44 Allen Street property, which includes mixed income housing units and public waterfront access to the Monatiquot River. Also, if approved, the funding will address the structural wall that retains the public right of away from lower lying private properties, preventing future localized collapses that require the closure of the sidewalk.
“I give great credit to Mayor Chuck Kokoros for identifying the stretch of Allen Street between Shaw Street and Quincy Avenue as a priority for Braintree officials and residents alike. I know that, in the past, the cost of addressing such a major infrastructure need had been prohibitive,” U.S. Rep. Lynch said. “So, I am proud that by working together we were able to secure this $3.15 million federal earmark for the Town of Braintree in the Fiscal Year 2023 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill, which will be used to transform Allen Street in a way that not only improves safety for bicyclists, motorists, and pedestrians but also expands the amount of usable space along this high-traffic corridor. And I am grateful to Mayor Chuck Kokoros, State Senators Walter Timilty and John Keenan, State Representative Mark Cusack, Members of the Town Council, and Town Engineer John Thompson, whose strong support was essential to securing this funding.”
This project is currently at 90% design, with a construction estimate of $3.15M. The project has already been permitted through the Braintree Conservation Commission and has also been reviewed and accepted approved by MassDOT as it relates to its impacts to the abutting State Route 53 (Quincy Avenue). If funding is appropriated, the project design could be completed within 60 days and project bidding could commence immediately thereafter.
“I am incredibly thankful to Congressman Lynch for his support of this project as it continues to move through the legislative approval process. In addition to enhancing the public access in the area, this funding will allow the Town to address a gap in multi-modal connectivity to Quincy Avenue and transit lines, while also addressing a significant infrastructure need,” said Mayor Kokoros. “I also want to thank everyone that submitted a letter of support for this project, including Senators Walter Timilty and John Keenan, Representative Mark Cusack, Town Council President Meredith Boericke, District 3 Councilor Elizabeth Maglio and Winn Companies.”
More information on the Bill approved by House Appropriations Committee can be found here:
https://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/appropriations-committee-approves-fiscal-year-2023-transportation-and-housing