BOSTON, November 16, 2023 — We're pleased that the Healey-Driscoll administration and MBTA leadership have released the Capital Needs Assessment Inventory. This long-awaited document confirms what many have suspected, that the previous administration’s reports dramatically underestimated the true extent of the State of Good Repair backlog. We applaud the MBTA staff who have put an incredible amount of hard work into this report. While $24.5 billion will be a shocking number for many, this is only the cost of bringing the system back to a baseline state of good repair and does not include many vital projects needed to avoid overcrowding, address traffic congestion, or support further housing growth.
Riders, especially low-income riders and riders with disabilities, have borne the brunt of decades of austerity and underinvestment. Our nation-leading traffic congestion is largely a product of a system that has not only failed to keep up with a state of good repair but has also failed to make the needed maintenance, modernization, and expansion investments. If we are to meet the pressing challenges facing the region, we must bring the system into not just a state of good repair, but make it into a future-proof, climate-resilient, and world-class system.
The MBTA leadership and Healey-Driscoll Administration must work with federal, state, and local elected officials, advocates, and stakeholders to identify the long-term, sustainable funding sources to address the backlog in a manner that grows ridership and does not lose sight of the essential modernization, resiliency, and expansion needs. TransitMatters stands ready to support the Healey-Driscoll administration in breaking with a culture of austerity and building the safe, modern, equitable, accessible MBTA the region needs.
For media inquiries, please e-mail media@transitmatters.org.
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Banner Photo Credit: Brooke Winter