For the record, my name is Sharon Durkin, District 8 City Councilor, and I'm chair of the Committee on Planning Development and Transportation.

Today is April 21st.

The exact time is 2 p.m.

This hearing is being recorded.

It is also being live streamed at Boston.gov backslash city dash council dash TV and broadcast on Expendity Channel 8, RCN Channel 82, BIOS Channel 964.

Written comments may be sent to the committee email at CCC.plan DEV at Boston.gov and will be made part of the record and available to all counselors.

Public testimony will be taken at the end of this hearing.

Individuals will be called on in the order of which they've signed up and have two minutes to testify.

If you are interested in testifying in person, please add your name to the sign-up sheet near the entrance of the chamber.

If you are looking to testify virtually, please add your please email our central staff liaison, ShanePack at Shane SHANE dot PAC at Boston.gov, and um your name will be added to the list.

Today's hearing is on Docket 0204, order for a hearing to discuss making neighborhood streets safer following the 30-day review of street projects in Boston.

This uh matter was sponsored by Benjamin Weber and Enrique Pepin and referred to the committee on January 28, 2026.

Docket 0588, order for hearing to discuss City of Boston transportation philosophy and status of infrastructure projects.

This matter was sponsored by Councillors Durkin, Pepin, and Weber, and is referred to the committee on March 18, 2026.

And Docket 0589, order for a hearing to discuss the status of state and federal funding allocated for transportation projects.

This matter was sponsored by Council President Liz Braden and was referred to the committee on March 18, 2026.

Today I am joined by my colleagues in order of arrival.

Okay.

Councillor Flynn, Councillor Murphy, Councillor Peppen, Councillor Braden, Councillor Weber, Councillor Cole Pepper, and Councillor Fitzgerald.

Um good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for being here.

When I introduced my docket to the council floor, I committed to scheduling this hearing as soon as possible in the midst of budget season because I believe this issue is important and urgent.

Residents expect and deserve to feel safe on our streets.

Meeting that expectation is a shared responsibility that depends on consistent work and clear coordination across city across the city.

Boston has committed through Vision Zero to eliminate fatal and severe traffic crashes by 2030, and there are a number of important street and safety projects underway to help get us there.

But in recent months, there has been concern that too many of these projects have been slowed down or stalled without clear evidence of what's happening or why.

Constituents ask me every day for updates as well as through through being the chair of planning development and transportation, and I haven't always had answers to those questions.

Many of these projects are desperately needed to protect all road users and ensure everyone can get around our city safely, especially our most vulnerable.

In District 8, where so many residents and visitors navigate by foot all every day.

This is something I think about consistently.

More and more young people are choosing not to drive.

We need to embrace the future and plan accordingly, recognizing that many Boston residents, including myself do not own a car.

The delay of many of these projects has also put state and federal transportation funding at risk.

Similarly, we've had discussions in this chamber about Blue Holav at a time when we are facing challenges and a challenging budget season, coupled with federal uncertainty and decreasing state funding.

I know that the city is taking steps to extend public engagement and community involvement.

However, there does remain a lack of clarity on how we're moving in an overall direction, what our transportation philosophy is, what our long-term goals are, and how these projects are going to be made whole.

I hope that we can gain more clarity from City of Boston leadership about the transportation philosophy and decision making process, the status of key projects, and the path forward to delivering safer and more efficient streets for Boston residents.

As city councillors, we have an important role to partner with the administration to advance the goal of safety on our streets and sidewalks.

Thank you to all the residents and organizations who are here, what are watching this afternoon, and thank you for your continued advocacy on these important issues.

I want to thank uh interim chief chief Nick Gove and Mohammed Mazuri for joining us today.

Um Nick uh Gove is the interim chief of streets for the city of Boston, and Mohammed Missouri is executive director for the Office of Neighborhood Services.

Um I'm going to go to opening statements from my colleagues that are sponsors.

So Councillor Liz Braden, you have I'm sorry, Council President Liz Braden, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you all for being here.

Lots of road users in the in the House to uh listen to this very important discussion.

Um I filed a docket 0589, an order for a hearing to discuss the status of state and federal funding allocated for transportation and streets projects.

Uh it it came as sort of a wake-up call recently when we lost 327 million cut dollars cut from the I-90 project as part of a map uh because the project was years behind schedule and the money wasn't obligated.

I think in this case, we're looking citywide at uh hundreds of millions of dollars that are in jeopardy.

Uh as we as a city uh if we as a city do not move forward decisively and obligate these funds and show forward direction.

We have many unanswered questions about why the process is stalled, and we also um feel that this is a moment uh of in the middle of our budget season and uh looking forward to what we can and and uh foreseeably deliver from Boston.

That in this moment it's critically important that we partner with our state and federal partners and that we f partner with the MBTA to make sure that we uh utilize the funds and use them as uh as they were intended.

Uh and and if we don't use them, we're in danger of losing them.

So this is a an important moment and an important issue for uh all of us across the city, but it's uh it's uh particularly important for my district as well.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, next we'll go to uh the lead sponsor of the other docket, um, Councillor Weber.

You have the floor in two minutes.

Uh thank you very much.

Uh I'm I'm glad to see so many of my colleagues coming out today uh and for the administration for everyone who's shown up here in City Hall.

I I yeah I filed uh docket on the 30-day review uh in April 2025.

Uh and so it's been a year for us to try to figure out what that review meant and what we were doing about it.