Next stop for Allston megaproject includes ‘strategic review’

Concerns repeatedly raised have been substantiated by the September 8, 2025, MassDOT document release. The records reveal undisclosed communications and conflicts of interest involving the Head of the MassDOT Selection Committee and Applegreen’s bidding team. This conduct undermines the integrity of the process and demands immediate investigation, accountability, and disqualification of Applegreen to preserve public trust. Learn more.

When it comes to transportation projects in Massachusetts, “expect delays” is a phrase that readily comes to mind.

The Trump administration gave the phrase new meaning earlier this year when it blew a $327 million hole through funding for what’s known as the Allston Multimodal Project. That left state transportation officials trying to figure out how to absorb the cut in funds for the multibillion dollar project.

But first, officials want to understand the overall breadth and depth of the budget gap facing the project, which seeks to realign and lower the I-90 turnpike to ground level, as well as add a new MBTA station to the area as Harvard University builds a new neighborhood there. They acknowledge it might be even bigger than $327 million when construction inflation and the doubling of steel tariffs are factored in. 

Cuts aren’t on the table yet. But state officials will be turning to an outside consultant, who is expected to make recommendations on how to proceed on the key elements of the project. The move was rolled out last night at the Allston project’s task force meeting in Brighton, and a request for proposals will be released later this fall.

The consultant, who officials hope to have aboard by the end of the year, will offer “fresh eyes,” said Luisa Paiewonsky, the executive director of the state Department of Transportation’s Office of Megaproject Delivery. Paiewonsky’s portfolio also includes the Cape Cod bridges.

For the Allston project, which has had its share of twists and turns over the years, there have been internal discussions about breaking the project into phases.

In looking for an outside consultant to help them move forward, officials prefer the term “strategic review” rather than “reset.” They shy away from comparisons to the $2.3 billion Green Line extension, completed under Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration after its transportation chief dramatically reduced costs partly by offering up no-frills stations.

There won’t be a revised project schedule for the Allston project, in the works for more than a decade, until there is more clarity on the cost and the scope. Results from the consultant’s “strategic review” are expected sometime in 2026.

Paiewonsky stressed that the goals of the Allston project aren’t changing: MassDOT officials are still interested in improving connections between Allston, the Charles River reservation and the surrounding regional transportation network, and supporting the west-east rail, which would better connect western Massachusetts to Boston. 

Paiewonsky said officials are still taking into account Harvard’s ongoing redevelopment of the area, and meeting with their representatives, as well as those from nearby Boston University, and Boston City Hall. And while they’ve paused sizable components of the Allston project, they’re still continuing to review environmental and traffic impacts.

“We’re still moving,” she said.

When do you think the Allston megaproject will break ground? Send me your best guesses: [email protected].

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