Gov. Baker touts federal infrastructure law while visiting site of new Quincy bus depot - The Patriot Ledger

State House News Service and The Patriot Ledger

QUINCY – Federal, state and local officials gathered in Quincy on Monday morning to celebrate the infrastructure law passed by Congress last year and the billions of dollars Massachusetts stands to use on projects such as a new MBTA bus depot at the site of the former Lowe's home improvement store.

Officials said replacing the 104-year-old Quincy bus maintenance facility on Hancock Street with "a completely modern state-of-the-art facility" is a key but early step in the agency's modernization.

The new Quincy facility on Thomas Burgin Parkway will be "the first garage in our system to accommodate a fleet of zero-emission battery and battery electric buses," MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said.

The current Quincy facility near Veterans Memorial Stadium can only accommodate vehicles that entered service before 2010. The new garage will be able to accommodate hybrid and battery-powered buses and can service up to 120 vehicles, 34 more than the current facility. The depot is expected to have 45 battery-electric buses in its fleet and should open in 2024.

Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch said he has expressed interest to the state in buying the old bus depot's land and using it to build a fieldhouse for Veterans Memorial Stadium.

In 2019, T officials estimated that it would cost $10.1 billion to replace all outdated equipment and infrastructure across the MBTA system. Poftak said Monday that the T is expecting the federal infrastructure law to deliver $2.2 billion over the next five years, with $1.6 billion already programmed and $580 million dedicated to new projects.

In addition to the new facility, the MBTA is working to improve pedestrian crossings on Burgin Parkway and the sidewalk in front of the building. Construction has been ongoing for several months on a pedestrian and bike path between Columbia Street and Burgin Parkway, and an extension of Columbia Street to Burgin Parkway.

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source: https://www.patriotledger.com/story/news/2022/02/14/baker-touts-infrastructure-law-while-visiting-new-quincy-bus-depot-site/6785992001/

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