Walsh Releases Capital Plan For The City

April 18, 2017 News

Boston mayor Marty Walsh released a more than $2 billion five-year capital plan for the city Thursday.

Walsh said his proposed plan would invest one billion dollars over the next decade to renovate the city’s schools.

“It’s going to make a huge impact,” he said. “Obviously we have not had any type of major renovations and reconstruction of schools in our city like this in decades, in generations of our young people.”

Walsh said the city will begin talking with the community in the coming weeks about what renovation projects are needed.  At an East Boston press conference, the mayor listed a range of investments featured in the new capital plan.

“Neighborhoods across the city benefit from major investments in this plan,” he said. “We’re upgrading central square, right here where we are today. We’re working on walking paths along Jamaica Pond in Jamaica Plain. We’re improving roadways along [the] Whittier Street development in Roxbury.”

The plan also invests in the following priorities:

  • $709 million over five years to make roads and sidewalks safer for pedestrians and bikers, as well as the other initiatives outlined in the city’s “Go Boston 2030” transportation plan
  • Improved technology for traffic signals
  • Investing in City parks, including Franklin Park, the Emerald Necklace, and Mary Hannon Playground in Roxbury
  • Climate plans for Boston neighborhoods at risk of flooding
  • Renovation of the Curley Community Center in South Boston and other public health facilities
  • Road and sidewalk work in the Whittier Street housing development in Roxbury
  • Sets aside one percent of city’s annual capital borrowing for commissioning public art
  • Renovating firehouses and police stations

The full capital plan is online here.

Read original article from WBUR here.