The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is assembling a “high performance unit” that may kickstart the state’s efforts to design and set up extra charging stations for electrical autos.
The new unit will probably be below the path of a “senior staffer” inside MassDOT for the close to time period, and can work towards advancing the work that was licensed by this yr’s $11.3 billion transportation bond invoice, in keeping with state Rep. William Straus, who co-chairs the Joint Committee on Transportation.
The invoice allotted $225 million for electrical automobile charging and different fueling packages, together with $50 million for the Mass EVIP Direct Current Fast Charging program and $25 million for RTA charging infrastructure grants, Straus mentioned.
“This is especially important work to get moving on, and is clearly among the higher priority efforts expressed on behalf of the Healey-Driscoll administration,” Straus wrote in an e-mail to his House and Senate colleagues that was shared with the Herald.
“In this case, a single unit pursuing capital projects benefiting Mass Highway, the T and our RTAs is something positive.”
This new MassDOT unit is required, Straus mentioned, as a result of transportation involvement in EV infrastructure and different capital packages “transcends the existing line agencies” below the secretary of transportation.
He mentioned outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration was inspired to suppose by way of infrastructure tasks that profit local weather response and future capital venture wants in overlapping areas that may profit the freeway division, MBTA, RTAs and aeronautics.
Outgoing Transportation Secretary Jamey Tesler addressed this situation throughout a November MassDOT Board of Directors assembly, the place he shared a presentation slide that listed potential packages the place MassDOT might present help to the MBTA, Straus mentioned.
At the assembly, it was mentioned that MassDOT might help with points similar to electrical automobile and charging stations, Commuter Rail electrification, bridge restore and rehab and ADA enhancements “by establishing a new special project unit” inside DOT to pursue these capital tasks, Straus mentioned.
Straus mentioned he was instructed by Tesler {that a} “high performance unit” has been established to advance the work wanted for the EV charging station design and set up funded within the transportation bond invoice.
MassDOT spokesperson Jacquelyn Goddard mentioned the unit is “in the process of being formed,” and extra data will probably be launched “later.”
“MassDOT is reviewing a number of options on how to best deliver multi-agency bond bill projects such as EV charging stations,” Goddard mentioned. “Decisions are expected to be made in the coming weeks.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”