ContributorDuring the March 7 MassDOT Public Hearing, Project Manager Tom Currier stated that the state will pay for the community path project. That is only partially true: the town may be liable for cost overruns due to the Boston MPO’s rule changes issued in November 2021.
The Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization (Boston MPO) is in charge of overseeing the financial aspects of the project while MassDOT is in charge of overseeing construction. $21,288,202 of Federal and state money has been budgeted for the path’s construction that will be put out for bid in early 2026.
Prior to 2021, the Boston MPO generously paid for cost overruns and changes in a project’s scope. However, this generosity was exploited by some towns in different ways: inflating budgets, changing the project’s scope and large cost overruns. As a result, in 2021, the MPO issued rule changes.
The new rules that apply to the path project are:
If a project increases in cost by $2.5 million, proponents would be required to attend an MPO board meeting to explain the cause of the cost increase. The MPO board would then decide whether the cost increase should be funded.
Hence, there is no assurance that cost overruns will be paid by the Boston MPO and the town may have to pay for them.
Considering the current supply chain issues that are worsening due to geopolitical problems, global resource scarcity and climate instability, you may want to ask yourself: How many more overrides do you want to go through in the future?
Aleida Leza, Channing Road
