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Allston Multimodal Project

INTRO

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is embarking on a $1.9B project in Allston, prompted by the need to replace the Mass Pike’s aging Allston interchange. The Allston Multimodal Project will reconstruct the Allston interchange and replace today’s tangle of highway ramps with a new street grid to allow development on dozens of acres of land owned by Harvard University. 

The project is also an important opportunity to improve regional transit and provides a once-in-a-century chance to improve the conditions and accessibility of the parks, paths, and river’s edge in Allston. The CRC, along with a coalition of mobility and environmental organizations, believes this project must be about more than just the highway.

Recommended reading: Christian MilNeil’s comprehensive, up-to-date overview of the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project on StreetsblogMASS.

OUR ADVOCACY PRIORITIES

  • Connect diverse communities to a welcoming, resilient, world-class waterfront open to all
  • Encourage shift to sustainable transportation alternatives through expanded transit and an improved Paul Dudley White path
  • Support lane reduction to limit volume of asphalt (impervious surfaces) next to the river
  • Reduce harmful stormwater runoff
  • Mitigate flooding risk
  • Promote ecological health by reestablishing native species and stabilized bank
  • Ensure safety measures for both land and water navigation
  • Secure sufficient resources for long-term maintenance

ALLSTON MULTIMODAL TASK FORCE

As a member of MassDOT’s Allston Multimodal Project Task Force, CRC Executive Director Laura Jasinski represents and advocates for the Charles River, the parks, and the park users. The Task Force consists of residents, business owners, and other local stakeholders and includes many of our environmental and mobility advocacy partners.

The Task Force meets monthly to review project updates and discuss details. It is a crucial opportunity for the CRC to influence and improve the project for the betterment of the Charles River, the parks, and our communities.

The Task Force meetings are public, so consider attending one to learn more about the project and make your voice heard! Learn more here.

GET INVOLVED

LATEST PRESS

2026

2025

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UPDATES

August 29, 2025: The CRC signed onto a group letter to members of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Allston Multimodal Project team to provide Task Force Input on Strategic Review Priorities and Process following the federal funding cuts of $327 million from the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant.

August 16, 2024: The CRC submitted a comment letter to Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Monica Tibbits-Nutt in response to the Throat Area/Charles River Working Group process for the Allston Multimodal Project.

June 21, 2024: The CRC submitted a comment letter in response to the Section 106 process for the Allston Multimodal Project.

March 20, 2024: The CRC signed onto a group letter to Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Monica Tibbits-Nutt summarizing project recommendations and requests to prioritize human-scaled streets, improvements to the Charles River bank and park, and seamless walking and biking connectivity to the Charles River.

March 11, 2024: MassDOT announced that the Healey-Driscoll Administration won $335.4 million in federal funding for the Allston Multimodal Project in Boston. Read MassDOT’s Press Release.

September 27, 2023: The CRC signed onto a group letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg expressing strong support of MassDOT’s application to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program” (RCN).

December 12, 2022: MassDOT announced the Modified At-Grade option as the preferred alternative. Read MassDOT’s Press Release.

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RIVERFRONT RESTORATION STRATEGIES

For decades, the river’s edge near the I-90 Allston Interchange has been narrow and eroded. The Allston Multimodal Project is a once-in-a-century opportunity to improve these conditions and also to re-connect Allston neighborhoods to the parks.

View Project on Perkins&Will

CRC Board Member Gautam Sundaram, of Perkins&Will, worked with urban designers from CBT to develop riverfront restoration strategies that work in tandem with the community-supported “All-At-Grade” design for the project. These strategies have helped build important consensus among community members, transportation advocates, and environmental groups. This “ambitious piece of analysis that boldly covers a wide area and provides an elegant solution” won a Merit Award from the Boston Society of Landscape Architects.

Review A Living Shoreline: Charles River.

By CRC board member Gautam Sundaram of Perkins&Will and Kishore Varanasi & Devanshi Purohit of CBT.

THROAT PATHWAYS CAMPAIGN

The section of the Paul Dudley White Path between the BU Bridge and River Street Bridge in Boston, termed the “throat,” is a key artery of transportation for pedestrians and cyclists. However, limited space and poor conditions make it over-crowded, unpleasant, and dangerous to use.

In January of 2018, we partnered with WalkBoston and designers at Sasaki to develop alternative proposals for the “throat” section of the project. Thank you to the Solomon Foundation and to the donated services of Sasaki for making this work possible.

View the Alternative Design Proposals and watch our campaign video.

Lead photo courtesy of WalkMassachusetts.