MassDOT to Provide Public Parking Under I-93 Southeast Expressway in Boston

Drivers in the Boston area will soon have access to two new parking lots under the elevated portion of the I-93 Southeast Expressway in Boston, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced this week. 

The effort is part of an agreement between MassDOT and GTI Properties, a locally-based property management and development company, and calls for 235 parking spaces that will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for use by the public. 

"This public-private partnership represents a huge win on so many levels," MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey said in a statement. "We have converted a former storage area into a space that will be useful, attractive and serve the public and important neighborhood institutions while advancing the goal of promoting healthy transportation options."

About 60 of the parking spaces will be set aside for use by the Pine Street Inn, the nonprofit serving the homeless, and about 15 spaces for Zipcar vehicles. The new parking facility is also expected to include up to 12 spaces for electric vehicle parking, as well as bike cages for as many as 23 bicycles. 

The five-year agreement will require staffing for the parking areas and around-the-clock patrols; the spaces themselves are expected to be used by employees, residents and customers of the nearby neighborhoods, along with other area events and festivals. Residents of the South End, South Boston and Chinatown will be able to use the spaces for overnight parking with a resident permit sticker. 

GTI, meanwhile, plans to host up to 12 events throughout the year at the facility, according to the announcement, and MassDOT will maintain the current revolving artistic lighting installations. 

"Putting the vacant land under the highway to good use has been a 'someday' wish for the neighborhoods that surround it," John J. Kiger, Director of Commercial Leasing at GTI Properties, said in a statement. "GTI Properties is excited to be part of the team bringing much-needed parking, safety and convenience, and artistic expression to an area that could have been forgotten but that is about to be celebrated." 

The parking space represent Phase 1 of the project, with Phase 2 including construction of about 200 additional parking spaces from Traveler Street, a new multi-modal path that connects South Bay Harbor Trail to Kneeland Street and a new transportation-themed public space that will extend the Boston Harborwalk along the For Point Channel, according to MassDOT. 

Phase 2 is scheduled for completion in December 2014. When both phases have been completed, the parking will cover nearyl eight acres of property bound by Albany Street and Frontage Road, adjacent to the South End to the west, and the Fort Point Channel and South Boston to the east.