Bringing Beacon Hill to You

We left the quiet month of August and dove head first into a busy September filled with conference committee progress, big news for the Quincy ferry, and ongoing work to improve road safety in Hanover.

Here are some of the highlights from our work over the past few weeks.  

Recent weeks have seen several subject-specific omnibus bills make their way out of conference committees, bringing them a big step closer to being signed into law.  While we have chipped away at the list of bills that need to be reconciled, we still are awaiting final reports on key legislation including the substance use recovery and economic development packages. I am hopeful that we will be able to send each of those to the Governor’s desk before the end of the calendar year.

The Quincy legislative delegation and local officials have spent the past few years consistently advocating for increased ferry service from Squantum Point Park, and in September we received word of a major success in this effort.   

The Federal Transit Administration recently announced it is awarding $4.2 million to the MBTA and the City of Quincy for the purposes of modernizing the Squantum Point Park Ferry Pier. This work will include building a new pier, as well as float and ramp system. Overall, the project is part of a larger effort to enhance ferry service between Quincy, Boston, Braintree, Milton, Weymouth, and other South Shore communities.  

This is huge.  

For decades, the T has largely existed as a network of subways, trolleys, buses, and commuter trains. Now there is serious interest in bringing ferry service up to the same level of usage and viability.  

For the first time, the MBTA has an administrator tasked solely with overseeing ferry service. Philip Eng, the T’s general manager, has shown encouraging support for this issue, and previously worked in a transit system with a robust ferry network. Gov. Maura Healey has also expressed a level of interest in water-based transit that her predecessors did not share to the same extent. 

And the public is with us. Among all the MBTA’s services, it was the ferry network that saw the quickest increase in ridership coming out of the pandemic. Last month’s ridership was up 30 percent over August of 2023. July’s numbers were even more encouraging.  

This is exciting progress, but the work continues. In the near term we will push for Quincy to have its own direct route to downtown Boston, rather than having to loop in with the Town of Winthrop, which should result in a better schedule and faster commutes for Quincy riders. 



For now, I would like to thank our partners in state and local government, particularly Quincy’s Director of Business and Government Relations Maureen Geary, Rep. Bruce Ayers, and my Senate colleagues, especially Lydia Edwards, Brendan Crighton, and Patrick O’Connor.

Lastly, I encourage all Quincy residents working in Boston to consider taking their commute to the high seas. 

Route 139 ranks among the busier roadways in my district, passing through three of the communities I represent. As anyone in Abington, Hanover, or Rockland can tell you, some stretches are more challenging than others, but work is underway to improve the areas where accidents and collisions are most concentrated.  

We are continuing to work with Hanover town officials, the Route 139 Action Committee, and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation on long-term solutions to address traffic flow and safety issues in the center of Hanover, where Route 139, Center Street and Main Street converge. DOT is looking at possible design solutions for this area, with the hope that it will be ready to present options to the public within the next few months. 

In the short-term, we are working to mitigate the dangerous conditions at the intersection of Route 139 and Plain Street, which is experiencing an increasing number of collisions, many involving personal injuries. According to the most recent MassDOT data, previous years saw an average of 6 crashes at this intersection, but there have been 9 thus far in 2024. The data also shows that in 2024, a total of 10 people have been injured as a result of these crashes. 

There is a lot of planning and work to be done and I will keep you updated as it progresses. 

First responders are a crucial part of every community, and this month I had the opportunity to pay tribute to those men and women who put their lives in danger every day.  

September always brings with it the solemn occasion to remember the events of 9/11, prompting reflections on how our nation has changed and all the stories of those who answered the call to service that day. I was honored to join our local first responders to pay tribute to those who were injured or lost their lives 23 years ago. In Abington I attended the Select Board’s memorial ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial Beam, and later in the morning took part in the Quincy Fire Department’s remembrance ceremony. I also attended Rockland’s annual Police Appreciation Day to say thank you to the members of the Rockland Police Department for their steadfast service to the Town of Rockland. 

Earlier in the month Rep. Tackey Chan and I met with officials at Eastern Nazarene College to discuss the closure of the school and the work they are doing to support students and staff during this difficult time. It is sad to lose an institution that has been such a valued member  of our community for over a century, but I have confidence in the team at ENC to handle this transition with the attention and care that it requires. 

I also attended Abington COPES’ overdose vigil and 5K to remember those who have tragically lost their lives to overdoses. It was great to see so many folks come out to support an organization that does such important work helping individuals and families affected by substance use disorder. Another group that does crucial work in the recovery community is the Braintree Community Partnership, which hosted their 7th Annual Community Hero Awards. I was grateful to attend this years’ ceremony and honor the Community Heroes Award recipients.