State loses $327 million in federal funding for Mass Pike project in Allston

The federal government has clawed back $327 million in promised funding for an overhaul of the Mass Pike in Allston.

The project would replace the current, crumbling series of viaducts with a ground-level highway, build a new "West Station" transit hub, improve accessibility, and free up an isolated rail yard for redevelopment.

The claw back is part of President Trump’s tax and spending law, which rescinded unobligated funds awarded under the Biden-era Neighborhood Access and Equity Program. Massachusetts won $335.4 million for the Allston Multimodal project in 2023.

Gov. Maura Healey on Friday called on the Trump administration “to restore” the funding.

“Why would any President of the United States oppose a project that will improve transportation for residents and visitors alike, create thousands of construction jobs, support local businesses and create space for new housing?" Healey said in a statement. "We all benefit from that.”

Despite the funding loss, the Healey administration said it remains “committed” to the Allston project.

The state’s transportation secretary, Monica Tibbits-Nutt, said the agency plans to “move forward” with the project by analyzing the costs and “consulting with an outside engineering firm to assess the project.”

The state will keep $8 million of the grant. A Massachusetts Department of Transportation spokesperson told WBUR that money covers “ planning, design, [and] environmental permitting” the state was required to do under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Former state transportation secretary Jim Aloisi said “there should be no surprise” that the Allston funding was rolled back after President Trump returned to office. But he's optimistic that the elimination of the money won’t lead to a “serious setback” for the project.

“Massachusetts should be able to do this project without any federal dollars if it wants to,” Aloisi said. “I think that there are ways in which they can work with the community, work with the city of Boston, the city of Cambridge, work with other stakeholders to significantly reduce costs.”

Boston city councilor Liz Breadon, whose district includes Allston, said she was “disappointed” to see that the money for the project was bound for rescission.

The project is important for improving mobility in the area but also is critical for reconnecting the Allston neighborhood, which Breadon said “has been severely impacted by first of all, the railroad and then later the Mass Pike cutting through the neighborhood.”

Breadon said she is optimistic that the project will “happen sometime in the future,  but given the present political climate and Washington I think there's going to be significant delays.”