Resilient Border Street Waterfront Project
The City of Boston is leading a project to advance the design of coastal resilience infrastructure along the Border Street waterfront in East Boston.
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Project Phase
Project Information
ABOUT
Climate Ready Boston studied the East Boston waterfront in two phases. The first phase included the Border Street waterfront within the plan’s study area (Coastal Resilience Solutions for East Boston 2017). The area is highly vulnerable to coastal flooding. With sea level rise, flooding during a storm would flow across waterfront properties and Border Street. It would then spread throughout low-lying areas of the East Boston community.
The City is working with waterfront private property owners and the East Boston community to design a coastal resilience strategy across the project area. A primary goal is to prevent near- and long-term flooding from entering the neighborhood. The project area falls within a Designated Port Area (DPA) and extends from 36 New Street/60 Border Street to 276R Border Street (just north of Liberty Plaza/Shaws), including private properties between Border Street and the waterfront.
- Build coastal flood protection to protect East Boston from current and future flood damage.
- Repair and upgrade deteriorated coastal infrastructure to prevent erosion and pollution.
- Improve public access and connectivity along the waterfront while preserving public safety within a Designated Port Area.
- Increase stormwater management systems to reduce flooding from rainfall.
The project will reduce flood risk and protect:
- Residents in the Eagle Hill and Maverick neighborhood areas, including over 1,150 residential properties, local businesses, and community facilities and services.
- Critical infrastructure, including the MBTA Blue Line, the Sumner and Callahan tunnels, roadways, and utilities.
- Public spaces, such as Central Square and the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway.
Project Timeline - October 2026 Update!
- January 2024: Project launch in partnership between the City of Boston, private property owners, and Weston & Sampson Engineers.
- Spring - Summer 2024: Technical site assessments, including site documentation, waterside seawall inspection, topographic survey, wetland delineation, historic records review, hazardous materials evaluation, and climate change vulnerability assessment.
- Summer - Fall 2024: Community outreach, including tabling at eight community events; providing overview presentations to the Eagle Hill Civic Association and the Mario Umana Academy School Site Council; hosting a meeting with the Community Stakeholder Working Group for the project; and issuing the Community Feedback Survey to collect community input on desired improvements to the waterfront.
- Fall - Winter 2024: Existing Conditions Report development, published in January 2025.
- Winter 2025 - Winter 2026: Property owner stakeholder engagement, meeting #2 with the Community Stakeholder Working Group, and concept design development.
- Winter - Spring 2026: Geotechnical borings permit application to the Boston Conservation Commission (RDA available here) and completion of geotechnical borings.
- Summer 2026: Geotechnical report production.
- Fall 2026 - Present: Property owner stakeholder engagement and advanced design development.
- Winter - Spring 2027: Community engagement and project updates coming soon!
Existing Conditions Report
The Existing Conditions and Preliminary Design Report was completed in January 2025 and provides information about the project, including:
- Existing Conditions: Past supporting analyses and design concepts; neighborhood history and context; project area description, including land uses, stakeholders, existing coastal infrastructure, topography, and more; historic and present-day flooding; and regulatory and land use considerations.
- Basis of Design: Future climate risk and vulnerability; community feedback; district considerations (environmental and structural); proposed preliminary design approaches; data gaps; and next steps for advancing the project into the design phase.
COMMUNITY FEEDBACK SURVEY
This survey is for you to share feedback to inform the future of the Border Street waterfront.
We want to hear from you about what kind of changes you want to see along the Border Street waterfront. The project team will incorporate your feedback into the waterfront’s design. We will share this feedback on the project website and in future community meetings so you can see others’ input.
How long will the survey take?Approximately 15 minutes. There are 20 questions.
Background Information
Background InformationPlease see below for information about the East Boston Designated Port Area (DPA), a one-pager about the project for download, and the Resilient Border Street Waterfront Project's 2023 Request for Proposals.
The entire project area is within the East Boston Designated Port Area (DPA). A DPA is a state-level land-use restriction established by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) to protect and promote water-dependent industrial uses. For more information:
- Designated Port Area (DPA) Fact Sheet Overview and Contact Information - updated February 2024
- Designated Decision for the East Boston Designated Port Area in Boston, MA - published December 23, 2022 following a boundary review
- East Boston Designated Port Area Description - December 2022
- East Boston Designated Port Area Map - December 2022
Download a one-pager about the Resilient Border Street Waterfront Project to share with your friends and neighbors! Updated October 2026. Translation available upon request.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) was open between October 30 - December 13, 2023 and describes the project scope and goals. Download or read the RFP here to learn more about the project!
Who's Involved
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