In a ceremony attended by U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker and others, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) officially broke ground for the John A. Volpe Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts this week.
The existing Volpe Center runs through around 14 acres of land in the city, but the new facility will occupy approximately four acres. This was made possible under a $750 million contract between the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Under the terms of that agreement, property no longer utilized by the federal government will be transferred to MIT for mixed-use development.
“GSA is proud to provide our partners at the Department of Transportation with this impressive facility that serves USDOT’s vital mission of providing the US the safest, most efficient, and modern transportation system in the world, while saving hundreds of millions of dollars for taxpayers,” GSA Administrator Emily Murphy said. “GSA’s innovative real estate solution converts an underused and outdated asset into a state of the art research facility and an economic engine for the community.”
Currently, Volpe consists of six buildings and surface parking lots. These will be replaced by an energy efficient structure complete with underground parking, along with approximately 100 bicycle parking spaces.
“The Volpe Center’s multidisciplinary workforce supports all facets of the Department of Transportation’s mission, including safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems and commercial space vehicles into the National Airspace System; developing, testing, and evaluating automated mobility applications; and ensuring the safety and reliability of terrestrial-based global positioning systems – to give just a few examples. No other center can match Volpe’s impressive concentration of multimodal transportation expertise,” said Diana Furchtgott-Roth, U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology.
Volpe is a federal organization funded by sponsored projects, the majority of which come from the USDOT. The organization also provides technical support to other federal, state and local agencies
“This new facility will provide important research in transportation technologies and help create policies that will increase safety and protect lives,” Chao said.