Massachusetts 2035 · 02 / 10

Transportation

You will have a sub-15-min commute

The moonshot

Build the 3D Transportation Grid

We will build the 3D transportation grid across Massachusetts: autonomous vehicles on the ground, a vast network of vehicle tunnels underground, and drones and new passenger aircraft above ground. Plan for 100% autonomous vehicles and build toward sub-15-minute commutes statewide.

The opportunity

A picture of 2035

A family lives farther from Boston because work no longer requires hours on the highway. An autonomous ride connects home to a fast corridor. A local airport and a tunnel portal make a smaller city a place to build a company.

What we can build on

MassDOT has an established process for automated-driving tests, including applications, testing plans, and agreements with participating jurisdictions. This gives Massachusetts a starting point for controlled pilots. It is not blanket approval for commercial driverless service. 1

The gap to close

A statewide autonomous fleet, high-speed tunnel network, and 15-minute Springfield-Boston trip remain ambitions. Fleet safety, winter performance, tunnel costs, passenger capacity, aircraft capability, and door-to-door travel time must be demonstrated.

The work starts here.

Top three key initiatives

On the ground: autonomous vehicles everywhere

Make Massachusetts a serious deployment partner for Waymo, Tesla, Cybercab, autonomous shuttles, and other qualified operators. Direct more new transportation investment toward flexible autonomous mobility, charging, and supporting infrastructure, with less dependence on new fixed-rail expansion. Keep existing transportation safe and reliable during the transition.

Start with three visible moves: a controlled autonomous express-lane test on I-93; a bounded Seaport street pilot; and an open invitation for mayors and city councilors in Everett, Methuen, and other willing communities to host service. Judge each operator on the system it actually deploys.

Underground: bore a statewide vehicle-tunnel network

Invite The Boring Company and competing tunneling firms to design a Massachusetts network for autonomous electric vehicles, with an expansion framework for willing New England states. The long-term ambition is direct, very fast travel between population and employment centers.

Begin with a short corridor selected through geology, utility, flood, emergency-access, demand, and cost studies. Demonstrate safe speed and passenger throughput before expansion. A Loop-style vehicle tunnel is not a maglev train or a vacuum hyperloop; their claimed speeds cannot be exchanged. 3

Above ground: turn airports into a mobility network

Use municipal and regional airports for drone logistics, medical transport, and passenger-aircraft trials. Invite Springfield-area airports, Worcester, Hanscom, the Cape, and other willing hosts to assess routes with MassDOT Aeronautics, airport operators, and the FAA.

Make Springfield-to-Boston in 15 minutes the research challenge. Start with feasible routes and publish air time separately from ground transfers, boarding, and waits. Passenger operations require suitable aircraft and operating approvals; a cargo-drone trial is not permission to carry people. 4

The supporting work

I-93 first: a controlled express-lane experiment

Have MassDOT assess a defined I-93 managed-lane segment, including emergency access and effects on bus passengers. Run a 90-day operating trial after approvals and readiness checks. Report passenger travel time, occupancy, crashes, interventions, and total lane throughput.

Seaport next: make the street pilot visible

Invite Waymo, Tesla, and other qualified operators to propose geofenced Seaport service. Test busy crossings, construction, loading zones, weather, and accessible pickup. Supervised consumer driving software is not a driverless operating system. 2

Let towns say: we want autonomous vehicles here

Ask mayors and councils in Everett, Methuen, and other interested communities to designate pickup areas and potential fleet hubs. Link service to local shops, hospitals, employers, and housing so the economic activity spreads beyond Boston.

Build the garages and connections that make it work

Invite privately financed Tesla and other fleet charging, storage, and maintenance garages. Prefer interoperable infrastructure and efficient land use. Coordinate with housing, utility capacity, and last-mile connections; measure jobs and local spending rather than assuming growth.

One accountable owner and one investment test

Create an Office of New Mobility inside MassDOT. Compare autonomous corridors and major rail proposals on cost per passenger, capacity, reliability, access, and time saved. Publish public liabilities for tunnels and fleets; private construction does not make public exposure disappear.

The path to 2035

Proposed milestones. Expand against evidence, delivery, and public value.

2027
Put the first tests on the map
Prepare I-93 and Seaport pilots, recruit willing municipalities, and publish operator requirements. Commission the first tunnel feasibility study and a regional-airport route assessment with clear technical and financial gates.
2029
Earn the right to expand
Expand ground service where independently reviewed results support it. Select a first tunnel for construction only after permits and financing. Begin suitable aviation demonstrations as approvals allow, reporting real trip times and fares.
2031
Connect more communities
Join proven ground-service districts and fleet hubs across Greater Boston and participating cities. Operate a first tunnel segment if it passes commissioning. Grow airport connections where reliability, noise, and demand support service.
2035
Make three-dimensional travel practical
Aim for a substantial Massachusetts network with a route to wider New England participation. Reduce measured door-to-door commutes and expand access to jobs. Continue the 15-minute Springfield-Boston challenge without representing it as a guaranteed statewide journey time.

Questions & answers

Why plan around cars instead of building more trains?

Road vehicles can connect origins and destinations beyond fixed rails. That flexibility should drive the new investment agenda. But an empty robotaxi still takes road space, and busy rail corridors carry many passengers. Compare passenger capacity and full cost; keep essential existing service working as new options prove themselves.

Can today's air taxis deliver Springfield to Boston in 15 minutes?

That has not been demonstrated. For an illustrative 90-mile flight, 15 minutes requires a 360 mph average before boarding or ground transfers. Joby advertises up to 200 mph; at that speed the same illustrative distance alone takes 27 minutes. Treat 15 minutes as an engineering moonshot, and verify the actual airport route. 5

What if autonomy, tunnel economics, or demand disappoint?

Plan infrastructure for eventual full autonomy while supporting mixed traffic for as long as needed. Fund staged tests, competitive operators, accessible service, and expansion gates. Test winter conditions and empty vehicle miles. Tunnel bids must include stations, land, evacuation, flood protection, maintenance, and insurance, not just boring costs.

Show the results.

The public scorecard

These are the measures we would publish to judge progress.

Door-to-door travel time
Passenger throughput
Safety by operating conditions
Accessible coverage
Fare
Empty vehicle miles
All-in public cost and liability

Sources & context

Reference notes dated September 16, 2026. Plans and proposals are distinguished from existing activity.

[1] MassDOT: Testing automated driving systems in Massachusetts
Existing test-approval process, testing plans, and agreements with participating jurisdictions. Testing approval should not be presented as blanket commercial deployment authority.
[2] Tesla: Full Self-Driving (Supervised) trial
Tesla states that this consumer feature requires supervision and does not make the vehicle autonomous. A driverless fleet proposal must be evaluated separately.
[3] The Boring Company: Loop
Operator description of an electric-vehicle tunnel system. Advertised future speed and network capacity are not evidence of a Massachusetts corridor's achieved performance.
[4] FAA: Advanced Air Mobility
Aircraft, pilot, operator, and airspace requirements remain relevant to passenger-aircraft proposals. Existing airport infrastructure is a starting point, not automatic authorization.
[5] Joby Aviation: Technology
Advertised aircraft speed is up to 200 mph. The illustrative 90-mile calculation in Transportation is arithmetic, not a surveyed route or a scheduled service.