Public Records Expose 30-Day Failures in Wu Transportation Review, Stalling Dozens of Projects
Updated
Updated · Streetsblog MASS · Jul 22
Public Records Expose 30-Day Failures in Wu Transportation Review, Stalling Dozens of Projects
1 articles · Updated · Streetsblog MASS · Jul 22
Summary
Hundreds of newly released emails show Mayor Michelle Wu’s 30-day transportation review created confusion, weak accountability and sinking morale instead of rebuilding trust in street-safety and transit projects.
March 2025 exchanges show a duplicate chain of authority: officials removed bike-lane flexposts without clear authorization, and the city later gave the press an account that the then-chief of streets said was inaccurate.
Mike Brohel, who led the review, also escalated minor disputes over about 5 parking spaces and school-zone bike-lane enforcement to senior City Hall advisers, drawing internal rebukes over “vitriolic reply-alls” and professionalism.
Roughly two dozen invited participants in the review skewed toward business groups, small business owners and well-connected homeowners, while hundreds of residents who backed safer streets largely received form replies and were omitted from the final memo.
The records help explain broader fallout in Wu’s second term: senior transportation officials later left, a bus lane serving about 15,000 daily riders was removed, and dozens of projects were delayed, canceled or lost federal funding.