Much of the Seaport lies beyond the direct reach of the existing MBTA system, which runs to the west of the popular work and recreation destination. This often makes it more appealing to tackle the commute by car, than to deal with switching public transportation or walking several blocks.

But a new grant, in its early planning stages, is looking at ways to get commuters out from behind the wheel in the Seaport and other neighborhoods.

“There’s very little public transportation in the [Seaport] neighborhood, and the government has to listen closely to residents and businesses and workers about what they want to see,” said City Councilor Ed Flynn who represents the area.

Boston drivers spent 88 hours stuck in traffic in 2023, according to INRIX’s Global Traffic Scorecard. Reducing vehicular street congestion has been a major focus of Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration and will continue into 2025 with the $21.6 million congestion relief grant from the Federal Highway Administration.

Still in its early planning stages, the LINKUP Greater Boston initiative is aimed at addressing gaps in existing public transportation options.

The plan is to bring new shuttles to Seaport, Charlestown and Allston-Brighton, and additional Bluebikes stations to even more neighborhoods. A spokesperson for Mayor Wu’s office said it was too early to know if additional bike lanes will be added as part of the initiative.

“I’m always concerned, when we discuss public transportation, what impact will it have on our seniors and persons with disabilities. That’s part of the discussion that has often been ignored by government,” Flynn said. New shuttle services will focus on “first-mile, last-mile" service, a philosophy that emphasizes transit riders’ ability to get from home to the nearest MBTA entry and from their MBTA exit to their destination. Additional e-bikes and pedal bikes could serve the same purpose while also incentivizing bikes over cars for local travel.

The expansion of Bluebikes services will bring nearly 400 new bikes, a quarter of them e-bikes, to the existing bike share network and optimize the placement of Bluebikes docking stations. Half of the new docking stations will support battery charging for e-bikes, to reduce the need for manual battery-swapping, and some existing stations will move from on street to off street, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council said in a press statement.

“Easing traffic congestion is only possible if we offer accessible alternatives to cars, and this funding makes it possible for us to do so,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in the statement. The mayor’s spokesperson said that “extensive community input will guide the planning and implementation of the project,” but Councilor Flynn was disappointed by a slow communication chain that has left his constituents mostly in the dark on details of the project, which was announced the week of October 17.

“The residents must be part of the process and if they’re excluded from discussing the proposal, it’s a failure,” Flynn said. “We have to listen closely to residents and understand what their concerns are and address them before money is even allocated. It should have been done at the very beginning stages.”

The grant also provides for more than just infrastructure funding. To help with the emphasis on multi-mode public transportation, the grant will also fund development of a trip planning app that aims to account for the various transit options and serve as a one-stop payment point. But Flynn is skeptical of allocating funding to an app, due to results with similar projects.

The Zum bus-tracking app that came with the new school year this fall, for parents of public school children, launched to reports of missed pickups and late dropoffs. Boston Public Schools said that the app would see improvements as it collects more data.

The congestion relief initiative will also be undertaking a transit incentives study. According to the spokesperson, the study will research the impact of financial incentives on encouraging commuters to use public transit and bike-sharing options over driving.

There is not currently a timeline for the planned community engagement efforts or for the eventual implementation of the project.