Boston, state to reveal Seaport transit fixes

Boston and state officials Wednesday will announce a plan to improve public transit and ease traffic conditions in the congested Innovation District.

Proposed improvements include a smartphone app for parking that will help drivers find empty metered spots on Seaport Boulevard and Congress Street, as well as electronic “time to destination” signs providing updated traffic information around the area, scheduled to be installed by the end of November. The plan also contains the possibility of opening up the South Boston Bypass Road when construction in the Callahan Tunnel begins.

Additional signs warning motorists not to “block the box” at intersections will alleviate traffic around Seaport Boulevard, Atlantic Avenue, and Sleeper and Summer streets, and repainting lines on the Moakley Bridge will make clearer which lanes lead to Interstate 93.

For people traveling to the area without a car, the MBTA promised to assess and make improvements on bus lines that go through the Innovation District by next fall, and more Hubway bike stations are expected in the spring of 2014.

Beginning next year, a $1.2 million grant from the US Department of Transportation will give the city access to two ferries shuttling passengers between South and East Boston.

Both parking and transportation have become issues in the area as it has continued to expand with housing, hotels, and office space are under construction around the district.