City transportation leaders this month unveiled preliminary plans for a re-design of Mt. Vernon Street on Columbia Point that would include trimming vehicle lanes, adding two bus lanes and two bike lanes to accommodate new development and a future high-frequency MBTA bus route.

The re-design of the street is being led by Boston Transportation Department (BTD), but construction and payment will be paid for in part by developers of the Dorchester Bay City project as part of a mitigation agreement. The re-packaging fits into the city’s ongoing JFK-UMass Action Plan that focuses on streets and sidewalks not included in major infrastructure projects like the Morrissey Boulevard development, the JFK-UMass station rebuild, or the Kosciusko Circle re-design.

The newest plans were presented by BTD at in-person and online meetings this month.

Matt Moran, BTD’s director of the Transit Team, said they re-thought Mt. Vernon’s design with input from UMass Boston, Boston Public Schools, and other stakeholders and came up with the idea of the two bus lanes.

“In preliminary assessments, we found we can add bus lanes without disrupting the flow of traffic,” said Moran in an interview with The Reporter.

The suggested bus lanes would be on the outside of either lane of traffic, taking away a current vehicle travel lane. Eastbound, it would run from Morrissey to St. Christopher’s Church, and westbound it would run from University Drive to the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester’s Denney clubhouse location. Bicycle lanes would be on the either side of the street as well.

The configuration would allow the UMass Boston shuttles, the school buses, and a new high-frequency MBTA bus route coming to the area to navigate the corridor more easily. That bus route is planned within the MBTA Bus Redesign project and would run from UMass-Boston to JFK Station along Mt. Vernon Street, then on to South Bay, Boston Medical Center, and end at Copley Square.

“UMass Boston has brought its shuttles only on Mt. Vernon now and there’s a lot more service there now and into the future,” said Moran. “This is the first time going to the public with the concept and it is still a concept…We want folks to talk to us further, but we felt these meetings were a perfect opportunity to bring this plan to the public and hear what folks think.”

The timeline for the plan is in the hands of the Dorchester Bay City team, which is charged with building out the street after the design process ends. He said they hope it to be “sooner rather than later.”

The overall JFK-UMass Action Plan, Moran said, has been ongoing for the last two years, and looks to create a plan for the streets that aren’t included in larger plans.

“This is to focus on these other streets, so we don’t lose sight of them in these large infrastructure projects around them,” he said.

There are short-term plans identified (within three years), mid-term plans (4-7 years), and long-term plans (7-plus years).

A short-term goal is the re-design of Mt. Vernon Street and adding a second lane to the I-93 North onramp at Columbia Road to simplify pedestrian crossings.

Another idea raised through the city-led process is to improve spaces under the expressway, like in the South End where new parks and public spaces have been built under the I-93 highway.

“At the end of the day, it’s not a good space to walk through,” Moran said. “It’s dark and dingy and doesn’t feel welcoming. A lot of other places around the city and the community have put infrastructure and activation under the highway... Maybe it’s a dog park or space for the school to use and we want to discuss that with the community.”

The longer-term goals include investigating a ferry service from Columbia Point connected directly by high-frequency bus to JFK-UMass station. A popular measure with the community is getting more 24-hour crossing points through the station from the neighborhoods to the waterfront.

Moran said the station rebuild would create that opportunity on the north side of the station, as well as on the south side from Sydney Street so residents could cross directly to the Star Market area.

“This is an opportunity to get more connections and get that 24-hour access point and push the T to think about a southern crossing point as well,” he said. “If you’re rebuilding the station, that’s your opportunity to do those things.”

A draft plan for the process is expected later this year, with a final action plan coming in early 2025.