The Wu administration is advancing plans for a potentially transformative project along a three-mile stretch of Blue Hill Avenue between Mattapan Square and Grove Hall. With an infusion of $15 million in federal grant money secured by US Reps Ayanna Pressley and Stephen Lynch, the city hopes to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists while also making the corridor a more efficient transit route, particularly for the 20,000-plus people who use T buses— particularly the 28 — for their daily commutes.

The $15 million is likely a small percentage of what will be needed to complete such an undertaking, particularly if planners decide to adopt so-called Bus Rapid Transit— or BRT— along Blue Hill Ave. The concept, which has been raised and rejected in previous planning cycles, would move dedicated bus lanes to the center of the avenue. But that is just one element of what the Wu team and community partners hope to achieve, according to Jascha Franklin-Hodge, the chief of Streets for the city of Boston.

“Blue Hill Avenue is really the heart of Black Boston, and it’s a place that’s been underinvested in,” says Franklin-Hodge. “We want to do what we can to make this road work better.”

It’s important to emphasize that at this point, there are no “shovel-ready” plans in place. Not even close. The federal dollars secured by our Congressional delegates are intended to support the concept, but they are not yet attached to any specific plan. The Wu team, to its credit, wants to build consensus among people who use the corridor regularly— especially the 58 percent of daily commuters who sit or stand on one or another bus that regularly traverses the road. They are also aware that they’ll need to get buy-in from businesses and other stakeholders who want to make sure that any new parking restrictions or re-designs enhance, rather than detract, from commerce.

For all that, the project can still be a perilous endeavor. At a forum on the subject convened by City Councillor Julia Mejia at Morningstar Baptist Church last week, one person wondered if parking meters might be installed along the avenue as part of a re-design. The answer from Franklin-Hodge, who participated in the forum, was a very clear “no.”

But over the weekend, contributors to a rumor mill on social media insisted that the opposite was true. In spreading the falsehood, some of the rumormongers tossed out ugly, anti-Asian sentiment targeting the mayor.

Let the record show that, in fact, there is absolutely no plan for parking meters on Blue Hill Avenue or Dorchester Avenue, for that matter, according to Franklin-Hodge.

“That question was asked and was immediately shot down,” confirmed state Rep. Russell Holmes, who attended the event and offered helpful background on past efforts to revitalize the corridor. He was dismayed to see the online dialogue descend into falsehoods and slanders against the mayor.

“It is ridiculous that this [lie] has become a reality online,” he said.

It’s sad to say, but such is the world we live in. Which is why it’s critical that Wu administration officials and trusted community stakeholders like the Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council be supported in their future efforts to hold open, transparent and, ideally, representative forums to get out the facts and solicit well-informed input. Look for more meetings — and other grassroots outreach efforts intended to guide this opportunity— in the weeks to come.