The National Park Service has been facilitating discussions with the Towns of Lexington, Lincoln and Concord regarding the possibility of creating a shared shuttle service to be used in connection with the upcoming Celebration 250. The shuttle is intended to transport people to the historic sites in each of the Towns, using the National Park as the hub. The process resulted in a Shuttle Feasibility report that was prepared by the U.S. Department of Transportation John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge MA (Volpe) as part of the 2018 Interagency Agreement between the National Park Service and Volpe. Tourist attractions in the Town of Lincoln outside of the National Park include Drumlin Farm, deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Gropius House, Codman Estate and Codman Community Farm. The study participants developed three scenarios for the shuttle service based on the number of stops. All scenarios include sub-scenarios that would include interpretation, either live or recorded and different fare concepts. All concepts include seasonal operation (April through October), and run seven days a week.. The report includes some preliminary cost estimates.

Next, we anticipate that the National Park Service will convene meetings with representatives of the towns to answer some of the key program questions (e.g., number of shuttles that would be put into service, whether the shuttles will include narration, whether a user fee will be charged, if so, how much, etc.). Until there is consensus around these program elements, it is not possible for the NPS or the towns to develop more refined cost estimates. Once the cost estimates are refined, a funding plan can be evaluated. The funding plan will confirm the willingness and ability of various stakeholders (NPS, towns, not for profits and other community organizations that would benefit from a shuttle) to contribute. The project leadership will also explore grant options.

The Feasibility Study is available here.