One Minute, One Slide: Allston I90 – The Saga Continues

Below is a “One Minute, One Slide” presentation shared by a member of the WalkBoston staff.
Text provided is as prepared for this year’s annual event on September 23, 2020 on Zoom.

Bob Sloane

A long time ago, in a public meeting not too far away –

It is the year 2014, amidst a period of development in the commonwealth. Neighborhood residents and statewide advocacy organizations alike come to hear about the Allston Multimodal Project from MASSDOT, set to reshape a corner of Allston with a new VIADUCT, a gateway to BOSTON for the rest of the COMMONWEALTH. Years pass.

Advocates and neighbors alike cheered when SECRETARY POLLACK considered building the project at ground level, with newly connected neighborhoods and a vision for better transit before, during, and after construction. It was a victory for all in the MASSDOT process. Years pass. 

Now – in 2020 – a new VIADUCT is back on the table, and looms large over every discussion – wider and higher than ever before. The ground level option seems doomed. The Charles River in Allston is a tremendous asset that should be restored, enhanced, and made accessible. A new, wider VIADUCT, that would stand above the river and shade its park, will be built if a compromise is not reached.

Advocacy leaders are in agreement – let’s lower the VIADUCT to the ground and let the neighborhoods (Allston, Brookline, Cambridge, Brighton and Boston) form a level constellation so they can see each other and the river with its walkers and bikers.

Learn more about the Allston Multimodal Improvement Project (Allston I-90)