Tag: Allston I90

Event: Charles River “Throat” Site Walk

Event: Charles River “Throat” Site Walk

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RSVP now and save the date – September 12, 2018 5:30pm – join WalkBoston, the Charles River Conservancy, Charles River Watershed Association, and the Esplanade Association for a site walk of the Charles River path’s “Throat” area. We’ll meet at ‘BU Beach’ (grassy area on Boston University Campus near Marsh Chapel) in front of the pedestrian overpass to the Charles River path, before crossing over to the river side and gathering in an accessible location for very brief presentations. From there, we’ll walk to the first overlook to experience the narrow path and un-parklike existing conditions along the path and view the eroded river bank, before returning to the gathering area for questions and next steps.

This will give you a better understanding of why this narrow stretch has an outsized role in MassDOT’s Allston I-90 Interchange Project — and how it could help #UnchokeTheThroat in the years to come.

Getting to the meet up location by transit:

Green Line ‘B’ Branch – BU Central stop – the roundtrip walk from this location is 1 mile.
#57/57A Bus – Commonwealth Ave @ Granby stop

PLEASE NOTE: The pedestrian bridge from BU Beach to the Charles River Path includes stairs; accessible access to the path is at the Mass Ave Bridge (about 3/4 mile away). The #1 Bus has the closest transit stop to this entrance (~1 block away, Mass Ave @ Beacon stop).

More details to be added: RSVP below on Eventbrite or on Facebook

Allston/Brighton Mobility Study Open House later that evening!

After the walk, make sure to attend the BPDA’s Allston Brighton Mobility Study Kick-off Open House (6-8PM, Jackson Mann Gymnasium, 40 Armington St, Allston, MA 02134). The purpose of the study is to identify measures to improve mobility for all modes – transit, bikes, pedestrians, and cars. MBTA and MassDOT staff will also be on hand to explain the Better Bus Study and the Allston Transit Improvement Study for Allston/Brighton and discuss other ongoing initiatives.

For more background on the “Unchoke The Throat” campaign and the Allston I-90 effort at large, see our project page!

Letter Thanking MassDOT Secretary Pollack

Letter Thanking MassDOT Secretary Pollack

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Re: Thank You for MassDOT’s thoughtful I-90 process and presentation

June 29, 2018

To: Stephanie Pollack
Cc: Rep. Kevin Honan, Rep. Michael Moran, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Senator William Brownsberger, Councilor Mark Ciommo, Councilor Michelle Wu, Katherine Fichter, Jonathan Gulliver, James Gillooly, Tad Read

Secretary Pollack,

Thank you very much for presenting and responding to questions at Wednesday night’s I-90 Allston Task Force meeting, and your follow up in the Boston Globe Opinion piece. We appreciate all the thoughtful planning by you and your team that is evident in your presentation.

We’re very excited! Your announcement of the Independent Review Team to analyze the throat options is a great way to proceed. We look forward to working with Jack Wright, Ilyas Bhatti, and the rest of the team to find how the at-grade design can be best accomplished. Your help to implement near-term improvements for transit, biking, and walking in Allston is also much appreciated.

And we certainly agree how West Station and the Malvern Street busway do need rail and bus service plans to accomplish the mission of serving the needs of regional commuters and local businesses & residents, and we will work with the Focus40 and Commuter Rail Vision as the process to discuss that service. However without their physical construction there can be no service. So because of the urgent need for better transit through Allston, we hope MassDOT will work with the Task Force on the design and implementation of an ADA-compliant, two-track, interim West Station and the Malvern Street busway for inclusion in the first phase of the project.

We also hope that the review of permitting issues will look at how MassDOT can permit a project that yields improvements for all modes and all parts of the project area – and not take the perspective that the simplest permitting path is the best.

Lastly, we look forward to working with Mike O’Dowd and his team on improving the Phase One design by designing and evaluating:

  • Rail yard flip
  • Cambridge St. Bypass Road
  • Lane reduction on Cambridge St. and its intersecting streets
  • “Unchoke the Throat” improvements to Charles River paths and parkland
  • Two-track Grand Junction Bridge over Soldiers Field Road
  • Ecological restoration of the Charles River edge

Again, thank you for your thoughtful and sincere approach to finding the best way forward for this impressive project, which truly is a generational opportunity for the Commonwealth.

Sincerely,

Galen Mook, MassBike
Harry Mattison, Charles River Conservancy
Wendy Landman, WalkBoston
Tony Lechuga, LivableStreets Alliance
Jessica Robertson, Allston Resident
Hazel Ryerson, Allston Resident
Anthony D’Isidoro, Allston Civic Association
Jason Desrosier, Allston Brighton CDC
Emma Walters, Allston Village Main Streets
Frederick Salvucci

Comment Letter with proposed Task Force Agenda

Comment Letter with proposed Task Force Agenda

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June 25, 2018
Secretary Stephanie Pollack
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116

Dear Secretary Pollack:

Thank you for resuming meetings of the I90 Allston Task Force. The dialogue and collaboration that we look forward to having with MassDOT and the MBTA will be an important step in this project towards achieving consensus on a multi-modal project that meets the current and future needs of Allston and the region to increase economic development, quality of life, and environmental sustainability.

We hope that the issues below will be used to frame the June 27th Task Force meeting. We believe that each of the issues must be resolved and incorporated into the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR). We would also like to have a regular schedule of Task Force meetings at least until the end of 2018 because of the proposed deadline for production of the FEIR by March, 2019.

Thank you.

Sincerely, The following members of the I-90 Allston Interchange Task Force:

Anthony D’Isidoro
Allston resident
Allston Civic Association

Jason Desrosiers
Manager of Community Building and Engagement
Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation

Paola Ferrer
Allston resident
Attorney

Harry Mattison
Allston resident
Board of Directors
Charles River Conservancy

Galen Mook
Allston resident
New Executive Director
MassBike

Alana Olsen
Allston resident

Jessica Robertson
Allston resident

Emma Walters
Allston resident
Executive Director
Allston Village Main Streets

Tom Francis
Interim Executive Director
MassBike

Laura Jasinsky
Executive Director
Charles River Conservancy

Wendy Landman
Executive Director
WalkBoston

Stacy Thompson
Executive Director
Liveable Streets Alliance

Cc: Mike O’Dowd, Project Manager
Sen. William Brownsberger, Second Suffolk and Middlesex District
Sen. Sal DiDomenico, Middlesex and Suffolk District
Sen. Joe Boncore, First Suffolk and Middlesex District
Sen. James Eldridge, Middlesex and Worcester District
Sen. Karen Spilka, Second Middlesex and Norfolk District
Sen. Michael Moore, Second Worcester District
Sen. Cynthia Creem, First Middlesex and Norfolk District
Rep. Carmile Gentile, 13th Middlesex District
Rep. Mary Keefe, 15th Worcester District
Rep. Frank Smizik, 15th Norfolk District
Rep. Jeffrey Roy, 10th Norfolk District
Rep. Brian Murray, 10th Worcester District
Rep. Jim O’Day, 14th Worcester District
Rep. Jennifer Benson, 37th Middlesex District
Rep. Jonathan Hecht, 29th Middlesex District
Rep. Ruth Balser, 12th Middlesex District
Rep. Kay Khan, 11th Middlesex District
Rep. Chris Walsh, 6th Middlesex District
Rep. David Linsky, 5th Middlesex District
Rep. Alice Peisch, 14th Norfolk District
Rep. Jay Livingstone, 8th Suffolk District
Rep. Michael Connolly, 26th Middlesex District
Rep. Michael Moran, 18th Suffolk District
Rep. Kevin Honan, 17th Suffolk District
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh
Mark Ciommo, Boston City Council
Michelle Wu, Boston City Council
Andreae Downs, Newton Councilor-at-large, Ward 5
Susan Albridght, Councilor-at-large, Ward 2
Alan Ciccone, Jr., Councilor-at-large Ward 1
Maria Scibelli Greenberg, Ward 1 Councilor
Neil Wishinski, Brookline Select Board
Benjamin Franco, Select Board
Nancy Heller, Select Board
Bernard Greene, Select Board
Heather Hamilton, Select Board
Cambridge Mayor McGovern
Vice Mayor Devereux
City Manager Louis DePasquale
Councilor Carlone
Councilor Zondervan
Joseph Aiello, Chair

MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board

Proposed agenda for I-90 Task Force meeting – June 27, 2018

Our preferred decisions are described below:

1.    West Station: Interim Station & Early Build

West Station should be built much sooner than the currently planned 2040, and an Interim West Station should be built during the earliest stages of the project. MassDOT should eliminate the proposed temporary railyard expansion that is part of their Phase 2 plan so that after the I-90 roads are constructed, new structures do not need to be removed to make room for West Station. The design and construction of West Station should include a commitment to full exploration of the Flip alternative, a center platform and early action on North/South walking, cycling and bus connections to the Station.

2.    Regional Mobility During Construction

There should be a commitment to continuous peak period two-track rail service on the Worcester Line during construction.  This is vital to providing regional mobility from the Worcester and Metro West regions.

3.    At-Grade Highway Replacement

MassDOT should move forward with the lower cost at-grade highway replacement alternative, saving tax and toll payers a minimum $100 million in construction costs and more costly lifetime maintenance costs that are likely to exceed the present $800,000/year. This alternative will also allow ped/bike connections to be made between Commonwealth Ave. and the riverfront.

4.    Improved Pedestrian & Cycling Public Realm

Allston Landing should be built in a community-friendly manner that reflects its proximity to neighborhoods and the Charles River and encourages sustainable mobility. Key elements of this are (1) commitments to “unchoke the throat” (improving walking and cycling with separated pathways along the Charles River and connections to the river across the corridor); (2) restoration of the river’s edge; and (3) building Wadsworth Path abutting the community.

5.   Early Action on 2-Track Grand Junction Line

The Grand Junction line will provide Worcester and Metro West commuters with direct access to jobs-rich Cambridge and Kendall Square and possibly North Station.  Regional equity, and sustainable urban mobility, requires a commitment to re-opening the Grand Junction to passenger rail as an early action item.

WBUR – The Allston I-90 Interchange Project

WBUR – The Allston I-90 Interchange Project

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WBUR: “The Allston I-90 Interchange Project”

The stretch of the Mass. Pike that runs through Allston is getting a makeover, and the state is projecting a total bill of about $1 billion. The project will include new interstate exits, facilities for bicycles and pedestrians, space for commuter rail layover, and a brand new commuter rail stop, West Station. The state has said that West Station will open by 2040, but community members and public transportation advocates say the new station should open much sooner than that.

Guests
Jim Aloisi, former state transportation secretary and a principal at the Pemberton Square Group. He tweets @jimaloisi. Wendy Landman is a member of the Allston I-90 Interchange Task Force and the executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group WalkBoston, which tweets @walkboston.

This segment aired on April 30, 2018.