Tag: charles river

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.

Longfellow has come a long way!

Longfellow has come a long way!

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WalkBoston is thrilled that after many years of advocacy, planning and design – and five years of construction – the Longfellow Bridge is open to all users. People on foot, on bikes, on the Red Line and in vehicles are all in motion. We celebrate the comfortable sidewalks, the beautifully restored ironwork and stonework, and the elegant new lighting. We are anticipating the fully accessible new bridge to the Esplanade which will open this summer.  Just a quick glance at the pictures below tell the sidewalk story!

Before (photos taken between 2007-2011):

     

After (photos taken June 2018):

We are continuing to work with our many advocacy partners to make biking across the bridge even safer than it is today, and are pleased that MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack has committed to a pilot test of a separated bike lane on the inbound to Boston uphill portion of the bridge. We urge everyone to take a walk across the Longfellow Bridge this summer to enjoy the fabulous views and the cool river breeze. Support your local advocacy organizations (like WalkBoston) to keep state and local decision makers moving in the right direction on transportation in order to make our Commonwealth the best it can be!
One minute, one slide: Unchoke The Throat

One minute, one slide: Unchoke The Throat

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Below is a “One Minute, One Slide” presentation shared by a member of the WalkBoston staff.
Text provided is as presented at this year’s annual event on March 29, 2018.

Bob Sloane

Next month it will be four years that WalkBoston has worked with others on the I-90 project to make sure it welcomes and serves pedestrians in a 21st century way.

In recent 3 months WalkBoston has focused on the throat section of the project, where pedestrians are treated to a narrow path next to moving traffic on Soldiers Field Road – a path that is currently duplicated in all three of the options for the highway reconstruction envisioned for the throat.  To develop a better plan, WalkBoston joined with the Charles River Conservancy and hired Sasaki to design possible approaches for paths along the river.

We called the effort “Unchoke the Throat” to point out that the current plans provide only narrow unpleasant places to walk along our historic river, duplicating the narrow unpleasant places to walk that now exist.

With Sasaki’s help, we were able to project a better future for the throat – one that involves looking closely at the river as a potential location for paths in this narrow corridor where so much land is taken by highways that only 8’ remains for a single narrow path where people walk and bike in clouds of air pollution right next to a highway.

Sasaki came up with two options – a boardwalk out over the river or a fill in the shallows of the river where much more space could be provided for paths with buffers to keep them at a more healthful distance from the highway.

Then our team came up with an “#UnchokeTheThroat” video promoting these ideas and sent out over our wide Twitter network. It was timed to impact people’s letter comments written about the 90 project as it was going through the environmental review process.

Want to learn more? See the project page & an upcoming event on April 10th below.

https://walkmass.org/unchokethethroat/

Event: Unchoking the Charles River Throat
Event: Unchoking the Charles River Throat

Event: Unchoking the Charles River Throat

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How can walking & biking connections to the river parklands from Allston, Brookline, and Downtown be part of the MassDOT I-90 Allston Reconstruction?

RSVP on Eventbrite or Facebook

April 10, 2018 6:00 – 8:00pm Fort Point Room / Atlantic Wharf, 290 Congress St

Presentations by:

Joe Beggan, Harvard University
Alan Mountjoy, NBBJ
Mark Dawson, Sasaki
Michael Nichols, Esplanade Association

Panel discussion and audience Q&A moderated by ArchitectureBoston editor Renée Loth with:

Jim Aloisi, Former MassDOT Secretary
Antonio DiMambro, urban planner
Tom Doolittle, Boston Society of Landscape Architects
Emily Saul, November Project Boston co-leader
Kishore Varanasi, CBT

Discussion will include:

  • Wadsworth Path, an at-grade People’s Pike path connecting Allston Village, West Station, and Franklin St footbridge
  • Footbridges over at-grade I-90
  • Separated paths on boardwalk/fill in the “throat”
  • Straightened path under BU Bridge & rebuilt Grand Junction / Soldiers Field Road Bridge

Media from the campaign (in case you missed it):

Comment Letter: A proposal for the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge

Comment Letter: A proposal for the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge

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September 19, 2016

Mayor Martin Walsh, Boston
Mayor Denise Simmons, Cambridge
Stephanie Pollack, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation
Tom Tinlin, Massachusetts Highway Administrator
Leo Roy, Massachusetts Commissioner, Department of Conservation and Recreation
Monica Bharel, Massachusetts Commissioner, Department of Public Health

Re: A proposal for the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge

Dear Friends:

Boston and Cambridge have declared themselves Vision Zero cities. The Healthy Transportation Compact has united our state agencies in concerted efforts to increase active transportation and improve safety for walking and bicycling.

DCR is on track to add a new Charlesgate Path and a signalized pedestrian/bike crossing of the Mass Ave Bridge to connect the Esplanade with the Back Bay/Kenmore neighborhoods (the crosswalk will be located where the Mass Ave. Bridge crosses the open space between inbound and outbound Storrow Drive). The new Charlesgate path, and the enhanced connection between the Esplanade and Charlesgate via the new crosswalk will generate significant new use by people walking and biking.

These are wonderful developments for people from across Massachusetts and the world who commute, amble and sightsee on the Esplanade, along Memorial Drive, and across the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge! And, they are all leading to more people on foot and bike on the bridge.

As we see the increase in people walking and biking, the lack of safe biking accommodation on the Mass Ave Bridge is leading to large numbers of bicycles on the sidewalks of the Bridge – an unsafe and uncomfortable situation.

We ask that MassDOT, DCR, Boston and Cambridge explore the re-purposing one of the outbound Mass Ave Bridge vehicle travel lanes to provide space for a protected bike lane on each side of the bridge, with access provided from the Esplanade and Charlesgate paths that will connect to the Bridge.

Based on a very preliminary look at the traffic volumes and lane use on the Bridge, we believe that improving the network by adding low-stress, protected bicycle lanes could be accomplished without significant impacts to vehicle operations. Providing protected bike lanes will both improve the safety of people on bikes and improve the safety of pedestrians by removing bicycles from the Bridge sidewalks.

We look forward to working with you and your staff to explore this suggestion.

Best regards,

Wendy Landman, Executive Director, WalkBoston
Tani Marinovich, Executive Director, The Esplanade Association

Cc Senator Will Brownsberger
Senator Joseph A. Boncore
Representative Jay Livingstone
Chris Osgood, Chief of Streets, City of Boston
Gina Fiandaca, Boston Commissioner of Transportation
Joe Barr, Director of Traffic, Parking, and Transportation, City of Cambridge
Becca Wolfson, Executive Director, Boston Cyclists Union
Stacy Thompson, Executive Director, LivableStreets Alliance
Richard Fries, Executive Director, MassBike
Herb Nolan, Solomon Fund
Renata von Tscharner, Charles River Conservancy
Peter Furth, Northeastern University
Suzanne Walmsley, Boston Athletic Association