Rose Kennedy Greenway Archives

WalkBoston’s Advocacy Work Continues to Soar

Two of the most iconic by-products of Boston’s Big Dig — the Rose Kennedy Greenway and the Zakim Bridge — also stand today as symbols of WalkBoston’s earliest and most prominent pedestrian advocacy.

Founded in 1990, WalkBoston played a leading role throughout the 1990s in making sure pedestrians weren’t overlooked in the massive project to bury Boston’s Central Artery highway. Most notably, it persuaded transportation officials to reduce the number of proposed vehicle travel lanes on the Greenway from 10 to 6, with extra space devoted to pedestrians and bicyclists. It also persisted in seeing to completion the crucial pedestrian/bicycle bridge linking the Charles River Basin and Boston Harbor, a Big Dig commitment that languished until WalkBoston held a highly publicized walk in 2005 decrying its absence. The bridge was completed in 2012.

Those efforts and others are being recalled this month as WalkBoston marks the 20th anniversary of one of its most high-profile events: a Mother’s Day walk on the soon-to-be-opened Zakim Bridge on May 12, 2002. Co-sponsored with the Mass. Turnpike Authority, the walk drew 200,000 people — five times what officials anticipated — despite it being a cool rainy day.

The bridge walk idea came from then WalkBoston board member Catherine Donaher.

“We had all gone through a very long and challenging fight to stop Scheme Z (a proposed I-90/Route 1 interchange over the Charles River) and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have a walk across the bridge before it opened?’ ” Donaher recalled.

WalkBoston co-founder and then-president Ann Hershfang pitched it to Turnpike Authority chairman Matt Amorello. “I stood up at a meeting and said, ‘Would you be willing to have pedestrians be the first mode of transportation across the Zakim Bridge?’ and he immediately said ‘Yes!’ ” Hershfang said.

“What happened was so wonderful,” Donaher said. “We need to do more things to bring people out to touch and feel projects like this and feel like ‘This is my bridge — I paid for this.’”

The Mother’s Day walk’s popularity prompted officials to hold a walk through the Big Dig tunnels in August 2002, and a dedication walk on the Zakim Bridge that October. Those two events drew 600,000 and 800,000, respectively.

“Our work on the Central Artery kind of elevated us in the public mind,” said Hershfang, “and the bridge walk also raised our profile. I can still see one of our bright orange WalkBoston banners stretched across the bridge!” The Fall 2002 WalkBoston newsletter noted that nearly 90 new memberships were received after the first two events.

WalkBoston has only continued to grow over the ensuing two decades. An organization that in 2002 had no full-time staff and an annual budget of just over $100,000 now has six full-time staff members, interns, and a budget in excess of $600,000. WalkBoston continues to broaden and diversify its walkability programs and advocacy efforts, which now includes the WalkMassachusetts Network, a statewide coalition of groups working on walking.

Help us continue to add to our legacy by becoming a member or making a donation at walkboston.org/donate.

News clippings of the event from 2002:

North End Cross Street Boutique Hotel Comment Letter

Lance Campbell
Senior Project Manager
Boston Planning & Development Agency
April 19, 2021

Re: WalkBoston Comments on North End Cross Street Boutique Hotel

Dear Lance:
WalkBoston attended the public meeting on April 7th for the North End Cross Street Boutique Hotel and offered comments during the virtual meeting. We are pleased that many of the changes will improve the pedestrian experience in approaching and using the proposed buildings, as well as the newly created plaza and passageway.

The passageway between the two buildings will create a new connection between the Rose Kennedy Greenway and Cutillo Park for people walking. We are glad to see the plan will activate the plaza for people along the Greenway, as it includes new seating opportunities both bordering the building with the hotel and restaurant spaces, as well as new public seating closer to the corner of Hanover Street. We appreciate the visual cue of the concrete sidewalk through the site plan’s plaza as recommended by the City of Boston’s Disability Commission.

The Cross Street and Hanover Street intersection is currently used as a geofenced rideshare pickup and drop-off location, as users are directed within their apps to meet their drivers here. This geofencing makes it possible to limit rideshare pickup and drop-off on other streets in the North End, and is one way that the City of Boston can regulate curb use. With an improved pick up and drop-off area included in this project, we hope that this effort will continue.
Finally, we ask that the proponent commit to clearing the entire plaza and crosswalks curb cuts of snow and ice during the winter months in order to ensure safe walking throughout the year. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the plan. We would be pleased to discuss any of these items further with you.

Thank you,
Stacey Beuttell
Executive Director, WalkBoston

Brendan Kearney
Deputy Director, WalkBoston

Rose Kennedy Greenway Walking Map 2005

Our Greenway work since 1992 A key factor in the success of the Rose Kennedy Greenway will be its walkability. When the Central Artery Project (CA/T) received its environmental approvals in 1991, only 6 lanes were approved for the new streets above the tunnel. However, at the request of the City of Boston, CA/T staff was designing 10 lanes.

WalkBoston and Move Massachusetts 2000, with support from CA/T, created the Pedestrian Issues Forum to re-examine the design. Two years later, in A Pedestrian Perspective on the Central Artery Project [1994], narrower roadways and wider sidewalks were recommended. After more persistent advocacy, the City reversed its position and supported the new approach.

Then, the Mayor convened the public-private Surface Transportation Action Forum [STAF] to further resolve design details for the Greenway, such as sidewalk and lane widths, and corner curb radii. STAF’s conclusions became official CA/T Project commitments. Together, the Greenway design and the new WALK light policy enhance the attractiveness of the Greenway for walkers.

Click for “Rose Kennedy Greenway Walking Map 2005” PDF

Click for “WalkBoston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway Walking Map 2005” on Google Maps

Rose Kennedy Greenway Walking Map 2006

Our Greenway work 1992—2006 The Greenway’s success hinges on its walkability. Since 1992, we have worked to assure that the new construction will be attractive to walkers and serve them safely.

When we began our involvement, the Central Artery/ Tunnel project [CA/T] was being designed by the City of Boston for 10 traffic lanes on surface streets along the Greenway. WalkBoston, Move Massachusetts and the CA/T Project created the Pedestrian Issues Forum to re-assess that design. Two years later, A Pedestrian Perspective on the Central Artery Project [1994] recommended narrower roadways and wider sidewalks. After WalkBoston’s persistent advocacy for fewer lanes, the City adopted a 6-lane design.

Subsequently, an intensive public process established block-by-block standards for sidewalk widths and continuity, traffic lane widths, corner curb radii and bicycle lanes. In 1996/1998 State MEPA permits made these standards official Artery commitments. Ongoing oversight will be needed as developers request permits from the City of Boston for garage entrances, curb cuts and other things that impact the sidewalk..

Click for “Rose Kennedy Greenway Walking Map 2006” PDF

Click for “WalkBoston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway 2006” on Google Maps