The Boston Globe is reporting that folks are beginning to have second thoughts about the Mass Pike reconstruction project, that would straighten the turnpike,open up land for development by Harvard, build a new rail stop, and create more parking, biking and pedestrian infrastructure. Apparently, the amount of disruption is a reason to re-think the original proposal.
“The Turnpike is expected to be reduced to three lanes in each direction during the project. And for up to half of its duration, one of the two tracks of the Framingham/Worcester Line of the MBTA’s commuter rail could be offline, possibly slowing service. To make room for all of the construction while keeping the roads active, a temporary Soldiers Field Road would extend more than 100 feet into the river at some points,”
Both Newton Resident and Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack and Ward 2 Councilor and Charles River Watershed Association’s Executive Director have some thoughts on this proposal.
Read more here.
Thanks for posting Amy. This is an important issue that we should all be following closely.
Yes the proposal to straighten the turnpike is fraught with big challenges and headaches. It’s yet another example of what happens when you ignore infrastructure for decades.
Of course this is all the more reason to build more housing close to the jobs right here in Newton. Eighty five percent of Newton residents commute outside of Newton to jobs while 89 percent of Newton-based workers live outside of Newton. If we want to grow our commercial tax base by attracting employers here, we need to create more diverse housing options for their employees.
Thank you Amy. Anyone who commutes from Newton into Boston should be paying close attention to this project, because right now it promises to be a complete disaster. We should be investing in ways to help people get onto public transportation – buses, trains, subway – so that not only can we avoid putting a road into the Charles River, we can avoid massive gridlock for the duration of this project. Instead MassDOT is planning to reduce the commuter rail to one line, while planning for a car-centric future, in spite of the state’s legal requirement to reduce greenhouses gases 80% by 2050; note >40% of ghg emissions come from the transportation sector and that percentage is growing.
Flood the Mass Pike extension and turn it into a canal.
Just as the original plans to simply rebuild the viaduct over Beacon Yards were shortsighted (improvements to transit, parklands, neighborhood connectivity came only after years of public complaints) it comes as no surprise that MassDOT’s construction plans are flawed, too. Hopefully public pressure will force them to come up with better solutions than temporary roadway over the river or reducing the commuter rail to a single track. Not only must they build the rail station now instead of by 2040, they need to maximize public transit during the construction: commuter rail service every half-hour, connections to Cambridge and elsewhere, and express lanes for buses, for starters.
“Open up land for development by Harvard.”
That’s the major influence here.
The rest is not important, and is incidental to Harvard’s needs.
I agree 100% with @Emily Norton on this subject, but I’d take it further. For the economic health of the Boston metro area, we need:
* Free (or cheap) bus lines on dedicated lanes along the major commuting routes
* Free (or cheap) trains that run frequently on the existing lines
* A steep congestion tax in central Boston, with 100% of the proceeds dedicated to transit
* Shuttles between our villages
* A steep increase in parking fees in our village centers
* Transit-friendly, denser housing
* Safe, isolated lanes for cycling and other alternative forms of transportation
* Speed-calming measures to make crossing the street a reasonably safe endeavor
* A tax on ride-sharing services
In short, we have to make it easier and cheaper to walk or take transit, and harder and more expensive to drive.