Advocacy Update: Charles River Basin Bridges
Advocacy Update: Charles River basin bridges
Wondering what is happening with the BU Bridge, Craigie Bridge and other Charles River basin bridges? Read on, and also check out our project pages here.
In May 2008, Governor Deval Patrick filed legislation to accelerate the repair and replacement of approximately 250 to 300 Massachusetts bridges identified as structurally deficient. Money has been allocated to the Massachusetts Highway Department and the Department of Conservation and Recreation to repair the bridges they own across the state, starting with the BU, Craigie (Museum of Scien), Longfellow, and other metro-regional bridges.
LivableStreets is very excited about this infrastructure improvement! Why? Because the bridges are important links between cities, and they are in need of pedestrian, public transit and bicycle improvements -- not to mention better car and truck safety.
Unfortunately, the state made no public announcement and allowed no chance for public input until project engineers had already pushed the design to 90% completion. Even worse, those plans were focused exclusively on repairing structural problems –- rebuilding almost exactly the same structures without doing anything about functional deficiencies of the crossings.
Major improvements to these bridges will not happen again for decades, so LivableStreets and other advocates felt it was vital to take advantage of this opportunity to increase safety and efficiency for all users.
Therefore, starting with the BU Bridge, LivableStreets has been working hard to raise awareness about the projects and to work with the Department of Conservation. We met with Commissioner Sullivan in October regarding the BU Bridge. Thanks to the work of LivableStreets, other advocates, city agencies in Boston and Cambridge, and the willingness of DCR to engage all interested parties, DCR has announced that along with the reconstruction there will be:
- Bike lanes along the entire length of the bridge
- Improvements to the crossings at either end of the bridge
- Improvements to the bridge approaches for pedestrians and bicyclists
In addition, the DCR announced the re-formation of their pedestrian/bicycle committee as a state-wide “active transportation” advisory group, and an immediate focus on improving the Charles River Basin for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Unfortunately, only a week after these breakthroughs around the BU Bridge, we were upset to find out that the state’s engineers had also pushed design for the Craigie Bridge to 90% completion before there was any chance for public input. We urged advocates, city staff from Boston and Cambridge, and the public to attend the public meeting on November 17 to express the desire and need for better pedestrian and bicycle accommodation along the stretch of Route 28 that the bridges encompass, including:
- Keeping the car lanes narrow for safety (typically 9' to 10'), and give extra room to bicyclists and pedestrians
- Putting in either separated cycle tracks or striped bike lanes in both directions
- Adding a traffic light at the point in front of the museum where the future inlet bridge will be built and coordinating all the traffic lights to facilitate throughput.
- Redesigning the museum entrances and exits
- Putting bike lanes through Leverett Circle and along Martha Road
Approximately 80 people attended the public meeting, many of whom spoke up and expressed a shared interest to include meaningful bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the project, particularly bike lanes. LivableStreets is currently working with DCR to include at least some of these improvements in the project, most importantly bike lanes, within the current bridge footprint and without delaying the project.
We are still concerned that, in the scramble to meet the Governor’s accelerated bridge repair deadlines, additional metro-are bridges will be rushed to advanced design without opportunity for public input about functional improvements. Therefore, LivableStreets and other groups sent a letter to Governor Patrick, Secretary Cohen and Secretary Bowles about our concerns regarding the lack of public process and the lack of pedestrian and bicycle accommodations. You can view the letter here.
THANK YOU to everyone who came to the public meetings and for contacting LivableStreets to express your views!
Check out our project pages here for more information.