BU Beach and Storrow Drive

[ant8904]

Hello. So this is my first post. I thought of this a while ago and decided to share this idea.

I'm a BU student and one thing that bothers me a lot is the lack of greenery. I know BU is an urban campus, but it would be nice if we had a green center. BU beach is our center with green grass and everything but it is just not big enough and right next to the darn highway. However, right over is the the Charles River with is beautiful shoreline. It is so close, yet so far away.

Yet, the reason why BU beach is called a beach is because of the hill just before it covering the highway. In a way, the rushing sounds of cars kinda like like waves on a beach. However, as much it does sound like it, in reality, it is still the sound of cars on a highway. For those who don't know, google provided a picture.

So I have this possible crazy idea. Is it possible someone, probably BU, could just set up platform right over Storrow Drive and cover it up. To me, it doesn't even have to be that long, just a few hundred yards from one end of BU Beach to the other. Probably short enough that no ventilation or any of that required. It shouldn't be much higher than the hill (and since it is a parkway, the clearance can be quite low) the top can be just covered by grass. On many vantage points, it would look just like an earthen flood wall and it would do so much to connect the beauty of the river to the campus.

My thinking it shouldn't be too costly since it only a short distance, low clearance, and so on, but it still cost money. All it does is aesthetics so there isn't that much incentive to do it except for the benefit of BU students and I guess those to walk/jog/bike on that short stretch, but its too short to really be that big of a deal.

Still to me, it sounds pretty inexpensive, quick to build, and makes a pretty good effect for the campus. I know you guys aren't BU students, but I wonder how good or bad the idea is.

 

[ablarc]

Idea is good, expense higher than perhaps you think. Chances of getting the university to pay for it are low. Harvard plans to do this with Storrow Drive in Allston, but BU doesn't have Harvard's kind of money.

Still, you should pursue the idea. See if you can get signatures on a petition. That could get the ball rolling, and --who knows-- you might see results when you're old and gray.

 

[yigal]

That would be fantastic. Imagine the DCR turning the impending Storrow Drive tunnel renovation into a larger scale project to bring the road underground, BU picking up around Kenmore and Harvard completing the job in Allston.

 

[Suffolk 83]

DCR is a poorly funded, mismanaged entity. I wish you good luck

 

[bosdevelopment]

cover it up!? sacrilege! The beach is fingerbang central. Covering up will take away from the towny appeal and may cast shadows.

 

[ant8904]

That would be ideal if like Allston, BU, and Harvard can work together with DCR to bury the thing as they do the tunnel.

However, my idea is just platforming over it in the BU Beach area which is about 200 - 300 feet across, 100 yards should cover up the area starting a little before the pedestrian bridge to end of the green area. Maybe some BU engineering students can do the initial calculations of what is needed to build the structure. It probably would be still prohibitively expensive, but I just think it would be nice.


I would like to imagine that if it not too expensive, that putting an organization together and finding some well off alumni with university support might get this done one day. I know for sure unfortunately I will long graduate before it get built if I even bother to propose the idea.

 

[cden4]

Given our luck with building tunnels around here, I think our best option may be to just tear out Storrow Drive altogether are restore the parkland. Of course it will have some impact on regional traffic, but other cities have shown that when you remove a road, it doesn't cause gridlock elsewhere. People find enough other alternate routes or alternate modes that it's not really an issue.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

The alternative route here would be Memorial Drive and I don't think Cambridge would look too kindly on the increase in traffic. Now if we also improved mass transit that would be different.

 

[Padre Mike]

Nice idea...I went to BU in the 70's when nearly all the grass you now see was parking lot and asphalt. I remember when they built the berm to block noise...it was a novel idea and added a great deal to the backside of the campus. I always wished there were more access to the river from the campus.