I-90 Interchange Improvement Project & West Station | Allston

The deadline to submit comments to the Mass Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office has been extended to December 15. It would be great to have your help asking MEPA to require MassDOT to study many of the good ideas that have been shared here. I've included a template comment letter below and more info is at
http://peoplespike.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PeoplesPike/
https://twitter.com/PeoplesPike

To holly.s.johnson@state.ma.us
Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett
Attn: Holly Johnson
MEPA Office, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114
RE: EEA# 15278
Dear Secretary Bartlett:

I am writing regarding MassDOT's Environmental Notification Form for the I-90 Allston Interchange Project #15278.

In the 21st century, this $260 million project must rebuild a the Pike AND create great new routes for cyclists and pedestrians while improving the Charles River near the highway. The trends are clear: we are using private automobiles less and public transportation, biking, and walking more. This project must invest in a future that improves the quality of life in our city and helps us be greener, cleaner, and more healthy.

PERSONALIZE WITH A FEW SENTENCES HERE. What kind of future do you want to see? Which issues are most important to you and why?

I urge you to require MassDOT study the following:

Acres of new parkland along the Charles River called the "Allston Esplanade."
A multi-use community path connecting Allston to Cambridge via the Grand Junction Rail Bridge crossing the Charles under the BU Bridge.
A new 'West Station' transit station that provides rapid transit service (every 10 minutes) to downtown & Kendall Square.
A deck over the highway and rail yard to cover these loud and dirty uses, protect residential quality of life and connect the existing and new neighborhoods.
Existing roads extended to connect Comm. Ave. and Cambridge St. to reduce cut-through traffic through the Harvard Ave & Linden St business district and neighborhood.
New Mass Pike on & off ramps near Beacon Street to serve the Kenmore/ Fenway/ Longwood area to get those cars off Allston's streets and Storrow Drive.

While I recognize the hard work MassDOT has put into designs so far, there are a significant number of critical issues unresolved. MEPA needs to require MassDOT to revise the project so it does much for things other than automobiles.

Sincerely,
Your Name
Address
 
Harry Mattison said:
The deadline to submit comments to the Mass Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office has been extended to December 15. It would be great to have your help asking MEPA to require MassDOT to study many of the good ideas that have been shared here. I've included a template comment letter below and more info is at
http://peoplespike.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PeoplesPike/
https://twitter.com/PeoplesPike

To holly.s.johnson@state.ma.us
Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett
Attn: Holly Johnson
MEPA Office, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114
RE: EEA# 15278
Dear Secretary Bartlett:

I am writing regarding MassDOT's Environmental Notification Form for the I-90 Allston Interchange Project #15278.

In the 21st century, this $260 million project must rebuild a the Pike AND create great new routes for cyclists and pedestrians while improving the Charles River near the highway. The trends are clear: we are using private automobiles less and public transportation, biking, and walking more. This project must invest in a future that improves the quality of life in our city and helps us be greener, cleaner, and more healthy.

PERSONALIZE WITH A FEW SENTENCES HERE. What kind of future do you want to see? Which issues are most important to you and why?

I urge you to require MassDOT study the following:

Acres of new parkland along the Charles River called the "Allston Esplanade."
A multi-use community path connecting Allston to Cambridge via the Grand Junction Rail Bridge crossing the Charles under the BU Bridge.
A new 'West Station' transit station that provides rapid transit service (every 10 minutes) to downtown & Kendall Square.
A deck over the highway and rail yard to cover these loud and dirty uses, protect residential quality of life and connect the existing and new neighborhoods.
Existing roads extended to connect Comm. Ave. and Cambridge St. to reduce cut-through traffic through the Harvard Ave & Linden St business district and neighborhood.
New Mass Pike on & off ramps near Beacon Street to serve the Kenmore/ Fenway/ Longwood area to get those cars off Allston's streets and Storrow Drive.

While I recognize the hard work MassDOT has put into designs so far, there are a significant number of critical issues unresolved. MEPA needs to require MassDOT to revise the project so it does much for things other than automobiles.

Sincerely,
Your Name
Address
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Not trying to be a grammar nazi, but thought you might want to revise those parts I bolded before you send it out.

Btw, are there any public meetings coming up about the project soon? Want to get a better feel for it before I write back
 
Harry Mattison said:
There are no public meetings scheduled. The presentations from past meetings are posted at http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/high...0InterchangeImprovementProject/Documents.aspx. Matt and I (who are both on the MassDOT Task Force) would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
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I cannot help but notice that there are always several highway lights out at the current interchange - have any of plans included solid lighting options to make sure this interchange is very well lit? I feel like a lot of high volume roadways in Boston and the metro area suffer from poor lighting and that makes navigating them a bit tougher.
 
Arlington said:
And then there's Boston University. Asked by a reporter, the Governor answered "no comment" to the question of whether BU is the obvious party to pay the "other 1/3rd" I have to believe that even now arms are being twisted to get BU to think of West Station as a natural place for gateway, and research, and vertical growth.

For me, the final 1/3 should come half from the City of Boston and half from BU. BU can't really afford 1/3...it doesn't have a huge speculative parcel whose access is at stake like Harvard does...but 1/6th of the Station's cost seems fair.

And then Boston, who is way behind on the trend of cities (NYC, Chicago, & DC) that are spending their own money to upgrade their urban transit at key places. Boston should pay 1/6th just for the brand polishing that comes from getting "Boston West Station"
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So its official that BU's 1/3 was held up by its bad precondition that its streets not be used for new bus routes. This is why Boston itself should have "redeemed" its own streets with a co-payment, rather than, as appears to be the case, BU, has forced the state to not use the grid for exactly what a street grid is supposed to be used for. Bad BU. Bad Boston. Bad State.

http://www.universalhub.com/2015/bus-west-station-quid-pro-quo

current2.PNG
 
FK4 said:
man, fuck BU. that's such bullshit.
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I don't think folks are being quite fair to BU. Looking at it from their perspective - the MBTA is talking about a bus hub. That's not a few buses passing through every hour, it's 5 or 6 idling buses at a time next to the station. I could be wrong, but given that BU's campus is oriented along Comm. Ave, I don't think they'd object to bus routes passing through. It's the prospect of a hub operating on the privately owned (which is a key) streets adjacent to the station that spooked them. They didn't buy that MBTA activity would be confined solely to the yet-to-be-built Beacon Park roads, and since MassDOT failed to guarantee that, it seems like a reasonable concern.

Also, it's not BU's fault that the City was shortsighted (read: moronic) enough to sell them rights-of-way on their campus. Once that happened, those streets became part of a college layout, and it's possible that BU has aspirations of taking cars off of them entirely. No university would ever allow private roadways to be turned into heavily-traveled through streets.
 
More than just a bus hub, is this in effect preventing any of the streets from bridging over to North Allston? Is that because every street coming off Comm towards the Pike is a private BU road now?
 
Shepard said:
More than just a bus hub, is this in effect preventing any of the streets from bridging over to North Allston? Is that because every street coming off Comm towards the Pike is a private BU road now?
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That's the assumption I was making, yes. I don't think BU will ever allow any more than a pedestrian bridge.
 
Equilibria said:
I don't think folks are being quite fair to BU. Looking at it from their perspective - the MBTA is talking about a bus hub. That's not a few buses passing through every hour, it's 5 or 6 idling buses at a time next to the station. I could be wrong, but given that BU's campus is oriented along Comm. Ave, I don't think they'd object to bus routes passing through. It's the prospect of a hub operating on the privately owned (which is a key) streets adjacent to the station that spooked them. They didn't buy that MBTA activity would be confined solely to the yet-to-be-built Beacon Park roads, and since MassDOT failed to guarantee that, it seems like a reasonable concern.

Also, it's not BU's fault that the City was shortsighted (read: moronic) enough to sell them rights-of-way on their campus. Once that happened, those streets became part of a college layout, and it's possible that BU has aspirations of taking cars off of them entirely. No university would ever allow private roadways to be turned into heavily-traveled through streets.
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I cut them zero slack. They are an urban University strung out along a major six lane thoroughfare. They are never going to have a quiet college campus in the style of some rural liberal arts paradise. Furthermore this is definitely something for the greater good of the entire region and they are seriously stonewalling a potential massive problem-solving of local traffic and travel patterns. So no, I give them no credit and I don't feel unfair about that at all.
 
FK4 said:
I cut them zero slack. They are an urban University strung out along a major six lane thoroughfare. They are never going to have a quiet college campus in the style of some rural liberal arts paradise. Furthermore this is definitely something for the greater good of the entire region and they are seriously stonewalling a potential massive problem-solving of local traffic and travel patterns. So no, I give them no credit and I don't feel unfair about that at all.
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+1
 
FK4 said:
I cut them zero slack. They are an urban University strung out along a major six lane thoroughfare. They are never going to have a quiet college campus in the style of some rural liberal arts paradise. Furthermore this is definitely something for the greater good of the entire region and they are seriously stonewalling a potential massive problem-solving of local traffic and travel patterns. So no, I give them no credit and I don't feel unfair about that at all.
Click to expand...

They're not stonewalling. MassDOT failed to guarantee that the private way sold to BU by a different public actor wouldn't be burdened by idling buses (like Harvard deals with on Mass Ave, but Mass Ave is a major thoroughfare and Blandford St. isn't). They don't want a rural paradise, but they do want control over their environment.

If you want to be pissed (and so do I), be pissed at the City of Boston. They're the ones who are supposed to be looking out for the general good. BU is a private non-profit looking out for itself and its students.
 
Which streets, exactly, are private?

Can't MassDOT guarantee that buses would idle on a new street created through Beacon Park, and not a BU street?
 
Shepard said:
Which streets, exactly, are private?

Can't MassDOT guarantee that buses would idle on a new street created through Beacon Park, and not a BU street?
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Stopped being an idiot and looked this up. Actually, it's unrelated and in a different part of the campus. Here's the map.

http://www.bu.edu/today/2012/purchased-streets-open-doors-to-big-plans/

I'm still going with that BU has the right to oppose a bus terminal, but all they can do is withhold funding. If MassDOT wanted to connect the roads, the most they could do is speak out against it...

In answer to your question, yes. It seems they haven't done that to BU's satisfaction.
 
FK4 said:
I cut them zero slack. They are an urban University strung out along a major six lane thoroughfare. They are never going to have a quiet college campus in the style of some rural liberal arts paradise. Furthermore this is definitely something for the greater good of the entire region and they are seriously stonewalling a potential massive problem-solving of local traffic and travel patterns. So no, I give them no credit and I don't feel unfair about that at all.
Click to expand...

It is still notable that the other school around BU aren't rural liberal arts paradise either, but still have a lot more of a campus. I imagine BU long term plans was probably build it towards the area, but no one really planned out that the railyard would clear up and the highway to straighten.

Hopefully the hold up is more of administration transition and Baker can reach something that works.
 
$8MM from BU should not hold up establishing a major transit hub in a brand new neighborhood. The city/state/etc should tell BU where to stick $8MM and park a fleet of idling buses outside the president's office indefinitely.
 
Just to be clear, out of Malvern, Alcorn, and Babcock, the only part of those streets BU owns is the last 200' before the train tracks of Babcock. Everything else is city property.

Also, as has been discussed on uhub, there is pretty much nothing back there but service entrances, parking lots, and a field. The private interests of BU should not trump those of a potential new crosstown route to supplement the 66, bus connections to the new station, and most importantly the only chance to relieve the crushing gridlock on Harvard Ave and Linden Street of traffic going to and from the Pike.

Permeability of routes is the only way that congestion is ever going to be eased, there is no other solution. Extending one, or preferably two of those streets across would reroute all the traffic coming from Comm Ave away from Allston Village. And it could be done in a pedestrian friendly manner. I envision a one way pair with wide sidewalks, parallel parking, bike lanes, and raised crosswalks / intersections. It would be safer and more effecent for everyone.
 
Harry Mattison said:
The deadline to submit comments to the Mass Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) office has been extended to December 15. It would be great to have your help asking MEPA to require MassDOT to study many of the good ideas that have been shared here. I've included a template comment letter below and more info is at
http://peoplespike.com/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PeoplesPike/
https://twitter.com/PeoplesPike

To holly.s.johnson@state.ma.us
Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett
Attn: Holly Johnson
MEPA Office, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114
RE: EEA# 15278
Dear Secretary Bartlett:

I am writing regarding MassDOT's Environmental Notification Form for the I-90 Allston Interchange Project #15278.

In the 21st century, this $260 million project must rebuild a the Pike
AND
create great new routes for cyclists and pedestrians while improving the Charles River near the highway.
The trends are clear:
  • we are using private automobiles less --- HUH????
  • and public transportation --more ?
  • biking more ?
  • and walking more ?
This project must invest in a future that improves the quality of life in our city and helps us be greener, cleaner, and more healthy.
Click to expand...

If anyone sent such a letter -- they wasted the effort of both themselves [who cares]

and the opportunity to contribute something useful toward something which will be here long after the letter writer goes to Aspen or Portland Oregon, etc.

It's important to separate your underlying beliefs from the reality of the situation
 
The BU administration is also hilariously anti-transit - the current Transportation Master Plan actually claims that the 57 and the B are under capacity at rush hour, and the BU Bus is only ever used to travel to/from the med campus. So it's not surprising that they're opposed to buses.

I do see their point about private auto traffic, though. There is a huge amount of east-west pedestrian traffic - primarily BU students - through the Alcorn area. Dumping a whole lot of through traffic on those streets would indeed be bad for BU students; even a well-designed street is harder to cross than an empty street.
 
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