1. General.
2. Specific.
A. MBTA.
B. Recent vileness from Cambridge, DCR and cheerleaders.
C. MassDOT.
2. Official Announcement.
1. General.
Today, we have received some excellent information from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
The Charles River White Geese have the misfortune of living in the middle of a massive amount of possible development.
The very terrible actors are the City of Cambridge, the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation, and fake groups which can best be described as falsely named cheerleaders for the City of Cambridge, Cambridge’s friends, and individuals possible worse than Cambridge ad the DCR.
MassDOT has been the adult in the room, and MassDOT, once again, lives up to expectations.
2. Specific.
A. MBTA.
Here is a map from the local transit authority, the MBTA, which brings a lot into focus.
This particular map shows a possible crossing of the Charles River for the Heavy Rail “Urban Ring” subway proposal, a crossing which was made an official alternative of the MBTA in 1991, after I proposed it in 1986.
Last I heard, Cambridge and those influenced by Cambridge had spent a minimum of 20 years denying the existence of this MBTA proposal. Cambridge and friends want a destructive alternative river crossing which, increasingly, looks impossible because of the major upgrade of a Commuter Rail station called the “Yawkey Station.” They are losing in reality, so Cambridge and friends indulged in blatant lies over a period exceeding 20 years.
The MBTA is now part of MassDOT. MassDOT has made another major favorable ruling.
B. Recent vileness from Cambridge, DCR and cheerleaders.
Cambridge and the DCR have destroyed hundreds of trees between the BU and Longfellow Bridges on the Cambridge side of the Charles River. The BU Bridge is to the left of the river crossing in the map. The Longfellow Bridge is the second bridge to the right of the crossing.
Our video on this latest outrage may be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/h_u-woTPRJ8.
The Charles River White Geese have lived in this world for more than 35 years.
When Cambridge and the DCR started their attacks on the environment, the habitat of the Charles River White Geese ran on the Charles River from the lower of the two bridges on the left (the River Street Bridge) to the proposed river crossing.
They are now confined without food in their Destroyed Nesting Area to the right of the BU Bridge on the Cambridge (upper) side and areas to which they can swim.
C. MassDOT.
The area of current concern to MassDOT is at the far left of the map. It extends below the Charles River from the left margin, through the “90" (I90, Mass. Pike) to the BU Bridge. The highway shown is the Mass. Pike and its current ramps off the Mass. Pike to Cambridge and the Allston / Brighton neighborhoods of Boston.
Here are MassDOT’s latest plans before this announcement, that I am aware of. I split one map in half to keep my scanner happy.
The existing layout of the Mass. Pike (I90) in this area is greyed in under the colored proposed rearrangement.
The yellowed highway running from left to right through the combined map and then changing to blue and orange toward the right is the proposed relocation of the Mass. Pike (I90).
Between it and another, smaller parallel local road, and under both of them was intended to be storage for commuter rail trains going into and out of South Station several miles to the east (right).
The report is that this storage yard will not be going there. Where the storage will be going is spelled out in the email I just received from MassDOT.
That frees up this space for other uses. It decreases costs and greatly decreases pressure on the project.
So far, MassDOT has stoop up to outrageous proposals from friends of Cambridge and the DCR which would have accomplished further destruction on the Cambridge side consistent with the massive destruction already achieved and other irresponsible expansions proposed in concert with that outrage.
Hopefully, MassDOT will continue to be the adult in the room.
2. Official Announcement.
Here, without edit, is the MassDOT announcement.
* * *
Dear Friends of South Station,
1. We are writing to update you on MassDOT’s plan to submit a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the South Station Expansion Project early this summer. The FEIR will include a preferred South Station Expansion alternative, summarize any changes to the project since the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) filing, and incorporate the additional environmental analysis outlined in the Certificate on the DEIR. The FEIR will also respond to comments made on the DEIR.
The FEIR consists of four primary components:
Expanding South Station to accommodate additional platforms, tracks, a new expanded headhouse, and passenger amenities
Acquiring and demolishing the United States Postal Service (USPS) facility
Constructing rail layover facilities at Widett Circle and Readville – Yard 2
Reopening Dorchester Avenue and extending the Harborwalk
MassDOT is developing the FEIR filing schedule, public meeting date and additional materials. We will share the schedule for filing the FEIR with the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs as soon as details are available. There will be a public meeting on the FEIR during the comment period.
In preparing for the release of the FEIR document, MassDOT is hosting two community meetings in neighborhoods near the proposed midday layover facilities. On Tuesday, June 7, there will be a meeting in the Community Room at Boston Police District E-18, 1249 Hyde Park Avenue, Hyde Park, at 6:00 PM. On Wednesday, June 8, there will be a meeting at the Courtyard by Marriott-South Boston, 63 R Boston Street, South Boston, at 6:00 PM. Please visit the project website for meeting flyers and project materials.
The project will provide more reliable service for the MBTA’s customers and for the Northeast Corridor. We look forward to discussing the FEIR with you.
For more information about the South Station Expansion Project, please visit www.mass.gov/massdot/southstationexpansion. Please share this message with others who may be interested.
Sincerely,
South Station Expansion Project Team
