Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, Inc.
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS • EFFECTIVE PARTNERING ®
MEMORANDUM
June 18, 2015
To:
Kevin Huie
Barletta Heavy Division
Project Manager
From:
Nathaniel Curtis
Howard/Stein-Hudson
Public Involvement Specialist
RE:
Third Construction Public Information Meeting
Meeting Notes of May 7, 2015
Overview & Executive Summary
On May 7, 2015 members of the Casey Arborway Project Team and MassDOT staff associated with the job held
the third public information meeting for the construction phase of the project. The Casey Arborway project is a
result of a three year planning process consisting of over forty meetings and input from two business and citizen
advisory groups know respectively as the Working Advisory Group (WAG) and the Design Advisory Group (DAG).
The project, which was awarded in October, 2014 by the MassDOT board to the general contractor’s team led by
Barletta Heavy Division, will remove the existing Casey Overpass and replace it with a new network of at-grade
streets to be known as the Casey Arborway. The project will also equip Forest Hills Station with a new, fully
accessible entrance/exit head-house to the north of the Casey Arborway at the end of the Southwest Corridor
linear park which will be upgraded with a new, graceful entrance plaza. The plaza immediately to the north of
Forest Hills Station will be improved and expanded with the shifting of the Route 39 bus to the upper bus-way.
The project will also create just over three miles of new bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, upgrade and
modernize all signals within the project limits of work, and plant 560 new trees. Franklin Park will receive a new
pedestrian friendly gateway in the form of the conversion of the Shea Circle rotary into a traditional four-way
intersection to be known as Shea Square. An overview of the job was provided at the first meeting of the
construction phase on January 21, 2015. This presentation can be seen at:
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/caseyarborway/meetings.aspx . Anyone interested in materials pertaining to the
planning and design period can find them at:
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/caseyarborway/meetings/desgionandplanningmeetings.aspx.
The purpose of the meeting summarized herein was to provide an overview of the next 90 days of work and
answer follow up questions from the second public information meeting held on March 9, 2015. This 90 day
period is chiefly concerned with finishing the necessary steps to allow the Casey Overpass to be closed and
demolished. On May 9, the Casey Overpass will close for westbound traffic. On May 16, the Casey Overpass will
close permanently in both directions. Demolition of the structure will begin during the week of May 18.
Demolition is expected to last approximately eight months. In order to maintain access, current traffic will be
shifted to the temporary roadway that has been built to the north of the existing viaduct. Please reduce speed
and exercise caution when traversing this and all work zones.
11 Beacon Street, Suite 1010  Boston, Massachusetts 02108  617.482.7080
www.hshassoc.com
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In preparation of the permanent closure and as discussed at the meeting summarized herein, specific pedestrian,
bicycle, and vehicular movements were announced to best help community members traverse the area during
construction. In addition to expanding the public outreach for the construction phase of the job, advertisements
were placed in the Bay State Banner as requested from the March 9 public information meeting along with the
Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Dorchester Reporter, Milton Times, Brookline TAB, and West Roxbury/Roslindale
Transcript. The project team staff also provided meeting notices and material to the Jamaica Plain and
Roslindale Public Libraries. It is currently anticipated that monthly office hours at the Curtis Hall will continue on
the third Tuesday of every month at least until the bridge is completely demolished. It is currently anticipated
that the next public information meeting will coincide with the switch to the project’s second phase.
Motorists are reminded that through eastbound traffic to Washington Street northbound, Hyde Park Avenue,
and points east should bear to the left when traveling on the Arborway and use the temporary cross-over lane to
go directly to New Washington Street where additional temporary lanes have been placed to provide additional
capacity. Only those vehicles looking to access Roslindale and points south along Washington Street should exit
the Arborway via the original eastbound off ramp. Left turns at the base of the original eastbound off-ramp
are strictly prohibited. All motorists are reminded not to block the box at intersections within the work zone.
Your cooperation will ensure your safety and help traffic operate more smoothly during construction.
Pedestrians are requested to only use designated crosswalks. The crosswalk at the western end of New
Washington Street and the one crossing South Street at the Route 39 bus driveway have both been
removed for your safety. The temporary pedestrian accommodations may require that certain commuters take
a longer route to the station. Your cooperation will ensure your safety. The project, when completed, will
provide substantial pedestrian upgrades.
Cyclists are reminded to reduce speeds and exercise caution on the temporary connections between the
Southwest Corridor Pathway and abutting streets. Bicycles may use the full lane within the work zone but must
obey all rules of the road when riding as vehicles.
The meeting was attended by a number of elected officials including State Representative Jeff Sanchez, State
Representative Russell Holmes, State Representative Elizabeth Malia, City Councilor Charles Yancey, Teddy Chery
from Senator Linda Dorcena Forry’s Office, Jullieanne Doherty from Mayor Walsh’s Office of Neighborhood
Services, Hannah Smith from City Councilor Matt O’Malley’s Office, Hannah Hastings from Senator Chang-Diaz’s
Office, and Deputy Commissioner Jim Gillooly of the Boston Transportation Department (BTD). The meeting was
also attended by over ninety-five community members representing Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, Dorchester,
Mattapan, Hyde Park, West Roxbury, Allston, and Brighton.
Meeting Minutes 1
C: Jim Kersten (JK): Thank you very much for coming out tonight. My name is Jim Kersten and I work for the
Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). As you know this is our third construction
meeting. Tonight we’ll be going over the next 90 days of construction. This is going to include the
permanent closing of the Casey Overpass. Before we start I want to recognize State Representative Jeff
Sanchez for being in attendance. Teddy Chery from Senator Linda Dorcena Forry’s Office, Jullieanne Doherty
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Herein “C” stands for comment, “Q” for question and “A” for answer. For a list of attendees, please see
Appendix 1.
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from Mayor Walsh’s Office of Neighborhood Services, as well as Deputy Commissioner Jim Gillooly from BTD
are also here with us tonight. Thank you. Tonight we’re going to show you the different types of traffic
patterns once we start closing parts of the bridge. We are going to show you the routes you can travel as a
pedestrian and as a cyclist. We’re also going to show you how to get around the project area as a motorist.
I’m going to turn it over to Tom Russo who is the project’s superintendent from Barletta Heavy Division.
Overview of the Next 90 Days of Operations
C: Tom Russo (TR): Good evening everybody. I’m going to walk you through the agenda. You’ve probably
seen that we have been building the temporary surface roadways. Tonight we’re going to cover work since
the last meeting. We’ll preview the next 90 days and we’ll show you the stage 1 construction scheme which
includes the permanent closure of the Overpass. We’ll wrap up with a discussion on public outreach and as
always we’ll have a question and answer session.
In terms of the construction of the temporary roadways, we built a two lane road in front of the Casey
Arborway. This road will be utilized this Saturday in its full capacity with the closure of the westbound travel
lanes on the Overpass. We’ve also been working on temporary signals. We’ve put up temporary poles and
signalized each intersection. We have been working in partnership with BTD to best time the signals. We
have also placed a number of rodent control devices. If you see something that looks like a black box, it’s a
rodent control device. We’ve placed these boxes around the station, the roadway, the Arborway, the east
abutment, and the west abutment. We have constructed temporary pedestrian and bicycle paths. We have
built a sidewalk heading towards South Street which you’ll see on the left. We have also built connections to
the South West Corridor and as you can see from the photograph it is being used. In terms of the removal of
the western abutment you’ve probably noticed that most of the activity happened last week. This is in
preparation for building the two lanes that will be utilized this Saturday. Next weekend when the bridge
closes there will also be an eastbound lane traveling in the opposite direction.
I want to discuss the next 90 days. This weekend the westbound travel lanes will close on the Overpass.
Next weekend we will reach the full closure of the Overpass. Demolition will begin on the Monday following
the full closure. Soon after we will begin building the temporary Route 39 bus berth. The location at which
the bus turns is going to change slightly. In terms of the 90 day look-ahead schedule the big items have
been covered. Regarding the next 90 days of working condition not much has changed. Monday through
Friday work will take place from 7:00am to 7:30pm. On Saturdays work will take place from 7:00am to
3:30pm. We are going to make every attempt to demolish the Overpass during the day. At places where the
Overpass is over the road we will do the demolition at night. Our demolition options for those sections are
nighttime work with closures or weekend work with closures. As always, for any night time work, we will put
out a two week advance notice. There are a lot of phases to the demolition, the first is stage 1. This will be
when the structure comes down. The demolition will take approximately seven to eight months. The
Overpass will be permanently closed on May 16. Once the Overpass is closed, traffic will go directly to the
temporary surface roads. The traffic patterns moving east and west will not change much.
Overview of Temporary Traffic Patterns for All Modes
C: Nathaniel Cabral-Curtis (NCC): Good evening everybody. My name is Nathaniel Curtis. I am the project’s
public involvement specialist. I also live in the neighborhood so I will explain the traffic patterns for motorist,
pedestrians, and bicycles. Following the Overpass’ full closure we will be taking steps to monitor the traffic
conditions around the structure. The project team and the BTD will be working together to monitor signal
performance and adjusting signal timings if needed to ensure everything is working as best it can.
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The first slide I would like to discuss is the pedestrian movements. The reason I am showing you this is
because once the bridge closes we will be in this configuration for some time as demolishing is ongoing.
These purple lines represent the safe crossing points. This is where the Southwest Corridor ties in. If you
want to walk to the east or to Shea Circle you will travel along the existing walkway. You will have a sidewalk
heading down Washington Street. You’ll have a safe crosswalk heading down towards the station. For
people coming from Woodlawn Street or Tower Street there will be a crosswalk adjacent to the entrance of
the lower bus-way. If you’re on the west side of the project limits you’ll have a sidewalk coming down from
South Street on the west side.
The next slide I want to discuss is the bicycle movements. Again, these are fairly similar and I’m going to
start at the Southwest Corridor. When you get to the end of the Southwest Corridor you essentially have a
decision to make. If you’re looking to head towards Roslindale, South Street, the Arboretum, or down to the
station, you’ll come off the end of the bicycle path and make a right turn. Once you get to the intersection
you can either turn right to head up South Street or turn left to head towards points south such as
Roslindale, Ukraine Way, or Forest Hills Station. If you are looking to head towards Franklin Park or points
east, you’ll make a left turn at the end of the bicycle path and ride along the existing pathway. One thing I
want to mention for all the cyclist in the audience is that you may ride in the road where it is signed. With
that said, you must obey all traffic signals.
This next slide is the one I’m sure everyone has been waiting to see. This slide shows vehicle movements.
This is what happens when the Overpass closes. By in large these movements are not all that different from
today. I want to start at the western end by the Arboretum. One of the reasons that the demolition is
happening up there is to construct a temporary lane which will bring traffic down the northern side of the
bridge. At the point you see the two purple lines you’re going to have a decision point. If you want to head
towards Roslindale, you’ll come down along the existing roadway and turn right. There are not a lot of
changes with that movement. If you want to travel to the east out towards Franklin Park or down towards
the Court House you’re going to bear to the left at the decision point I mentioned. If you want to head
towards the east you’ll continue on the temporary roadway. If you want to go downs towards the Dogwood
you’ll turn right. At Shea Circle the traffic movements are generally what they were. Thank you for holding
your questions, we only have two more slides. I am going to hand it back off to Jim.
C: JK: Thank you Nate. Real quick I want to recognize Representative Russell Holmes, Hannah from City
Councilor O’Malley’s Office, City Councilor Charles Yancey, and Hannah from Senator Chang-Diaz’s Office for
being here with us tonight. Once a month we do office hours at Curtis Hall. You are all free to come in and
voice any questions or concerns that you may have. Another public involvement tool that we have been
using is a 3-week look ahead notice. If you would like to receive these notices you can sign-up to be
included in our stakeholder database. If you signed in with your email address you will be added. Whenever
construction is ongoing we have a project hotline number that is staffed. The number is provided on the
screen (617-571-7878) and it is also on the Casey Project website. I’ll leave this last slide up during the
question and answer period. That is my name and contact information. If you want to send us an email or
sign-up for the stakeholder database, please send it to: caseyarborway.construction@dot.state.ma.us. Thank
you everyone.
Question & Answer Period
Q: Matthew Danish (MD): Hi, my name is Matthew Danish. I want to start by thanking you all for coming and
answering our questions. I would also like to thank everyone in the audience for coming out tonight. I’m
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really looking forward to the end result of this project. It is going to be an amazing finished product and it is
also going to be a long hard slug to get there. You are literally taking Forest Hills out of the shadows in the
th
20 century and it will be amazing. My question about construction is regarding pedestrian access on South
Street. You said that on the east sidewalk you will not be able to cross to get to the Station. I’m wondering
why that was omitted and I’m also wondering what kind of signal it will be? Will it be exclusive or
concurrent?
A: Chris Evasius (CE): Hello everyone, I’m Chris Evasius. I’m the assistant District 6 construction engineer with
MassDOT. The crosswalks are placed in a manner which supports the signalization of the intersections. If
directions across the intersection had crosswalks it would shorten the green time for vehicular movement.
That is what drives that decision.
C: TR: We will also be added two new signs. One of the signs will say crosswalk closed. The second sign will
say, cross here. That sign will have an arrow pointing to the designated crosswalk.
Q: MD: Is it an exclusive signal or concurrent? Will all the cars be stopped when pedestrians are crossing?
A: TR: It will be the same signalization as any of the other crosswalks.
Q: MD: Will there be turning traffic through the crosswalk while people are trying to cross?
A: TR: I don’t believe so, no.
C: MD: I would like to ask you to keep an eye on that and make sure that pedestrians are treated well when
they are trying to get to the Station. Thank you very much and I look forward to the end result.
A: NCC: Thank you Matt. 2
C: Clay Harper (CH): My name is Clay Harper, I live on Hampstead Road. I write a blog called Arborway Matters.
My question is actually about the same intersection and it may have just been answered. I was wondering
about additional signage to discourage people from crossing at the wrong places. I believe one of the
pedestrian signal heads is missing by South Street and the VFW Hall. I would also like to add my thanks to
the hundreds of professionals that have worked so hard over the many years on this project. We’re restoring
the Emerald Necklace which we certainly deserve. Thank you very much.
A: JK: Thank you sir.
Q: Dottie Ferrell (DF): My name’s Dottie Ferrell, I live on Pond Street. I want to start off by thanking everyone
who was on the WAG and DAG for a very thoughtful, well planned, and democratic process. Since you will
be closing one-lane and then another lane, have you thought about doing anything special for the last car to
travel over the bridge?
A: CE: From the construction management perspective we have not. We don’t know the exact time we will be
closing the bridge. It all depends on when the other roadways are available. Maybe Jim can look into that
for you.
C: DF: There are many people who would like to celebrate it. Thank you.
2
Since the time of this meeting, additional orange diamond signs reading “Yield to Pedestrians” have been
added at crossings within the work zone.
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C: NCC: Thank you Dottie.
Q: Anne McKinnon (AM): I’m opposed to this project. When is the work on the upper bus-way going to begin?
A: TR: Work on the upper bus-way will start sometime in the next 30 days. We are going to start foundation
work first.
Q: Kathleen Robinson (KR): Hi, I’m Kathleen Robinson. I live in an elderly home on Shea Circle. I have two
questions. One is a concern for both the construction period and for when the project is finished. I’m
concerned about the amount of idling traffic that is going to happen in front of our building because of
people stopped at traffic lights. The traffic right now is not stopped and idling. I’m concerned that there will
be more pollution for the elders who live right on the circle. I’m wondering how that might be mitigated.
My second question is about the Route 39 bus. I don’t have a car and I depend on the Route 39 bus every
day. There are long backups all the way to the Monument on South Street. The bus has been getting
delayed. I’m concerned that as the project moves forward the backups will get even greater and the delays
for the Route 39 bus will be greater. I’m wondering if there has been any thought to mitigating that?
A: CE: It’s the same answer to both questions. After the construction is complete, the intersections will become
property of MassDOT, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), or the City of Boston. Just like
any other intersection, they’ll be optimized if there is an issue with idling traffic. Regarding the temporary
situation it is the same answer. We have all of our temporary signals tied into the tech center at BTD. They
can make spotted adjustments as needed.
C: NCC: I would like to add one thing to that. One of the things this project will do is realign the road further
away from your building. When we finish the project there will be a new green space in front of your facility.
Q: KR: That’s good. Is there any plan to minimize the traffic for the Route 39 bus?
A: CE: It’s the same answer. If cars get through better, buses get through better.
Q: Julie Crockford (CF): My name is Julie Crockford and I also think that the community process’ that MassDOT
step up has been the finest process I have seen. Thank you very much for an inclusive process that brought
lots of people to the table through the WAG and DAG. You’ve put public notices in all the local papers and
Representative Holmes has attended every meeting. We really appreciate it. I should note that many of the
representatives of the City of Boston’s office including the Mayor’s Office have been following this project
very closely. My question is about the bicycle versus pedestrian movement. Is it two-way bicycle travel on
the Southwest Corridor side?
A: NCC: Everything north of the end point of the Southwest Corridor is not being touched.
Q: JC: If I want to take people from the Jamaica Pond or the Arboretum to Franklin Park, can I take them on the
Southwest Corridor side in both directions? Is it two-way for bicycles?
A: NCC: Yes. On the northern side it is two-way. It is a shared space so please be careful.
C: JC: Thank you.
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Q: Edward Wagner (EW): I’m not going to ask any detailed questions. It takes me about five minutes from my
front door to walk to the Station. I’ve only lived here for seven years but I do know that one of the most
famous battles of urban development took place right here forty years ago when the community stopped
the super highway from going through this area. What I want to know is, having fought that forty years ago,
why would you consent to have a super highway built in front of your train station? Now we’re even more
crowded and squished together that we were 40 years ago.
A: JK: Tonight is focusing on construction questions so that members of the community who are interested in
the project can understand what is happening and how to traverse the project area during construction. I
want to touch on some of the enhancements the project provides. We are providing a three mile long cycle
track as well as adding over three miles of improved pedestrian access. We are adding close to one and a
half acres of park space and we’re removing a 1,600 foot structure in a heavily focused urban area. We are
improving eight intersections including Shea Circle which was a major request from the community in the
planning process. It wasn’t part of the initial project but we added it because it was a major concern that we
heard from you.
Q: Diane Spears (DS): My question has to do with the diagram for the vehicle movements. If I’m traveling on
the Arborway heading east, is it true that I have to make the decision to turn left?
A: NCC: Depending on where you’re going, yes.
Q: DS: If I want to turn onto South Street, can I do that? I don’t see a left turn arrow on the map? If I can’t,
how do I get onto South Street?
A: NCC: There is no left-turn, it is a through movement. The reason we have no left-turn going up South Street
is because the volumes taking that left are extremely small. As part of ensuring that the traffic signal
operates correctly, we did some counts. The results of those counts are that during the A.M. peak hour there
is about five percent of the volume that is making that move.
Q: DS: I was at the Arboretum today; I came down the ramp, and took a left to get to my home. Now you’re
telling me that I won’t be able to do that during construction?
A: NCC: Just for this phase.
Q: DS: You’re telling me during construction I can’t make that move but will that be rectified once this is
completed? Will I be able to take a left turn onto South Street if I’m coming from the Arboretum?
C: TR: We can double check with the plan set in the lobby.
C: JK: Jonathan Kapust is out in the lobby and he can answer specific design related questions.
C: NCC: We’re getting Jonathan to come in to answer your question. Jonathan, the question is, when the
project is complete and, can you turn left onto South Street when traveling from the east?
A: Jonathan Kapust (JK): You’ll travel through the intersection of South Street, through the intersection of
Washington Street, and make a U-turn at the mid-block U-turn to come back. At peak rush hour, that turn
has forty five turns; that is three percent of the total traffic going through that intersection. If you are
coming from that direction, the only way you ended up at that intersection is if you came through Murray
Circle.
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Q: Greta Graffin (GG): Hello, I’m Greta Graffin and I live in Roslindale. The bridge is directly over the commuter
rail platform. How are you going to ensure that that platform is not filled with debris?
A: TR: The vent that is above the platform and below the bridge will be shielded during the demolition of the
bridge structure. In a later phase it will get completely covered over.
C: Todd Consentino (TC): Good evening. My question relates to the pedestrian crossing at New Washington
Street and South Street. I am interested to hear about that crossing from a bicycle perspective. Currently
there is no pedestrian button at that intersection. If you’re on a bicycle and you want to cross it is very
difficult. If you do get across there is no room to wait if you want to take a left-turn.
C: TR: This sidewalk is wide and it’s for that exact reason. I believe there is a pedestrian button right there on
the pole. We will double check that for you but I am almost positive.
Q: TC: Okay thank you. Once I get across, where am I supposed to queue up and wait to make that left-turn?
A: TR: There was a fire hydrant we relocated and now there is an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp.
I’m wondering if we could do something there to make that space a little broader for bicycles. I understand
it is a little small. If I can squeeze a little more space behind the fire hydrant I will.
C: TC: Thank you.
Q: Rebecca Kushner (RK): Hi my name is Rebecca Kushner and I live off of South Street. I am opposed to the
project. It will back traffic up and increase pollution. It will be unsafe for me as a pedestrian and bicyclist.
Last time I addressed one of you and said that you are not properly informing all of the commuters on the
Arborway. You’re demolishing the overpass, you’re not replacing it. You said whatever I suggested last time
was too wordy to put on the variable message boards so I’ve come up with short wording that I would like
to know if you will use. You can either do, Casey Overpass or Arborway Bridge demolition, two-years,
expanded surface roads, info-call 857-368-9041. Is that something that you will put up?
A: JK: We will take a look into it.
A: CE: MassDOT has standard language so when motorist encounter similar language throughout the
Commonwealth they know how to react to it. We will look into it.
C: RK: Who should I follow up with? I understand what you’re saying because you don’t want people to be
distracted while they’re driving but on the other hand it is an honest way to tell them that you are not just
taking the bridge down but you are not replacing it. You should also mention that this is a three year
project.
C: CE: We’ve never put duration of a project on a message board because it means nothing to the person
driving at that moment.
Q: RK: I live on Jamaica Street next to St. Rose Street. There is increased traffic and people cutting through.
Did you do traffic monitoring or traffic counts on St. Rose Street before construction?
C: TR: Maureen Chlebek is outside speaking with people in the lobby. We will make her available.
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A: Maureen Chlebek (MC): Let me give you some background regarding cut through traffic. We worked with
community members to identify potential cut through routes and we did baseline traffic counts before any
construction began.
Q: RK: It sounds like you didn’t do counts on St. Rose Street. People on St. Rose Street are concerned because
they are experiencing increased traffic. They are attributing the traffic to cut through traffic. Since you didn’t
do a baseline of St. Rose Street, what are you going to do now to see if there is an increase in traffic?
A: MC: We can take new counts in the area to determine if the roads leading to St. Rose Street are increased.
A: CE: Thank you Maureen I will take it from here. We will look at all the streets regardless if there were
baseline counts done or not. If we see that there are unsafe conditions we’ll work with our partners from the
City of Boston to identify what we may be able to do to solve those issues. Keep in mind that any
restrictions that we make will apply to everyone. That will have to go through the City’s process as well.
Q: RK: Would it be useful for you to meet us on the street to go through options?
A: JK: If you could send me an email we can coordinate with Joe Coleman who is our resident engineer on this
job. He will take a look at it. Ultimately this is the City of Boston’s street and we don’t have the jurisdiction
on that.
C: RK: My last comment is a request from a customer service point of view. I request that you use nonbureaucratic language and be very specific when you answer our request.
A: JK: If you email me and need further clarification please email me back.
C: RK: Thank you.
C: Mark Tedrow (MT): Hi my name is Mark Tedrow. I live on Sycamore Street in Roslindale. I’ve been
attending meetings for the project for four years now. In the next two years I really look forward to seeing a
completed Casey Arborway. My comment is that this Sunday is Mother’s Day and it is also Lilac Sunday.
There will be an enormous number of people heading towards the Arboretum using the South Street and
New Washington Street intersection. It would be very nice to have that area spiffed up and have the
crosswalks in good shape.
A: JK: We have been in contact with the Arboretum and they are very familiar with the plans moving forward.
We know how important this event is and we have reached out to them. They have been a great partner in
this process.
C: Stacy Thompson (ST): Thank you. My name is Stacy Thompson and I live on South Street. Most of my
questions have been answered which is great. I want to share a comment from everyone in my
neighborhood in thanking you for the extensive public process you went through. We are really excited
about the complete design and are looking forward to continuing the process moving forward. I want to
reiterate that the pedestrian crossing that has come up at New Washington Street and South Street is really
hairy in the morning. I know you are already planning on adding more signage but it would be great if you
could clarify some of the confusion around that crossing. Thank you.
C: Tom Menihan (TM): Hi I’m Tom Menihan and I live on Boynton Street. I have two concerns. The first is that
traffic on Boynton Street is already been effected by the traffic changes. Traffic is idling for hours. That’s
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part of my overall concern. My other concern is the lack of information for the abutting communities. Thank
you.
A: JK: I want to touch on some of the information we’ve provided for the outlying communities. This has been
a topic that has come up recently. When we place advertisements in the newspapers we place those in a
wide geographic range including Milton, Roslindale, Dorchester, and West Roxbury. We have continually
placed flyers in community places including the Roslindale and Jamaica Plain Public Libraries. We have
placed advertisements in multiple languages. During the WAG we had representatives from Roslindale,
Mattapan, Dorchester, and West Roxbury. Meetings were also held in Roslindale, West Roxbury, and
Mattapan. We’ve received comments from community members from a number of abutting communities
including Waltham, Chelsea, Needham, Deedham, West Roxbury, and Roslindale. We also received
comments from a number of sections of Dorchester including Savin Hill, Uphams Corner, Grove Hall, and
Ashmont. We’ve had over forty five public meetings. Once a month, Nate and I hold office hours as I
mentioned earlier. When we send out our 3-week look ahead it is sent to over 1,100 email addresses. The
public outreach and coordination that has and will continue cast a very wide net. We’re trying to inform and
involve as many people as we can throughout this entire process.
Q: TM: Was Boynton Street identified as a cut through route?
A: MC: Yes, it was identified as a cut through route in the baseline traffic analysis. We took all of the potential
cut through routes and identified them as major and alternate routes. Boynton Street was identified as an
alternate cut through route. We then developed a traffic counting plan that looked at the approaches and
roadways leading into them. We did a counting program before we started construction so that when and if
we need to, we can look at new counts and compare them to the baseline.
Q: Jeffery Ferris (JF): Hi, I’m Jeffery Ferris of Jamaica Plain. I have a couple questions. Regarding the upper busway you said construction is going to start in the next 30 days?
A: TR: Yes.
Q: JF: Is the design of the upper bus-way complete and does it include the canopy?
A: JK: Yes.
Q: JF: Has the cost increased on that from the initial estimate?
A: JK: No.
Q: JF: Can you explain the difference between total cost and construction cost please?
A: JK: Construction cost is the bid amount that the contractor bid for the job. The design was one hundred
percent complete when we put it out to bid. Various contractors went through that and Barletta Heavy
Division was the low bidder at $59 million. Outside of that we put what we call contingencies on top which
includes police details and BTD details for traffic management. Those are some of the types of things that
are outside the bid amount and contribute to the construction cost.
Q: JF: Could you tell us what the current total cost of the project is?
A: JK: It’s $76,251,431.93
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A: CE: That has not changed since the bid was put in by Barletta.
Q: JF: Does that include the access improvements that have been triggered by this project for the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)?
A: JK: No.
Q: JF: What is the cost of that?
A: JK: I’m not exactly sure.
Q: JF: Is it something on the order of $10 million?
A: JK: That sounds about right.
C: JF: Okay so the total impact cost this is bringing up is over $80 million if we include that.
C: JK: I see those as two different projects. There is one construction project that Barletta is doing and that
MassDOT is overseeing. Those improvements to the Forest Hills Station are going to happen and there is a
contract for it. This construction job is for the Arborway.
Q: JF: Well you’re doing things like Shea Circle and Ukraine bicycle path. Those aren’t part of the Arborway.
Are triggered access improvements generally included as part of a project like this?
A: JK: Those are State roads and we are MassDOT. We do not oversee the MBTA.
C: JF: You’re rearranging the bus-way and you’re moving the head house, those are both MBTA.
A: JK: Those are improvements to your community.
C: JF: Well I think it’s a bill of goods.
A: JK: Your community members asked that we include these improvements in the project. We weren’t going
to include Shea Circle. There was a need that we heard from the community and we responded to it.
C: Tom Rovero (TR): I’m Tom Rovero with the MBTA. Regarding accessibility upgrades, they are triggered
under the Architectural Access Board (AAB) whenever you exceed thirty percent of the fair market value of a
property. The MBTA has a policy of assessing our properties key to the cost of when they were constructed.
It’s a very low value and it doesn’t take very much to trigger it. I can ensure you that there are many facilities
throughout the system where a tremendous amount of investment has taken place because of the code
requirements. I would also like to point of that these benefit the entire public. It is a public infrastructure
investment that will benefit the community in the long term.
Q: JF: My question is, where’s the pride? You’re doing these wonderful improvements and you’re hiding it
from the public? Why don’t you tell us that you’re spending an extra $10 million to make these wonderful
improvements? On the traffic signs you say, Casey construction. It sounds like you’re building something.
Casey demolition would be much more accurate. Where’s the pride? It’s a bill of good. I want to thank
everyone for coming. Everything that we’ll get out of this project that we have been told is wonderful with
the at-grade system we could get with a bridge. We could get cycle tracks, sidewalks, and trees. It’s crazy
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that everyone is so hell bent on not doing the best thing for all modes of transportation. The advertisement
in the Bay State Banner was pretty tiny. Why aren’t you putting advertisements that are readable in papers
like the Bay State Banner? Are you familiar with the thing that says legal notices aren’t good enough to
announce what’s going on?
A: NCC: That is the standard notice that we place and it was by no means the only notification, it was part of a
wider effort which included other newspapers, email, and the website.
C: JF: The notice doesn’t even say the bridge is coming down. It says that it is an update on the construction.
Where’s the pride?! Where’s the pride?!
Q: John Spears (JS): My question has to do with the demolition process. After the decking is taken down, the
girders are removed, and you get to the piers, what is the planned sequence for the demolition of the piers?
Are you going to do one or two at a time and move down? Are you going to do many at a time? What is
the sequence of how you are going to demolish that concrete?
A: TR: As the demolition progresses and the steel comes down. The spans will be removed and then the spans
adjacent to the ones removed will be removed. These piers other than the ones adjacent to the tunnel will
begin to happen as the sequential process is taking place. We’re not going to leave them all to the very end
but there will be a few that remain a little bit longer than others.
Q: JS: The piers range from different heights. Will you be taking down the taller piers first?
A: TR: Not necessarily. To answer your question, as of today, one of the first piers that we will remove is a
taller pier.
Q: JS: This is over the traffic so I would assume this has to be done at night. Will they be saw cutting or jack
hammers? What’s your process of taking down these big tall piers?
A: TR: There aren’t many piers that I intend on removing at night. The piers are not over traffic. There are two
piers that are going to be close but besides those two, all other piers will be done during the day. We’re
trying to minimize the night impacts as much as possible.
C: JS: In regards to the silica, I actually believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I think we’re going to
have control over the process one way or another. I think City Councilor Yancey and a lot of the
environmental engineers we’ve talked to will have a process that protects the public so that at the end of the
process when we have an at-grade solution people won’t be coughing on the adjacent houses.
Q: Mary Hickie (MH): Hello my name is Mary Hickie, I live on Martinwood Road. Like many of you I feel like I
am living in a construction site and I will be very happy once it is over. I understand it is a construction site
and it won’t feel great for the next two years. My question relates to the traffic. I’m wondering if I am
heading to Martinwood Road from the east, what is my best route?
A: NCC: It’s probably the same route you take today.
Q: Horace Shearer (HS): I hope you can all hear me, my name is Horace Shearer. I live on Centre Street. I have
a couple of questions but I want to first start off by saying that I am impressed by the way that the roadway
is looking. I’m 86 years old and I remember before the Overpass was put up it was a disaster. I’ve heard
from two groups of engineers. Some say that the bridge is stable and could be repaired. I don’t understand
that. My question is, if it could be repaired, why wasn’t it rather than putting all the traffic at the street level?
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A: CE: The overpass is stable, it is also structurally deficient. Those are two different things. It is structurally
deficient and needs to be removed. The deck is severely deteriorated and we spent a lot of time and money
keeping that deck going over this winter. The piers are deteriorating and the steel is fall apart. There are
areas in the overpass that require large amounts of steel repair.
C: HS: That answers part of my question. I was curious to know why there was such a different in opinion on
whether it could be repaired or not repaired.
A: CE: I’ll try to answer that the best I can. I’m in construction and this is a construction project. From these
meetings and materials I’ve seen, there have been reports at different times that looked at different options.
In 2009 DCR owned the bridge and there was a report then. One of the reasons why you would get different
opinions would be based on when it was looked at. As a bridge ages, it ages much differently than you. As
a bridge gets older, it gets older faster. Once they start deteriorating they get cracks and more water gets
into the structure. It accelerates much quicker. I hope that answers your question.
Q: HS: The other question I have is regarding notifying the public. I was talking with a plumbing company in
Roslindale Square and they thought you guys were repairing the bridge. When I told them that it was
actually coming down they were a little shocked. I’m wondering how much valid information has been
dispersed about the bridge coming down. I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about that. Your
explanation makes a lot of sense but to some of us late comers it is a little bit confusing. The other issue is
the traffic grid lock. I came down from Franklin Park and make a left on Forest Hills Street yesterday. It
normally takes me a few minutes and it took 30 minutes. Is this something that we are going to continually
see?
A: Joe Coleman (JC): Hi, my name is Joe Coleman. I am the resident engineer for this job. Forest Hills Street
was shut down due to gas relocation which resulted in increased traffic. That is not part of this project and
was probably the cause of the traffic you experienced based on your explanation.
C: HS: Okay thank you. I do want to mention that the temporary roads look pretty, I just hope they work.
C: JK: Thank you sir.
C: Pete Stidman (PS): Hi I’m Pete Stidman. I’m also known as the bicycle guy. I’ve been living here for about
fifteen years. I lived eight years in Jamaica Plain, four years in Dorchester, and two years in Roxbury. When I
lived in Jamaica Plain I worked for the newspaper and I’m a believer in truth. When I lived in Dorchester I
was the news editor for the Dorchester Reporter. When I do activism around these projects for the Boston
Cyclist Union (BCU) I check out what the neighborhood is feeling and take a balanced position. I would
encourage those of you who have been approached by Bridging Forest Hills to do the same. Have you
talked to WalkBoston? Have you talked to the Arborway Coalition? Have you talked to the Southern Hill
Association? I would like to make a suggestion. Since people seem to be confused about the benefits of the
project, I suggest that we put a billboard down by the project with the final plan laid out and the
improvements carefully labeled. It should also include the number of meetings and dates of those meetings.
C: JK: All of that information is on the website.
C: PS: I know it is but a lot of people aren’t looking at the website. I’ve been to thirty six meetings for this
project. I think certain people have been miss informing community members on this project and I would
encourage you all to investigate on your own. Come talk to us and the people who work in the community
and support this project.
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C: Kate Bonner-Jackson (KBJ): Hi my name is Kate Bonner-Jackson and I live on Asticou Road. I ride my bicycle
and walk in this area every day. My question regards to the bicycle and walking section. I see people
dodging across the part of New Washington Street that was previously mentioned. There is no crosswalk
anymore and I’m not sure if that is the final plan or if it is temporary. Either way it is going to be like that for
a few years. The same goes for bicycles. We’re not going to stop, get off our bicycle, and press the walk
signal.
C: NCC: On the issue of the mid-block crossing, I was just down there today and there is new signage out there
to discourage people from making that crossing.
C: KBJ: I didn’t mean the mid-block I meant the end of the sidewalk.
A: NCC: As you heard earlier, we will be adding some additional signage at the end of that fence to discourage
people from crossing where the crosswalk has been scrubbed out. In terms of bicycles, you already heard
Tom say he is going to go out and see if there are any short term mitigation measure he can do. In terms of
long term bicycle solution this project puts out over three miles of new bicycle infrastructure including
bicycle signals. I would strongly encourage you to take a look at the long range plan for the end of the job
and speak to Jonathan Kapust about specific improvements.
C: KBJ: I’m specifically asking about safety. I don’t care about bicycle signals; I care about safety as a
pedestrian and bicyclist. I also know people aren’t going to obey signage that makes their trip longer. I
know you can’t control jaywalking but it sounds unreasonable for people to have to circle all the way back
around.
C: City Councilor Charles Yancey (CY): My name is Charles Yancey. I’ve been representing the people of Boston
on the Boston City Council since 1984. I’m the longest serving member of the City Council. With all due
respect for the folks who have been working for years on this project there remains considerable confusion
and questions. I would encourage you all to attend the City Council meeting for this project. A time and
place will be announced fairly soon. We have a lot of concerns. We are going to have our emergency
medical services, Boston Fire Department, Boston Police Department, as well as the Boston Public Schools
together to determine whether this plan makes sense for everyone in the City of Boston. I know there are
heart filled advocates particularly in the Jamaica Plain community. This has been a life line for other
communities as well. I understand that there have been individuals from Mattapan, Dorchester, as well as
the State Representative that has attended a number of these meetings. The issue that I have to raise as
your City Councilor is, how is this going to impact the public health and safety of everyone, especially those
who have not been involved in the process? I would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone here
tonight to come to the City Council meeting, which will be announced very soon, and join us whether your
support or are opposed the project. Our public health and safety officials will be there. If this project only
makes sense for one community and not all communities we must reconsider. I’m not suggesting that the
project doesn’t happen but we certainly want to know what types of steps will be taken to protect the public
during construction.
Q: Name Not Given (NNG): I want know if this project can be stopped. If it can’t be stopped, we need to
accept it and make sure it is done correctly.
A: CY: I’ll take a couple seconds to respond. This is a State project not a City project. State projects have been
stopped in the past if it is a desire by the overwhelming community. It was mentioned earlier that the
Southwest Corridor was all set to go and a grassroots organization got together for an extended period of
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time and turned that decision around. My concern is that whatever happens we have to protect the public’s
health and the public’s safety. I am wondering what types of impacts this project is going to have on our
emergency services.
C: JK: Thank you Councilor. We share those concerns as well. Deputy Commissioner Gillooly set up a
coordination meeting for us to meet with the City of Boston as well as the Boston Police Department,
Emergency Medical Services, Boston Environmental, and BTD. I’ve had many conversations with Boston
Public Schools. This really is a partnership and when it comes to health concerns, they have been raised to
us and we have addressed them. If anyone has any questions, my number is readily available. We are here
to make this project the best it can be. Construction is difficult no matter where you are, especially in an
urban environment like this.
C: John Lovett (JL): Hi, my name is John Lovett. I live on Westchester Road and I use the Overpass frequently.
24,000 vehicles pass over the bridge every day. I asked Nathaniel and Secretary Davey very early on in the
process, once this project is complete, how much time will it add to my commute? They said one minute.
That’s 24,000 cars which means 24,000 minutes. That’s four hundred hours a day. Four hundred hours a day
of frustrated drivers sitting at red lights. Four hundred hours a day of vehicles burning gas that they
wouldn’t normally. This bridge was built back in the fifties for a reason. It helped the people who lived in
Forest Hills and the people going over Forest Hills. Now those 24,000 cars are going to be added to the
traffic on the ground.
C: CE: The disconnect we are having here is that this is a construction meeting. We know there are concerns,
we hear them. I’m a construction professional and I work for the Commonwealth. These gentlemen are
contractors that have been awarded the job. We are more than willing and able to answer every
construction question you have regarding this contract. We can’t answer every design question for you at
this table. We are not the designers. The four of us sitting at this table were not part of the design process.
C: Cheryl Williams (CW): Hi, I’m Cheryl Williams and I’m a resident of Mattapan. I am opposed to the new plan
although I know the bridge has to come down. I don’t understand why we didn’t get an option for a new
bridge. I live in Mattapan and I didn’t know about this plan until very recently. You said that you had
meetings in my community but I didn’t know about them. I don’t know what the notification process was
and that frustrates me. I did see the legal notice in the Banner and I was frustrated with that too. At the
January meeting you were asked to enhance the outreach to Mattapan and Dorchester. You were also asked
to advertise in the Banner and tell people what the project is and not simply say the meeting is about
construction. You did not advertise in the Banner in March and in May you paid for a small legal notice. The
advertisement did not explain what the project was about. People need to know that this is permanent.
Why would you not take the suggestions from the public seriously? I’m requesting that this be recorded in
the minutes.
Q: Alice Alexander (AA): My name is Alice Alexander and I live on Custer Street in Jamaica Plain. I wanted to
follow up on the silica dust and I wanted to ask a specific clarifying question. Crystalline silica is a known
hazardous substance which can be released in the dust that is produced when the cement of the bridge is
cut. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) website states that if it is silica, it is not just
dust. My specific question is, will there or will there not be monitoring for this material during the period
when the bridge is undergoing demolition. If so, will this monitoring be done by an independent contractor?
C: CE: Regarding the concrete demolition, we’ve already done some to date. The way we control all dust is
through the addition of water. To get involved with a testing program would be to presuppose that there
are dust plumes that need to be tested. The contractors operations will not be allow to proceed in that
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manner. The operators have all been told that if the water truck and the laborer who runs the water hose are
not there, they are not to proceed with any demolition of concrete. There are no plans for a testing program
because we are not going to allow plumes of dust to occur. It is the same way we demolish bridges
throughout the Commonwealth, it is not different. It is our standard to use water.
Q: AA: I’ve heard that there is a distinction between the surface and the cut surface as you cut within the
cement. As you are cutting are you adding water or could the cut surfaces be place that dust could arise?
A: CE: Water is added continuously at all times during the operation. It doesn’t matter whether it is the inside
surface or the outside surface. When any type of equipment is impacting concrete water is applied to it. I
hope that answers your question.
Q: Jessica Mink (JM): I’m Jessica Mink, I live in Roslindale off of Hyde Park Avenue. My concern relates to Hyde
Park Avenue as the traffic backs up. I would like to know how far up it will be monitored. I know Walk Hill
Street is the outer limit of things right now. The reality is that things back up beyond Walk Hill Street. I’m
also with Rozzie Bikes and we’re planning on putting maps on our website to show routes to avoid Forest
Hills on bicycles. The last thing I want to say is that I was on the DAG and attended all of the meetings. I
was not on the WAG and one of the things I was really disappointed in was that a bunch of issues came up
in the DAG that apparently had not come up in the WAG. I feel like the WAG process was centered on
Jamaica Plain residents only. I came from Roslindale and I think I was the first Roslindale resident to be a
part of an advisory group. I was really upset by some of the decisions that had already been made. My
question is, how far north and south are you going to be looking at?
A: CE: We have been and will continue to be in communication with Deputy Commissioner Gillooly’s Office. I
can assure you that if I had a laborer anywhere in the same zip code, he’s not afraid to reach out about any
kind of traffic issue. There are no defined limits. We would never say to the City, it’s not our problem
because it’s not in our work zone. That’s not how we work.
A: JK: There are a lot of changes that are happening here including new traffic routes. We’re committed to
working with BTD to make sure these work. We’re constantly monitoring and evaluating the traffic. It is a
constant partnership with BTD.
C: Deputy Commissioner Jim Gillooly (JG): Hello everyone I’m Jim Gillooly with BTD. We have a traffic
management center in City Hall. We have hundreds of cameras that we can view all over the City. I live in
Hyde Park and I’m going to make sure Cleary Square is not being affected by this project. My team who
watches the traffic cameras can get in touch with me at any time. We had to make some changes over the
weekend in preparation for this upcoming weekend. Some of those changes were not going to be great for
the Forest Hills areas so made some adjustments last week to ensure it was as painless as it could be. The
other thing we’re going to do is to not assume everyone is going to figure everything out perfectly. We’re
going to make sure we continue the cooperative relationship we’ve had all through the planning process
and the design of these traffic issues. If it is necessary, we are going to send out special traffic enforcement
officers to make sure there is no double parking.
I’ve come down Washington Street a couple of times in the past few weeks and I’ve assumed the traffic was
related to the construction on Casey. I got to about Williams Street and traffic was better from there to
Forest Hills. It was working better at Forest Hills than it was half a mile away. During the Central Artery, we
always said the best mitigation for a project is for the project to be done. We’re always trying to find the
right balance of work and mitigation. I remember years ago in the North End there was demolition taking
place extremely close to residential homes. We had an honest conversation with the community and told
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them that the best way to do it would be all in one weekend. People were lighting barbeque grills up and
watching the structure come down. Jim Kersten is doing his best to resolve your frustration but you can
always contact us at City Hall. Thank you.
C: JK: Some calls have come in and the City has forwarded them to me. We have addressed them and the
communication between the City of Boston and MassDOT is working really well.
C: Karen Schneiderman (KS): Hi my name is Karen Schneiderman and I live on Rosemary Street in Jamaica
Plain. I have two comments. The first has to do with access and it may come across as obvious for those of
you who can see me. This construction has hardly begun and the crossing between South Street and Forest
Hills is almost impossible. Thinking about a wider cross-section makes me worry about my safety and the
safety of children. I would also like to say that it’s true; when something happens at Forest Hills it triggers
other things that need to be done. I fear that it will be a turnaround for people in the community with
disabilities when they hear the amount of money for the Casey Overpass. People who are thinking about the
cost of Forest Hills with the new elevator and the new head house aren’t thinking about $100,000 because
they are not thinking about the overpass and Forest Hills in the same thought. There will be some blame
placed on us and by the time it’s done it may be too late. Thank you.
C: JK: If you send me an email we can start working together on how to best clarify that message. I’ll be happy
to do whatever I can on that front.
Q: Heather Carito (HC): Hi my name is Heather Carito and I live on Asticou Road. I’m three houses away from
Forest Hills Station. I want to thank you for getting to the question and answer period this evening in a
timely manner. That being said I am oppose to this project for a number of reasons. I don’t see the new
Casey Arborway being much different than Columbus Avenue near Roxbury Crossing. On Tuesday when I
drove to work I noticed that there was work taking place on the western abutment and people were hosing
down the rumble. When I drove to work yesterday no one was hosing the rumble down. I’m wondering
who is monitoring whether or not the hosing is getting done.
A: TR: We are monitoring the hosing and we were not in the demolition phase. Yesterday we were only loading
the truck.
C: HC: Tuesday they were hosing it down.
A: TR: Tuesday we were in demolishing. Today we were shearing.
C: HC: The excavator was moving rumble and no one was hosing it down. I feel like if you’re moving rumble
there is a risk of silica dust getting in the air.
A: CE: If the contactor is performing an operation that has the potential to create dust it will be hosed down.
We will continue to work with the contractor to ensure that this procedure is properly being mitigated. We
will be more vigilant.
Q: Robert Peters (RP): I’m Robert Peters I live in Mattapan. My first question is how many meetings were there
in Mattapan?
A: CE: I’ve referenced this before. The four gentlemen sitting at the table are construction professionals. Two
of us are with the Commonwealth and two of us are with the contactor. We were not part of the design
process. We are happy to answer any questions you have regarding construction. Nate is here as a
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construction liaison not to answer questions regarding design. Nate works for the contractor. We are not
here to discuss the design or how things came about. We are past that. You can send those questions to
Jim and he will get back to you. Please keep that in mind when you are asking questions.
Q: RP: Nate, have there been any meetings in Mattapan?
A: NCC: Yes and I would prefer if that was the last question regarding the design process. Thank you.
C: JK: Do you have any construction questions sir?
Q: RP: You should know the answer to this question, how many people live in Mattapan?
C: JK: This is the wrong panel to ask that question.
Q: RP: Mr. Yancey, how many people live in Mattapan?
A: CY: 38,000.
Q: RP: It is a large population that has been ignored in this process. Did you intentionally ignore us?
A: NCC: No of course not, and that’s the last I will speak to this issue.
C: RP: Prove it.
C: Sarah Buermann (SB): I’m Sarah Buermann and I do not support the at-grade solution. My introductory
comment is that I started coming to these meetings once they started happening. I would have liked to be
on the WAG and I did not have the opportunity. The selection process was not democratic. There seemed
to be no training for the people on the WAG or the DAG to get them out talking to the neighbors. I’m
wondering if it is possible to run the laser over the part of the construction around the station that is being
referred to as the upper bus-way. The upper bus-way is going to be covering the parking lot portion of the
Forest Hills Station. You do not show Weld Hill Street on the maps. Could you make some kind of
descriptive statement as to how far beyond Weld Hill Street that structure going to reach? When you look
down Weld Hill Street you are going to see that structure. My understanding is on the Asticou Road side
there is something to make it more attractive and dull the lights. Has there been thought given to what the
people who are driving down Weld Hill Street and people who live on Weld Hill Street are going to be
looking at every day? I suspect the view is going to be quite different. I don’t think the neighborhood has
been informed properly about it. I would like some kind of information as to what we are going to see as we
come down Weld Hill Street.
A: CE: I will refer to my last answer. You’re asking a design and rendering question of which we weren’t part of.
If Jonathan is still available I’m sure he can give you some thought to answer your question. Otherwise Jim
will take your name and drill down on it a little more with a follow up.
C: SB: My understanding is that the construction for that is going to start in the next thirty days. I don’t know
how long the construction will last for. I’m a little fuzzy as to how this work is going to take place. I didn’t
know that these things had to do with the MBTA and not the Casey Arborway Project. Is it even okay for me
to be asking this question if it only has to do with the MBTA?
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A: CE: It is a perfectly reasonable question because it is part of this contract. Tom, could you talk a little bit
about the duration of the work at the upper bus-way.
A: TR: We’re starting that work in about a month and we see it taking a little over a year.
Q: SB: Who do I communicate with to inform the neighborhood about this?
A: CE: Jim Kersten is your person of contact.
Q: Bill Reyelt (BR): Hi my name is Bill Reyelt. I own property on Kenton Road near Doyle’s. I travel through the
area on a variety of modes. I want to thank the team for all the hours they have put into this and all the
questions you’ve answered. I think this has been an extremely robust public outreach process. With a
project of this size you’re always going to hear that there is more that you can do. With regards to folks who
don’t only seem opposed to the solution but are opposed to construction in general, there seems to be a
pretty common agreement that the bridge has to come down. If we were replacing this massive, concrete,
shadow casting overpass with another massive, concrete, shadow casting overpass rather than building a
landscaped multimodal boulevard, would the construction process be any less disruptive? Would it be
shorter or longer?
A: CE: We would most likely be doing the same exact work that we are doing right now. It would take a lot
longer to construct a 1,700 foot long bridge regardless of the design.
C: BR: It’s funny to me that the folks who are in favor of another overpass compare their fight to stopping the
Southwest Expressway. I’m wondering as transportation professional, when you think of the Southwest
Expressway, do you associate that type of infrastructure from the family of a concrete overpass or more of a
signalized, grid-connected surface road?
A: CE: That is a very complex question that I am not able to answer at this time. I believe the highway was
defeated in the late 1960’s and I was born in the late 1960’s so I am unsure of the details.
C: BR: I can say from my own knowledge that the Casey Overpass is a prototype for expressways like the
Southwest Expressway. Thank you very much.
Q: Rosalba Solis 3(RS): I’m glad that City Councilor Yancey and State Representative Holmes are here because I
have something to say. This is the first time I have seen City Councilor Yancey at one of these meetings. I
am a school teacher and I live on the corner of the construction. I have a question that the professional
construction people couldn’t answer. I’m concerned about my health; I do not care about the project
anymore. All you do is talk about traffic. What about my health? What about the children? How are you
going to protect the children of Boston? I don’t want dust in my face. Last month I came to the same
meeting and I said the same thing. I didn’t send an email and I didn’t go to Curtis Hall. I’ve waited for this
meeting to hear what was going to be said. When are you going to install air purifiers in my house? All you
have said is that you don’t know. How are you going to keep me healthy? Where is the Department of
Public Health? Thank you all for coming and staying late. I am upset.
C: CY: I’d like to take the mic because everyone should have that same level of outrage and concern. That’s
why we are having the public hearing in the Boston City Council to get those questions answered. In the
3
Due to the strong accent and emotion of this person, the comments made are based on our best
representation of what was understood.
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Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, Inc.
meantime, construction is going to take place. I would suggest that we strongly reconsider the issue of
testing. We already heard that some activity has taken place without water control. What else is going on
that we don’t know about? Before the public hearing is held, I would strongly urge MassDOT that we take
those steps right away to keep the dust down. We have to protect the health of the children in the area.
Q: Dave McCabe (DM): My name’s Dave McCabe and I live in Dorchester. I’m opposed to the bridge. My
question is how many union operators of color are you going to have working on this bridge? Are you
going to do the Boston resident thing properly?
A: KH: We currently have three operators on the job. I believe our operator in the loader is of color. We called
the local union as a request and I hope we have as many as possible. As long as the operator is good that’s
all that matters to me.
C: JK: Thank you all very much for staying. Good night.
Next Steps
The project will next hold office hours at Curtis Hall at 5:30PM on May 19th. Office hours for June will
be on the 23rd. It is currently anticipated that the next public information meeting will be held when
the project moves from stage one of construction to stage two.
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