THE GENERAL COURT OF MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE, BOSTON 02133-1053 June 30, 2011
Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Secretary Jeffrey B. Mullan
10 Park Plaza, Suite 3170
Boston, MA 02116
Dear Secretary Mullan:
As legislators representing the City of Boston we are writing in support of the City's Hazmat
Route Evaluation that found that vehicles carrying hazardous materials through city streets are
potentially dangerous and should be avoided as much as possible. The study, commissioned by
Battelle Memorial Institute, an independent contractor, determined that the number of hazmat
trucks traveling through Boston at any time presents an unacceptable level of risk in accordance
with federal government standards. The report strongly recommends that only hazmat vehicles
with drop-off or pickup locations within Boston should be allowed to travel within city limits, all
others should use alternative routes outside of the city, which would then reduce the risk to the
public.
This proposed ban was the result of a study that the Federal Motor Carriers Administration
required the city to conduct in order to properly regulate hazmat traffic. During the construction
of the Central Artery tunnel, hazmat vehicle routes, which previously had gone through the city
along the elevated highway, was forced to change to narrow city streets due to the de-elevation
of the expressway. During the construction process the route was moved from Cross Street to the
longer and more densely populated Commercial Street with the understanding on the City's part
that it would be moved back at the completion of construction. In 2006, the City reverted the
route back to Cross Street and added restrictions to the hours that trucks carrying hazardous
cargo could travel on this route. Upon concerns expressed by the trucking industry, the Federal
Motor Carriers Administration requested that the City of Boston perform an extensive review of
hazardous cargo transport in accordance with a process laid out by the federal government.
Battelle Memorial Institute evaluated a number of variables, with the major differentiating
variable being the risk related to the potential exposure of populations along a route as a result of
a hazmat spill. The risk was dramatically higher in narrow city streets and found that these trucks
traveling through Boston are six times more dangerous than if they were to travel along
alternative routes.
Hazmat trucks driving through narrow streets, heavily trafficked by pedestrians, is inherently
dangerous. Literally millions of people visit Boston every year, and they use streets that are
heavily trafficked by hazmat vehicles. Residents who drive and use these streets on a frequent
basis should not have to endure an unacceptable potential amount of risk. We urge the
Massachusetts Department of Transportation to thoroughly review the study and endorse its
findings.
Sincerely,
Anthony Petruccelli
1st Suffolk & Middlesex
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