EAST BOSTON

part of nattaylor.com

Fred Salvucci RE Route 1A

Published on Feb 05, 2019

Abridged from Mr. Salvucci’s Suffolk Downs DEIR Comment Letter

Many sound proposals exist to reduce the gridlock lock now engulfing Route 1 and East Boston. The airport can provide political will (and funds) to implement these plans. However, the present transportation system cannot handle the stress of additional development and increasing the capacity of Route 1 will only inundate East Boston further. After decades of inaction, it is the responsibility of MassDOT, Massport and MBTA to fix it.

Short-term actions

1. Separate, direct, frequent AIRPORT T to terminal shuttle without going to CONRAC
2. Allow Silver Line to use emergency ramp & coordinate Chelsea Bridge to reduce delay
3. New shuttle bus from South Station to air terminals
4. Airport access fee paid by Massport to fund imorovements in the crisis we are facing
5. Increase frequency of regional commuter rail service from Lynn to North Station¹

Long-term actions

1. Extend the Blue Line to the Red Line at Charles Street²
2. Add Logan Express facilities near Route 128 at I90, and at Hanscom Field
3. Extend rail service beyond South Station to Logan, and points north, in a new harbor tunnel³
4. Extend a branch of the Blue Line for direct service to the terminals⁴
5. Extend the Blue Line to Lynn⁵
6. Silver Line Phase III⁶
7. Boardman Street bridge over the Chelsea Creek⁷
8. Airport User Fee on TNC⁸

Annotations

1. This will divert drivers from the grilocked Route 1. The idea has support in the recently issued commission report commissioned by Governor Baker. It should be implement as a fast track pilot of the new concept.
2. Committed to the complete by 2010 by MassDot in the 1991 ventilation shaft permits for I90 and I93, and the 1993 State Implementation Plan under the Federal Clean Air Act. It was agree in 2006 by MassDOT in a settlement of a lawsuit with Conservation Law Foundation that the final engineering would be completed by 2014.
3. MassDOT committed to study extension of rail service from South Tation to Logain in the 1990 MassDOT/CLF agreement. It received no serious attention. It should be considered now as part of the east-west rail service now under consideration to link Springfield and Worcester to Boston.
4. The Secretary of MassDOT proposed this extension in 1992. It was a good idea then, and a far more useful idea than the People Mover that Massport is pursuing. Massport should shift priority from the People Mover to the Blue Line spur.
5. In 1975 the state was committed to use avaialble funding to extend the Blue Line to Lynn, but the mayor of Lynn opposed the plan. Today the mayor of Lynn supports the plan. It should be implemented.
6. In the late 1990s and early 2000 period the MBTA completed detailed conceptual engineering, and a final EIR to improve connectivity of Roxbury and Back Bay via Boylston, Chinatown and South Stations to the innovation district and airport through improvents to the Silver Line. Then the project stalled and was abandoned. It should be reinitiated.
7. During the 1930s the city planning commission of Boston proposed extending Boardman Street across a bridge over the Chelsea Creek to connect Withrop, East Boston and Chelsea to provide new mobility opportunities and connectivity to the three communities. It is a good idea to diversify the accessibility options of the three communities and should be considered in the supplemental EIR.
8. A supplemental EIR should analyze TNC traffic impact on gridlock on regional and internal airport roadways. The TNC service is attractive compared to crowded and inconvenient public transportation options. Increased user fees on TNCs could be used to improve the quality and capacity of transit options and Logan Express. It is important to note that every busload of people attracted to Uber and away from public transit means twenty of so Uber autos in the place of one bus (Which likely needs to be continue to provide service.)