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History of Storrow Drive Tunnel Reconstruction Project The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is undertaking a project to renovate or replace the Storrow Drive Tunnel. Completed in 1951, the tunnel carries eastbound traffic along the Esplanade below ground, while westbound traffic travels on the surface (on the roof of the eastbound tunnel). There are off- and on-ramps for traffic to enter and exit at Arlington, Berkeley and Clarendon Streets. According to recent traffic counts, Storrow Drive carries more than 100,000 vehicles a day. Making the needed repairs will involve traffic detours and occasional shut-downs of entrances and exits. Depending on the final design, construction work will last from two to four years. DCR initiated a wide-reaching dialogue with the neighborhoods, businesses, civic associations and agencies impacted by the construction to discuss design and construction options early in 2006. The public involvement process began with public meetings in early February 2006 and is continuing. In addition to this dialogue, the project will be subject to a rigorous review as part of the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA). After introducing the project, DCR presented the community with four sets of options at a combination of Open Houses and Public Meetings in March 2006. This meeting outlined the range of solutions under consideration by DCR and the community: (1) repairing and maintaining the existing tunnel; (2) rebuilding the tunnel in its current configuration; (3) demolishing the tunnel and constructing an at-grade parkway (this option includes several variations); and (4) constructing new tunnels to carry traffic in both directions. Last April, DCR filed an Environmental Notification Form (ENF) outlining the project and its plans to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) assessing project alternatives and impacts. Public scoping or review sessions for the ENF were conducted in May, with comments on the scope of work for the DEIR accepted until June 13, 2006. On June 23, the Secretary of Environmental Affairs issued a Certificate outlining the work to be examined in the DEIR on the options. The Certificate is available for downloading on this site. DCR invited a number of groups to participate in two committees to review proposed plans and information and advise the Commissioner through the environmental and preliminary design phases. The groups work on Landscape and Transportation issues. The members include residents, business owners, educational and health institutions, landscape experts and environmentalists, transportation and community planners from Beacon Hill, the Back Bay, the West End, and the cities of Boston and Cambridge. Patrice Todisco, Executive Director of The Esplanade Association, chairs the Landscape Advisory Committee, and Elliott Laffer, Executive Director of The Boston Groundwater Trust, chairs the Transportation Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committees began meeting in November 2006 and are continuing to meet, roughly monthly. DCR, its consultants and the Central Transportation Planning Staff completed a traffic analysis of the options and suboptions, construction traffic management and impacts, and the conceptual design of the options. The Advisory Committee members submitted comments to DCR outlining their concerns and suggestions in advance of the agency choosing a preferred alternative for the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). The DEIR will be filed early this fall and will be accompanied by a public review process. After the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs has issued a certificate on the DEIR, DCR will complete the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), early in 2008. |
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Commissioner Rick Sullivan Summary of Advisory Committees Meetings
Summary of Public Meetings
Presentation: Option A Rehabilitation Sequence- August 15, 2007 — Presentation: Storrow Drive Tunnel Origin and Destination Survey Results- January 24, 2007 —
For copies of minutes from 2006, please contact nfarrell@reginavilla.com |
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