October 2020 - MassDOT has formally requested the substitution of a Modified All At-Grade option in place of the at-grade throat option presented in the Scoping Summary Report, one based on extensive discussions with the City of Boston and A Better City.
We thank Boston officials and A Better City for their efforts in working through the issues that allowed MassDOT to adopt this variant of the All At-Grade option for all future NEPA submissions, including the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
The Modified All At-Grade Option contains a wider version of the Paul Dudley White Path on a boardwalk, as well as a wider “living shoreline” at the edge of the Charles River. With these changes, the Modified All A- Grade does create more significant intrusion into the Charles River, but MassDOT believes that, on balance, the benefits of the variant in terms of bicycle and pedestrian accommodations delivered by the rethinking of the Paul Dudley White Path and the aesthetic and potential environmental benefits of the living shoreline – both of which have received significant stakeholder support – make it a more desirable version of the All At-Grade featured in the Scoping Summary Report.
Additionally, although not required by NEPA, MassDOT has committed to holding one additional round of public engagement with our Board, the Task Force, elected officials and the public to seek input on the choice of a Preferred Alternative from among the three Throat Options, before moving ahead to Concurrence Point 3 and the selection of a preferred alternative.
We welcome your feedback on how the three throat options compare against both the project purpose and need and the selection criteria presented in the Scoping Summary Report, which can be emailed to I-90Allston@state.ma.us through October 30. Although we will not be responding to individual comments received MassDOT will share this feedback with FHWA and the cooperating agencies.
Please return to this website in coming days for additional details and documents which will be posted as they become available.