Thread by @PeoplesPike

Yesterday MassDOT explained how it plans to move the Mass Pike and Soldiers Field Rd into the water and parks of the Charles River for ~10 years while rebuilding the highway

In the water MassDOT proposes to build a 1/4 mile long, 81' wide "panelized structure” (aka “bailey bridge”). This would hold 4 lanes of Soldiers Field Rd and the Dr Paul Dudley White path

At either end of this bridge, they would extend the shoreline by filling in what is currently water. This would create space for SFR to transition from its current alignment onto the new bridge

The natural shoreline would be replaced with ~1/2 mile of metal sheet pile wall

The bridge structure would be 50' away from the existing shore, so the river width would be reduced by 130' (26%)

Finally, after 10 years of construction (which based on MassDOT precedent could easily be 15 years or who knows) and spending 10s or 100s of millions of dollars on this bridge and shoreline modification ($ is just a guess, MassDOT hasn't provided any cost estimate)

MassDOT proposes to remove the bridge, pull out the footings in the riverbed, the sheet piling wall, the soil that was added to extend the shoreline, and leave this narrow strip of parkland.

Maybe, just maybe, the "temporary" (10+ year) needs for the highway reconstruction can be a step towards a radical improvement in the river's parks, paths, ecology, and habitat.

To ask MassDOT to have less negative, and more positive impact on the Charles River
email [e-mail] before Dec 12
mass.gov/info-details/i…

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