THE PUZZLE PIECES of the proposed I-90 Allston project aren’t fitting together easily, which is spurring a debate about whether some of those pieces need to be trimmed back.
The project, which won a $335 million federal grant in March, would straighten and replace a badly deteriorated section of the Massachusetts Turnpike as it goes through Allston to make room for a new neighborhood Harvard University is building there. The project envisions eight lanes of Turnpike, four lanes of Soldiers Field Road, four rail tracks, and a pedestrian and bike path – all at grade level. It’s a tight fit, particularly in the so-called throat area between Boston University and the Charles River.
At a public briefing for residents last week in Cambridge, consultants working for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation briefed residents on their latest thinking about the bike and pedestrian paths. Four different approaches were unveiled. Some called for using fill to expand the riverbank while others relied on a sea wall or located the paths on pilings out in the water. The consultants acknowledged none of the options was perfect and each one involved tradeoffs.
“In order to fit all these different pieces together, we can’t have it all,” said Dave Andrews, a principal at the landscape architectural firm of Brown, Richardson + Rowe.
Many of the residents, concerned about the project’s impact on the Charles River, suggested doing away with some of the transportation infrastructure to open up more room. The focus was on eliminating lanes on the Turnpike or Soldiers Field Road.
The residents argued that reducing the number of lanes would make sense from a climate standpoint. They also pointed out that there have been only three lanes in each direction in that area of the Turnpike for several years, a configuration that would continue during the 6- to 10-year construction period of the I-90 Allston project. Why not make that permanent, they asked.
The MassDOT consultants said the agency believes four Turnpike lanes in each direction are needed. They also said taking away lanes on Soldiers Field Road would end up pushing more traffic into nearby neighborhoods.
Christopher Calnan, a vice president and director of transportation at TetraTech, said two earlier traffic studies demonstrated the need for all the lanes, but he noted the agency is going to crunch the numbers again this summer. He said 140,000 cars use that section of the Turnpike every day.
“We have to look at today’s volume but we also have to look 20 years out,” Calnan said, noting that current modeling indicates Harvard’s plans to build a new neighborhood in the area will increase traffic levels.
“At this point, we’re not able to take lanes away from the interstate or Soldiers Field Road,” he said. He said the issue hasn’t been broached with federal highway officials, who would have to sign off on any plan to reduce the number of lanes on the Turnpike.
Many in the audience weren’t satisfied with Calnan’s response. One resident said it seemed as if MassDOT was willing to compromise with the Charles River while refusing to bend on any changes affecting the roadways.
Sen. William Brownsberger of Belmont, who described himself as “not a car person,” pointed out that MassDOT has made a number of compromises on the lanes already, reducing their width from 12 to 11 feet and eliminating shoulders to squeeze all the infrastructure in.
Anthony D’Isidoro, the president of the Allston Civic Association, cautioned those pushing for fewer traffic lanes. He said he would not support a reduction in lanes on the Turnpike or Soldiers Field Road if that ended up diverting cars from those roadways onto neighborhood streets.
“Families aren’t going to stay in our community if cars are diverting,” he said.