Charles River Basin
Project Background
The Charles River Basin is home to some of Boston's most iconic landmarks and public spaces: the "salt-and pepper shaker" towers on the Longfellow Bridge, the Esplanade and the Hatch Shell. It is also home to two major roadways, Memorial Drive in Cambridge and Storrow Drive/Solider's Field Road in Boston. Those roads, and the bridges crossing the river between them, are vital to the region's transportation network.
In 2007, the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) began studying how to synchronize several major infrastructure projects planned for the Basin. DCR had already begun two projects to fix a tunnel and ramp on Storrow Drive, and planning had started for work on the Boston University Bridge, the Craigie Bridges near the Museum of Science, and the Longfellow Bridge.
The 2008 passage of the Accelerated Bridge Program funded the Craigie and BU projects and added Western Avenue, River Street, Larz Anderson and Eliot bridges. In other words, every bridge between Boston and Cambridge, except the Harvard Bridge carrying Massachusetts Avenue across the Charles, will be under construction within the space of a few years. As of November 2009, all of the projects are under the control of the newly formed Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).
Why's It's Important
The Charles River Basin is central to the economic unity of Boston and Cambridge, and the lane closures required to complete the bridge projects have the potential to snarl traffic – not only for motorists but for buses whose routes cross the river, ambulances serving Massachusetts General Hospital, the Longwood Medical Area and other hospitals, and other emergency and public safety vehicles. Some of the bridges also carry utility lines which will have to be maintained during construction. Finally, the Red Line carries more than 100,000 passengers across the Longfellow Bridge daily; it's vital that subway service continue during construction. Keeping the economy moving during these projects will require that construction and traffic management be carefully planned, coordinated and executed.
ABC's Role
A Better City has been actively involved in Basin issues since serving on the working committee for the Storrow Drive tunnel reconstruction in 2006 and 2007. The ABC Transportation and Construction Committee reviewed the work of the synchronization and risk management studies conducted in preparation for the projects and has monitored and commented on the work on the BU Bridge, the Craigie Dam Bridge and the Craigie Drawbridge.
In late 2009, ABC formed a Charles River Basin Working Group to focus attention on the bridge and roadway work in this area. Both the working group and the larger committee have reviewed the traffic model being used to evaluate detours and other traffic management options during the project.
ABC has prepared analysis of traffic management proposals for the Craigie Drawbridge project and offered alternative construction and traffic phasing to MassDOT. ABC has also analyzed the impact of construction on key bus routes and offered alternative strategies and routing expected to reduce overall trip times, even accounting for bridge construction delays. ABC has presented this work to the MBTA as a recommendation for mitigating the impact of bridge reconstruction on the bus and transit riding public.
ABC also serves on MassDOT's Longfellow Bridge Task Force which is preparing recommendations on the use and width of traffic lanes, bike lanes, and pedestrian areas on the bridge. The task force is also studying the relationship of the modified bridge design to the approaches at each end of the bridge, and to the Esplanade open space along the Charles River.
To prepare commuter and travels for the impacts construction will have on the Charles River Basin area, ABC developed "Bridging the Basin" a site that will provide you with important information regarding the projects major impacts and milestones, options for avoiding traffic delays, and links to key resources you may need in planning your next trip through the area.
