Casey Arborway - eastern section up close

The eastern section of the new Casey Arborway creates a long allée - a tree-lined boulevard that enhances civic and community spaces from Hyde Park Avenue to Forest Hills Cemetery and Franklin Park in keeping with the historical intent of the Emerald Necklace parkways. Hundreds of new trees and shrubs (solid green circles) will be planted. Click the image for hi-res detail:

The north side of the Arborway features off-street bike paths (blue) and grade-separated sidewalks (tan) for the entire run to Franklin Park, enhancing recreational access to Franklin Park and improving the Emerald Necklace. An echo of the historically important Stony Brook (which runs in an underground culvert  to the Fens) is built into the landscaping here on a diagonal from Hyde Park Avenue to the northeast (barely discernable here under the trees). On the south side beginning at the Courthouse where access and sight lines to significant civic spaces is improved, the off-street bike path becomes on-street bike lanes on the frontage road, separated from the Arborway by a tree-lined median.

Eastbound Arborway vehicles will be prohibited from turning north at Washington, and must U-turn at the "eastern bow-tie" in front of the Courthouse to do so - a scheme similar to the western end of the project, and much like the turn options utilized on Beacon Street in Brookline. Courthouse parking will be accommodated by a new lot carved out of the Arborway Yard to the north, with entrance crosswalks for pedestrians and cyclists.

The Shea Circle Rotary at Circuit Drive and the southern entrance to Franklin Park is being reconfigured as a signalized intersection (called "Shea Square" during the planning process) which will provide significant traffic calming on the Arborway as well as safe crosswalks for pedestrians (white ladder striping) and cyclists (green crosswalks). The stone wall features of Franklin Park here will be preserved. Eastbound Arborway vehicles wishing to reach Forest Hills Street will do so via Cemetery Road under Circuit Drive. The southeast corner of Shea Square, in front of Franklin Park Villa elderly housing, will feature a new park with a history kiosk, benches and perennial plantings.

For a look at the central portion of the Casey Arborway, see here:
http://arborwaymatters.blogspot.com/2015/01/casey-arborway-central-section-up-close.html

For a detailed look at the northwestern end of the Casey Arborway, see here:
http://arborwaymatters.blogspot.com/2015/01/casey-arborway-northwestern-end-up-close.html

The southern portion of the Casey Arborway project area is detailed here:
http://arborwaymatters.blogspot.com/2015/01/casey-arborway-closer-look-at-southern.html

Casey Arborway - central section up close

Here is a detailed view of the central Casey Arborway. Please click the image for much higher resolution:

The new Southwest Corridor Park Plaza along the northern side of the Arborway between South Street and Washington will see substantial changes of benefit to the surrounding community. The bike paths (blue) will enter the Plaza through an innovative Bicycle Rotary designed to slow cyclists as they arrive. The sidewalk (tan) from the corridor will have it's own raised crosswalk across the bike path. The plaza itself will be filled with new trees (solid green circles) and perennial plantings with ample seating (red). It is to be surfaced where possible with permeable pavers that allow rain water to be recycled and nourish the plants. This is not possible directly above the train tracks. Central to the plaza is an all new glass and steel Head House: an entrance/exit on the north side of the Arborway directly to the MBTA platform for Charlie Card T-pass users. It will have an elevator for handicapped access and strollers. There are bike racks on the eastern and southern sides of the Head House. The grassy portion towards the tracks to the north is sloped upwards, creating a seating area that might serve potential concerts, farmers markets, food trucks or other programming on the plaza. The easterly bike path here continues off-street all the way to Franklin Park, separated from the sidewalk by grade, trees and grass.

There will be a pick-up and drop-off lane along the north side, while the current taxi stand is being relocated along the south side of the Arborway by the station. The median here will have trees where possible and raised planters above the tracks for smaller, flowering shrubs. There will be no mid-block crossing of the Arborway allowed - pedestrians and cyclists will need to cross at the major intersections. But the new Head House means that many commuters from the north will not need to cross the Arborway at all to reach their trains. Pedestrian crosswalks are white ladder-style, while bicycle ones are green on roadways. At all intersections these will be count-down pedestrian signals with audible chirping.

The southern MBTA Plaza is being totally revamped as well, with permeable pavers used where possible. Bike paths (blue) continue on this side from the Arboretum to Forest Hills Cemetery and on the southern side of the station to Ukraine Way. New plantings and seating makes for a more inviting space in front of the station - it is expected that pushcart style retail kiosks may use the plaza as well. Note that with the Overpass gone, the #39 bus terminus will be relocating to an expanded upper busway to the south, along the western portion of Washington Street. The current stairs leading from the eastern side of the Plaza to the lower busway and Hyde Park Ave will be replaced with a handicap-accessible ramp under many new trees and shrubs.

It may be difficult to spot in this image - it was for me, and I've been studying it for many months now - but hiding under the trees just east of Washington Street and running northeast diagonally from the south across the media and towards the Arborway Yard is an architectural reminder and an echo of the original Stony Brook in the form of a rocky landscaped feature and pavement change. This important waterway, which now runs through a culvert tunnel below ground to the Fens, once provided water to Jamaica Plain's many breweries and other industrial enterprises along what is now Amory Street. This design element is one of many sensitive and delightful features that will enhance the neighborhood and the experience of visitors for years to come. Here's a closer look at that feature:
http://arborwaymatters.blogspot.com/2014/10/casey-arborway-halloween-treat-ghost-of.html

For a look at the northwestern portion of the new Casey Arborway, click here:
http://arborwaymatters.blogspot.com/2015/01/casey-arborway-northwestern-end-up-close.html

The eastern portion of the new Casey Arborway is examined in detail here:
http://arborwaymatters.blogspot.com/2015/01/casey-arborway-eastern-section-up-close.html

The southern portion of the Casey Arborway project area is detailed here:
http://arborwaymatters.blogspot.com/2015/01/casey-arborway-closer-look-at-southern.html

Final Casey Arborway Corridor Overview

MassDOT has made available a final overview rendering of the Casey Arborway corridor.

Click the image for a larger version

External link to larger image

In addition to vastly expanded off-street and on-street amenities for pedestrians and cyclists throughout and newly revitalized connections between the Arboretum and Franklin Park, some of the highlights include (left to right, west to east):

• A bow-tie u-turn lane at the Forest Hills Gate of the Arboretum. There will be no westbound left turns at South St/Washington and those seeking that route will need to reverse direction here. There will also be a pedestrian- activated crosswalk there, and a new northerly sidewalk from South Street to it.
• The smaller, upper Arborway frontage road is going to be relocated approximately two car-lengths northward at South Street to create more queueing space at South/Arborway.
• The 39 bus which currently terminates under the Overpass is being relocated to a newly expanded Upper Busway south of the T station. Residential neighbors here are shielded from noise & visuals by a bermed and landscaped hump between the busway and southerly Washington St. Bus exits are steered around a small island so that their headlights don't shine on residential homes.
•  The current T station plaza south of the new Arborway is being revamped, and off-street east-west bike paths and sidewalks created. The taxi stand currently alongside the upper busway will be relocated to both sides of the Arborway, along with pick-up/drop-off space for cars.
• At the end of Southwest Corridor Park a new plaza is being created that features a new head house for direct access to the T platform from the north side of the Arborway. Dedicated bike and pedestrian paths - including a bike rotary - as well as benches and new 'programmable space' for things like farmer's markets and fairs will be here too. The current mid-block crosswalk is being eliminated, and there will be substantial planting boxes and smaller flowering trees in the median above the tracks.
• An eastbound bow-tie u-turn will be created in front of the Court House (there will be no left turns onto northerly Washington from eastbound Arborway). A crosswalk here leads to a Court House parking lot on the Arborway Yard site.
• The north side between Washington Street and Franklin Park will have dedicated off-street pedestrian and cycling paths.
• The Shea Circle rotary on the eastern end is being replaced by a signalized intersection dubbed Shea Square. On the north side, Franklin Park expands a little. South of the intersection will be a small park in front of Franklin Park Villa. Sidewalks are being added to and through the island at Forest Hills Cemetery.

There are more details not easy to spot in this rendering such as grade and surface differentials between pedestrians and bikes, corner "mixing zones" where they come together, refuges in the medians, a thoughtful mix of plants etc. Hollow trees shown are existing ones, solid trees are all new.

Some construction will begin in late 2014 and the project is still expected to be completed in late 2016.

"No feasible and prudent alternative" - M.H.C.

The third consultation meeting between the Massachusetts Historical Commission and MassDOT concerning the future of Shea Circle rotary in Forest Hills and Jamaica Plain, a part of the Casey Arborway Project, was held on Friday April 4, 2014. The Commission's consultation role had been triggered by the site's inclusion in the state Registry of Historic Places as part of the Morton Street Historic District. MHC had previously found "adverse effect" in MassDOT's plan to create a signalized intersection known as Shea Square where the Shea Circle rotary now stands. The MHC consultation does not concern any other aspect of the Casey Arborway Project.

75% stage Shea Plan

75% stage Shea Square aerial rendering

The working meeting began with an acknowledgement by MHC that MassDOT has "demonstrated that there is no feasible and prudent alternative" to MassDOT's plan. The meeting then proceeded to a discussion of mitigation measures that might reduce the impact of the decision. All other comments concerning the overall Casey Arborway Project were steered by MHC toward the purpose of the meeting: seeking mitigation suggestions.

MassDOT proposed a) a thorough documentation of the site as it exists and b) context-sensitive landscaping and design to mitigate the adverse effect. George Batchelor, Supervisor of Landscape Design at MassDOT made a visual presentation of the Final Design of the site beginning with an Overlay that showed the existing rotary superimposed upon the future Square. [Apologies for the quality of these hasty photos]

Rotary overlay on Square design

The design features dedicated pedestrian and bicycle paths and crossings, an allee of boulevard red oaks, the retention of the existing stone walls on the Franklin Park side and the creation of a feature-rich park to the south.

Final design showing expansion of Franklin Park

The new park in front of Franklin Park Villa will feature flowering trees, shrubs and bulbs, benches and an interpretive kiosk describing the history of the site.

New park detail with preliminary kiosk

Proposed flowering trees, shrubs and bulbs are all varieties that have survived well in Boston parks according to Batchelor, selected with an eye towards the history of the area, seasonal variety, flowering longevity and hardiness.

Proposed shrubs and bulbs

Proposed flowering trees

Next steps include MassDOT's drafting of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DOT and MHC concerning mitigation measures, and advertising the Casey Arborway Project for bids in the coming weeks. No revised timetable for the overall project was discussed.

Plans for the project call for the replacement of the crumbling Casey Overpass with an At-Grade boulevard, bike paths, pedestrian ways, as well as an expanded Upper busway, a new northern plaza at the terminus of SW Corridor Park and a new MBTA head house providing direct access to the T platform from the plaza. Earlier announced schedules had called for some traffic rerouting onto existing overpass ramps and then the demolition of a substantial portion of the Overpass to take place in 2014, with the project continuing through September 2016.