Casey Arborway Construction: the first year

After years of planning, Jamaica Plain and Forest Hills are now a year into the demolition of the Casey Overpass and construction of the Casey Arborway. Temporary surface roadways and new traffic signals were created first, and the western on-ramp at South Street needed to be widened. Then demolition of the overhead decking, steel girders and piers began in earnest, mostly east of the MBTA station towards Franklin Park. By August 2015 the overpass has been demolished, the metal recycled and most rubble removed east of Hyde Park Avenue, opening up vistas from the station to The Wilderness in Franklin Park and to the District Court House. It is now easy to see why the area is called Forest Hills. Demolition was completed on the western, Arboretum end of the project area by October with nightwork required to safely remove steel above South Street and the current station plaza. Work has begun on the new expanded upper busway as well, with new foundations poured for the expansion. Construction through late fall and into the winter has entered has focused on necessary water, sewer, gas, and electrical work taking place throughout the area. But the transformation is both dramatic and exciting.

Here is a chronological visual record of many of these construction highlights:

4/15: Westbound on-ramp expanded at South St.

4/15: Sewer work and ramp expansion at South St

4/15: prep for partial demolition of western abutment and creation of crossover lane

4/15: partial demolition of western abutment to create temporary surface lanes

5/15: removing railing and decking from northern side at South St ramp.

5/15: open girders west of South St

6/15: beginning demolition between head house and Washington St

6/15: the first span to be fully opened, west of Washington Street

6/15: decking removed above Washington Street

6/15: Washington St intersection

6/15: Girders above Washington were removed in one night for public safety

6/15: mats made from spare tires dampen sound and prevent damage to tunnels below

Sunset east of Washington Street

 

6/15: View east of MBTA station

6/15 Pier demolition at Washington St

6/15 Processing decking steel for recycling, near Shea Circle

6/15: some of the last overhead steel east of Washington Street

7/15: demolishing piers in front of West Roxbury District Courthouse

7/15: view opening towards Franklin Park Wilderness in distance

7/15: nothing but cleanup left east of Washington St.

Big Machines at rest

  

7/15: process deck steel for recycling near Arboretum

7/15: west of South St

View from VFW hall

7/15: last girders above #39 bus terminus

7/15: demolition moves westward

7/15: preparing foundation footings for new pylons to support Upper Busway expansion

7/15: creating foundations for Upper Busway expansion

7/15: work on decking and gorders above #39 bus terminus

8/15: Only girders left above South St

8/15: Night work to haul away girders above South St

8/15: night work above South St

8/15: South Street open to the sky

8/15: new views from South St to T station. No much traffic!

8/15: last day for pier at South St

8/15 demolition west of South St

8/15: pier at South St. Resistance is futile!

8/15: new views from Upper Arborway frontage road to T station

 

8/28/15 With night work now complete, this is the view of the South St intersection.

The Forest Hills that might have been

{ed: additional images added since first publication}

During several years worth of contentious public debate in Jamaica Plain, some have claimed that a "highway" is being built through their town where the "beautiful new bridge" of their dreams could be. Here's a look at the nightmare that an actual highway might have created if car and truck travel had taken precedent over all other interests fifty years ago:

By the 1940s and 50s, Boston highway planners were considering building a massive Southwest Expressway through Milton, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods approximately where Southwest Corridor Park is now. The park was eventually one of the legacies of these halted plans, and yes: I'm leaving out reams of heartache for affected residents and hard work by many advocates that are an important part of the story - a part of local history best told in book or at least longer form.

It is also worth noting that Southwest Expressway proposals were meant to hook up with the proposed Inner Belt, a never-built highway dlicing through Somerville, Cambridge, Back Bay and the South End that would have had a huge impact on those communities as well. Again: a longer saga than I am qualified to relate here.

These concept paintings and schematics are from the 1966 "Basic Design Report Southwest Expressway- Interstate 95, Route 128, Canton to Jackson Square, Boston" document prepared by Brown Professional Engineers, Inc (available at the main branch of the Boston Public Library) and they give a sense of what one conception of this expressway might have looked like.

The first concept painting shows the Forest Hills section of Jamaica Plain looking north, with the Arnold Arboretum along the top left and the old State Lab building prominent. South Street into downtown Jamaica Plain is the narrow green strip heading north from the cloverleaf at the top of the painting. The current Casey Arborway Project is taking place where the east-west road slices across. There appear to be at least 8-10 lanes of highway plus another 8 or so of frontage road. There were rail lines and stations down the center of the expressway (accessible to riders through tunnels under the highway) along with all the ramps and bridges. Pedestrian and bike friendly? Not so much...

Here is the plan drawing for Forest Hills

This second painting depicts the expressway near McBride Street in JP. The old Jamaica Plain High School (now apartments) is along the left side.

This scheme called for altering the course of the Neponset River further south:

 And for cutting a wide swath through Hyde Park at River Street, below.

Those mid-century visions of the future - which were perhaps commissioned by concrete salesmen - are substantially more terrifying than this rendering of the project currently under construction, in my opinion. A highway? Not by mid-century standards:

The Casey Arborway Project - a broad defense

WHY ELIMINATE THE OVERPASS?
The Casey Overpass was built 60 years ago to span three train line impediments to car travel that were eliminated nearly three decades ago.

Now the overpass has decayed beyond repair, creating a public safety hazard that has required the closing of lanes in each direction and the installation of safety netting to catch falling pieces.

Since the overpass and its ramps sit right on top of what once was the eastbound Arborway, removing it makes it possible to rationalize surface routes that currently require all local users to weave in and out of the bridge’s ramps and piers to get anywhere.

MassDOT’s peer-reviewed traffic studies and computer modeling out to the year 2035 have shown that an improved surface grid of roads and intersections can serve the needs of all users – not just cars, but pedestrians, bus and T riders, and cyclists – as well or better than a replacement bridge in almost every possible point-to-point direction throughout the area, and improve on the existing situation.

The at-grade plan is far less expensive than building an unnecessary overpass – some $20 million less - the project can include a number of infrastucture improvements and amenities that would otherwise be impossible.

WHAT IMPROVEMENTS ARE IN STORE?
There will be improved local commuting connections including a new plaza at the end of Southwest Corridor Park which provides direct access to the Orange line T platform without crossing the Arborway for riders from the north. There will be a revamped plaza at the station itself, a consolidated regional school bus hub and an expanded and landscaped upper busway along the western side.

The project enhances recreational opportunity in a portion of the Emerald Necklace that has been broken for sixty years. There will be three miles of new and improved sidewalks and crosswalks, three miles more of new bicycle paths and lanes. These landscaped paths will connect the Arnold Arboretum to Franklin Park and to Southwest Corridor Park in ways that will be simple for families and children to navigate. These routes are extremely difficult and dangerous now.

The important civic space of the West Roxbury District Municipal Courthouse will be opened up, re-landscaped and re-connected to the community as well.

The conversion of the 1930s era Shea Circle rotary near Franklin Park to a new signalized intersection will provide traffic calming for the corridor in a notoriously dangerous location while making it possible for pedestrians and bicyclists to safely reach Franklin Park from the south.

In all, the project creates 1.3 acres of new greenspace and adds 560 new trees from 60 different species – a 2-to-1 increase over today. The Arnold Arboretum’s staff participated in the planning process, and the landscaping plans compliment their collection with a wide variety of shade trees, evergreens, shrubs, bulbs and flowering ornamentals that will be beautiful in all seasons.

It’s a once in a generation opportunity to enhance livability and create a sense of place we all can be proud of where a crumbling overpass currently blocks the sky as well as the local traffic.

WHAT ABOUT THE CRITICS OF THE AT-GRADE PLAN? 
Even the most vocal critics have over the course of the lengthy public planning process contributed to improvements in the design, and neighbors should be grateful for their service.

However, the peer-reviewed data, the future traffic projections and the public process do not support their claims or their fears in any way.

A broad coalition of neighborhood, greenspace, cycling and pedestrian advocates that participated in the process - many of whom are local to the project area - support the project as designed, including the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, the Boston Cyclists Union, WalkBoston, LivableStreets, the Arboretum Park Conservancy, the Arborway Coalition and others. Their expertise is substantial, and their memberships run into the thousands.

Most individual supporters of the plan moved on from contentious argument about the project in 2012 when the at-grade decision was made, and they’ve been waiting patiently for construction to begin ever since.

The temporary inconvenience of construction will be quite difficult at times - but the end result will be well worth it for Jamaica Plain, for Boston and for the region.

Discussing the Merits of the Casey Arborway Project on TV

On April 2, 2015 I had the opportunity to describe some of the many benefits of the Casey Arborway Project for the Jamaica Plain community on Boston Neighborhood Network News, a local cable television program hosted by Chris Lovett.

The segment has a companion piece which I had not seen at the time of the taping. In it Kevin Moloney - current Chair of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council but not identified as such - presents the views of Bridging Forest Hills.

Connecting Casey Arborway Bike Paths to Jamaica Pond: A New Proposal

Toole Design Group

Recently DCR held two public meetings at the Arnold Arboretum to discuss possible future Arborway Bicycle Facilities between the Casey Arborway Project and Jamaica Pond. Preliminary in nature, the purpose of the meetings was to seek community input and develop “Starter Ideas” that might help this portion of the historic Emerald Necklace parkways gain more balance and become more inclusive and safe for all users: cars, bikes, pedestrians. Upon the completion of the Casey Arborway Project, there will be strong bike and pedestrian facilities both to the south in Forest Hills and to the north of the project area at Jamaica Pond and beyond, but this section of the Emerald Necklace is not currently safe for any mode of travel. The goal is to improve the comfort and safety of all users while keeping in mind the DCR’s Historic Parkways Preservation Guidelines which make the case, as Patrice Kish, DCR’s Director of Cultural Resources put it, that “A parkway is not a road. It’s a park with a road in it.”

The meetings came about thanks to advocate engagement. When DCR prematurely painted (and then removed) bike lanes between the two rotaries without community or expert input, it was suggested that a plan be developed to address the needs of all users. DCR contracted with nationally recognized Toole Design Group to collect data, solicit community input from neighbors and stakeholders, and to provide design services.

With participant turn-out hampered by recent blizzards, difficult travel conditions and a last minute scheduling change, some two dozen members of the public attending the Tuesday, February 3 meeting first heard about traffic counts and accident rates. According to Toole’s new counts, 49,200 vehicles use the Arborway between the two rotaries each day. These rotaries are Murray Circle at Centre St. (added to the Frederick Law Olmsted parkways in 1932) and Kelley Circle at Parkman Drive near the Pond. For northbound traffic (towards the pond), approximately 50% of vehicles come from Forest Hills to the south and 50% come from Centre St. and the Faulkner Hospital area to the southwest. Northbound, more drivers use the inner lanes while southbound drivers prefer the outer lanes. This is partly a function of the geometry and deflection angles of the approach lanes at the rotaries, and partly a function of the vehicle's ultimate destination as it exits the area.

There have been 135 vehicle crashes in the study area between 2008-2012, some causing very serious injuries. Crashes have been geographically distributed throughout: 38 occured between South Street and Centre, 23 at Centre and Murray Circle coming from the monument, 30 on Murray Circle itself, and 36 at Kelley Circle. Speeding is certainly a factor, with average speeds in the study area significantly above the posted 30 m.p.h. limit. These factors indicate that reconfiguration should take place on the roadways to improve vehicle safety and to provide safe accommodation to pedestrians and cyclists. Telegraphing their preliminary design preferences, Ian Lockwood of Toole provided a thorough description of the many types and purposes of modern roundabouts - roadway features that are very different from a large-scale rotary which provides little traffic calming and does not encourage safe use for pedestrians and bikes. A typical example is configured like this:

Toole Design Group

Attendees were asked to consider what they like and don’t like about the area currently, and to apply their extensive local knowledge to the question of what might be missing and what might be done to improve the area. All suggestions were encouraged in breakout groups, extensive notes were taken on large format maps, and ideas were then shared with the larger group for discussion. After the first meeting, Toole Design Group spent an intensive 48 hours incorporating as much of the community’s input as possible and then with better weather and turn-out presented their “Starter Idea” proposal to a group of some 50-75 neighbors and advocates at the second public meeting on February 5, 2015:

Both Murray and Kelley rotaries would be reconfigured in this proposal to create smaller modern roundabouts, with raised table-style crosswalks for pedestrians and bikes at the approach and exit points of the roundabouts. These would enhance safety for the crosswalks dramatically, while providing traffic calming for vehicles conducive to the park setting, increasing contiguous greenspace. Toole proposed that almost all traffic lights be eliminated, since lane deflection directs and protects all routes of vehicle travel. This reduces points of conflict between vehicles and reduces air pollution from cars waiting at traffic lights.

From the south at Forest Hills, a pedestrian path would continue from South St. through the Arborway Hillside to a new raised-table crosswalk at St. Rose Street on the Arborway frontage road. The crosswalks at the main Hunnewell entrance to the Arboretum would also be raised on both the frontage road and main line Arborway:

Toole Design Group

Bike lanes are created along the Arboretum and Arborway Hillside by removing the median and using the existing curb lines to preserve trees - a strategy used wherever possible throughout the corridor. The two-way bike facility along the Arboretum and the one-way lane along the Hillside would connect with the Casey Arborway Project facilities at Forest Hills and continue to Franklin Park or on Morton Street towards Blue Hill Avenue:

Toole Design Group

The Murray Circle rotary becomes a double roundabout in this design, with raised crosswalks and pedestrian refuge islands throughout the entire area for traffic calming and safer paths for all users. Lanes are deflected (i.e. steered) towards the continuing routes. Asphalt is reduced and greenspace is increased (sidewalks black, bike paths yellow in this image):

Toole Design Group

The outer frontage road lanes between the existing rotaries are reconfigured for bikes and residents with regional vehicle traffic using the center lanes. Along the top of the following image on the westerly frontage road, the direction of local vehicle traffic is reversed to northbound-only. Buffered two-way bike lanes would be provided on both frontage roads along the inner edges, away from frontage road parking and local traffic:

Toole Design Group

Toole Design Group

Kelley Circle is also reconfigured to improve facilities for bikes and pedestrians, with a reduction in confusing crossovers and increased traffic calming for vehicles. Two small bicycle rotaries are including, echoing the new configuration at the southern end of Southwest Corridor Park within the Casey Arborway Project:

Toole Design Group

Patrice Kish, in closing, reminded the audience that the historic Emerald Necklace is not only one of the most important parks in Boston, it is one of the most important parks in the nation. The idea that parkways are not roads, but parks with roads in them echoes the lasting and influential vision of Frederick Law Olmsted and the through-line of urban American landscape architecture. Similar sentiments were echoed by Toole’s Ian Lockwood, who made a strong case for urban placemaking, designing for the local community and for regional resource enhancement rather than designing solely for transient commuters. “People going through your neighborhood should do so on your terms, not theirs,” he said.

DCR welcomes all comments received by March 6, 2015 to dcr.updates@state.ma.us
Be sure to note “Arborway Bicycle Facilities” in the subject line.
The full presentations from which these images were extracted are available here under Public Meetings, February 3 & 5, 2015:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/public-outreach/public-meetings/