The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced that the public meeting for the I-90 Allston Interchange Improvement Project scheduled to be held in Brookline on Tuesday, December 12, will now be held in the Auditorium of the Pierce Elementary School in Brookline.
This venue change is at the request of the Town of Brookline due to logistical considerations and to ensure there is adequate space for attendees. Signage will be in place at Town Hall to notify attendees of this venue change and the full schedule of upcoming public meetings for the I-90 Allston Interchange Improvement Project is as follows:
December 12, 2017, 7:00 p.m.
Auditorium, Pierce Elementary School
January 3, 2018, 6:30 p.m.
The Morse School
Last week, MassDOT officially filed the Draft Environmental Impact Report for this project with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and is now hosting several public meetings in order to provide information to the public on the DEIR. Information on how to obtain an electronic copy of the DEIR is posted on the project website and paper copies of the DEIR will be provided to the Copley, Faneuil, Honan-Allston, and Brighton branches of the Boston Public Library, the State Library of Massachusetts, and the Main and Central Square branches of the Cambridge Public Library.
In response to public requests, MassDOT has extended the public comment period to January 19, 2018, so that all interested parties will have ample time to review the document and provide detailed input. MassDOT will use the public feedback to continue to refine the proposals laid out in the DEIR.
The current viaduct structure carries several lanes of the Massachusetts Turnpike into and out of downtown Boston. The viaduct is the primary route of vehicular travel from Western Massachusetts and Central Massachusetts into and from Boston. The viaduct is outmoded and deteriorated, and MassDOT annually spends approximately $800,000 to maintain the viaduct in usable condition. The viaduct currently is safe for travel.
The replacement project is now at approximately 15% design, with final design anticipated to be complete during 2019, when MassDOT would seek to procure a construction contractor. Construction work and related activities would then be expected to begin in 2020.
For several years, MassDOT has hosted regular meetings of a public Task Force in order to vet all aspects of the project elements with neighborhood residents, representatives of local organizations, and regional transportation stakeholders. Since the inception of the project, MassDOT has held approximately 30 Task Force and public meetings.
For more information, including information about how to obtain a copy of the DEIR, please visit the project website: http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/HighlightedProjects/AllstonI90InterchangeImprovementProject.aspx