July 3, 2013 Thomas F. Broderick, P.E.

Chief Engineer, MassDOT Highway Division MassDOT 10 Park Plaza Boston, MA 02116 Attn: Bridge Project Management Cambridge Street in Allston, MA Dear Mr. Broderick, Our comments on the Cambridge St. Bridge and street improvements in Allston are intended to supplement the comments made in the letter that WalkBoston submitted along with other advocates. General comments The planning context for this project is unclear. It is difficult to tell how the project fits into the context of Cambridge Street between the River St. Bridge and (at least) Union Square, Allston. The plan seems to be only a partial solution for a larger need, and points directly toward the need for a plan for this stretch of Cambridge Street (Charles River to Union Square). Since the city and state both favor Complete Streets design approaches, WalkBoston suggests that the project be re-framed from that more holistic approach. Initial steps toward a Complete Street plan are positive: reducing the number of lanes from 6 to 4 from the River Street Bridge to Linden St. is an excellent first step and should remain a vital part of the project. In supplementing the letter we signed along with other organizations, we offer the following: 1. The Linden Street intersection A crosswalk should be installed at the Linden Street intersection to allow safe access to residences, bus stops and the pedestrian bridge. During construction, the crosswalk would allow pedestrians to use the south side of the bridge and avoid construction on the north side. 2. Appearance WalkBoston believes that the design and detailing of both the roadway bridge and the pedestrian bridge should encourage walking and make it a pleasant experience. This includes modifying the railings adjacent to the walkways so that they are not overwhelmingly huge and intimidating. Currently, on all of the bridges, the railings are overdesigned for the task of preventing people from throwing stones at cars on the Turnpike. When the railings/fences are unnecessarily tall and overarching they appear to be designed to prevent suicides and do not enhance the pedestrian experience. Surely there is a better, lower, more attractive method of providing railings along the sidewalks.

Street trees should be considered for both sides of the street as it approaches the bridge. Street trees are essential to walkers, as they provide shade and variety in the walking experience. They also visually narrow the street and slow traffic, a useful benefit in this corridor. 3. Make improvements to bicycle facilities Provision for bicycles is emphasized only in the portion of the corridor east of Linden St. The bicycle lane seems to vary from a full-width lane (or possibly a cycle track) in both directions from Linden Street to the River Street Bridge. West of Linden Street, bicycles are relegated to sharing the sidewalk with pedestrians. This sharing is not continuous over the bridge and is hazardous to pedestrians and bicyclists who might not be expecting the sudden mingling of bicycles in this short section of sidewalk. It is unreasonable to mix bikes and pedestrians on a shared sidewalk. Unlike a true shared use path, this project proposes having bicycles share sidewalks with pedestrians. Sharing sidewalks with bicycles should never be a fall-back position where traffic is heavy and land development is dense. This is especially true where it seems possible that there may be alternative methods of providing for bicycles on the street through judicious lane striping, removal of parking, elimination of lanes, or other methods of accommodation. The possibility of eliminating the right turn lane from Cambridge St. westbound onto Franklin Street should be reexamined. The ROW required for this low-volume lane could be used to design a much more acceptable bicycle and pedestrian solution to this intersection. This would avoid the combination of the bicycles and pedestrians on the sidewalk. 4. Safe pedestrian access during construction WalkBoston joins others on concerns about sidewalk access during construction. Full pedestrian access must be maintained throughout the construction process. The construction process includes a closing of pedestrian access on alternative sides of the bridge as the phasing moves forward. When a sidewalk is closed, an alternative means of access should be provided, and the alternative should not be so inconvenient as to discourage walkers. For appropriate accessibility for pedestrians during construction, in the area of the north side of the bridge, construction activity on the pedestrian footbridge should be severed from work on the sidewalk on the vehicular bridge over the turnpike. The plan includes few options for pedestrians to use during reconstruction of the southern third of the bridge. The south side of bridge has somewhat lower pedestrian volume, but a clear-cut alternative for the sidewalk on the south side of the bridge should be provided.

5. A final note: Both the ramp at the Mansfield Street stairway and the ramp leading to the pedestrian bridge over the Turnpike have what appear to be substandard gradients. If they do not meet current ADA criteria, a method should be devised for improving ramps. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this significant improvement. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions Sincerely Bob Sloane Senior Planner

State Senator William Brownsberger

State Senator Sal DiDomineco State Senator Anthony Petruccelli State Representative Marjorie Decker State Representative Jonathan Hecht State Representative Michael Moran Boston City Councillor Mark Ciommo Boston Bikes Director Nicole Freedman Boston Transportation Commissioner Thomas J. Tinlin Boston Environment and Energy Chief Brian Swett Boston Commission for Persons with Disabilities Commissioner Kristen McCosh Livable Streets Alliance MassBike Charles River Conservancy Boston Cyclists Union Charles River Conservancy Allston Civic Association Rich Parr Harry Mattison Matthew Danish Galen Mook