The state has postponed until mid-January the announcement of a Casey Overpass replacement project. The public comment period has been extended through Fri., Dec. 9.
Public meetings scheduled for next week to announce the decision have been canceled and will be rescheduled for sometime in January, likely the week of Jan. 16.
“Because so many comments have been given in, we wanted to give people a little more time to comment and ourselves a little more time to evaluate the comments,” said John Romano, the municipal affairs liaison for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which is conducting the overpass replacement.
The Casey Overpass is the State Route 203 bridge over Washington Street and Hyde Park Avenue at the Forest Hills T Station. The aging bridge must be demolished in coming years. The state is currently planning to replace it either with a new, smaller bridge, or with a new network of surface streets. There is intense controversy over which replacement is better, though either version promises to improve traffic flow in the tangled area.
Information on the planning process is available at massdot.state.ma.us/caseyoverpass.
Comments on the replacement options can be sent to Romano at john.romano@state.ma.us or phoned in at 617-973-7028.
View Comments (2)
I agree with Richard--delay isn't necessary. The public and the WAG have had adequate briefings and time to comment on the process. If the process drags on, I worry we could lose the funding for any solution.
I would love to see the JP Gazette run a poll on this on their website.
I'm disappointed in the delay - and the short notice of the community meeting postponement. I think ample time (many meetings over the past 10 months) has been provided for research, analysis. public review and comment. I do not want the funding jeopardized by needless delay and debate. We need a solution for an outdated bridge and bad traffic pattern at Forest Hills. I am impatient with process over progress. If three is one thing I've learned in 36 years of community involvement is that community activists like me have to be pragmatic or we become part of the problem.
Richard Heath
Jamaica Plain, Ma