The following is an excerpt of a letter sent to local elected officials and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation regarding the Casey Arborway design set to replace the Casey Overpass in Forest Hills:
We look forward to this section of the Arborway becoming a common ground—a uniter, not a divider, physically and metaphorically—for all users, for neighborhoods of JP all around Forest Hills, and for our neighbors passing through or visiting from Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Roslindale and beyond.
In March…it will be a year since the at-grade decision was made and two years since the planning began. It is time to move on and focus our energy on the areas where public input is sought, e.g., the new parkland (approximately 1.5 acres) that is being created where the Southwest Corridor Park and the Emerald Necklace/Arborway intersect, the MBTA plaza at Forest Hills T Station and the landscape at Shea Square, and ways to minimize the impacts of the relocated bus bays on nearby neighbors.
With only a few months left to get to 100 percent design (by this fall), the community involvement needs to be productive and make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Anything you can do to help the community focus on these aspects will be appreciated by many who are currently involved and by future generations.
Sarah Freeman
Arborway Coalition and Casey Arborway Design Advisory Group
Jamaica Plain