Watercolor of Anderson Bridge underpass looking upriver on Boston side by David Smith

 

Objective:

The goal of this advocacy effort is to include underpasses in the renovation of the Anderson Bridge as part of MassDOT's Accelerated Bridge Program. The Conservancy is currently studying underpass proposals for the Western Avenue and River Street bridges as well. 

Including underpasses in the bridge renovations has several key advantages: increased safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and in-line skaters; increased access to the Parklands by facilitating convenience for exercise and commuting, and increased opportunity for sustainable transportation use.

Click here to support our advocacy efforts

Supporting Comments:

"I support the addition of pathway underpasses as the bridges across the urban Charles River are being restored.  We need to think ahead and create a city where bicycling - both for commuting and recreation - are easy and safe.  Now is the time to make these improvements, adding them later would cost more and be more disruptive.  With the strong political support, a technical solution can be found for these underpasses." - Michael Dukakis, former Governor of Massachusetts

 

"You've already heard several good reasons for including underpasses on the Charles River bridges, so I'm not going to repeat them.  And I am not entirely unsympathetic to the reasons your staff has given for not including the underpasses right now.  But I feel it is extremely important that the bridge repair not be done in a way that eliminates the possibility of building the underpasses in the future should required funding become available.  And, I am afraid, that is exactly what is happening.  To my knowledge, there has been no analysis of what needs to be done to preserve the possibility of a future underpass.  To the contrary, from what I can tell, the repair design will, in fact, make it prohibitively expensive, and perhaps technically impossible, to build an underpass.  To avoid wasting taxpayer money to fix avoidable mistakes, I urge the MassDOT board to make sure that this is not allowed to happen." - Steve E. Miller, Executive Director, Healthy Weight Initiative, HSPH, Dept. of Nutrition / Board of Directors, LivableStreets Alliance (testimony presented to the MassDOT at the September 7th board meeting)

 

"MassBike appreciates the work MassDOT is doing to better integrate bicyclists into the Charles River Basin projects of the Accelerated Bridge Program.  The bridges and the paths along the Charles are vital links for bicycle transportation and recreation, but the poorly designed and sometimes dangerous intersections of the bridges, paths, and local roadways present an obstacle for bicyclists who are not comfortable interacting with traffic, particularly bicyclists on the Charles River paths who are not well-served by at-grade street crossings.  While MassDOT is certainly making an effort to improve many of these intersections, I urge them to reconsider the decision rejecting underpasses.  Underpasses would significantly improve safety and mobility for non-motorize users in the Charles River Basin.  I appreciate the challenges inherent in constructing underpasses: permitting, funding, engineering, navigation, timing, safety, and drainage among them.  However, none of the challenges are necessarily insurmountable, and there will never be a better, more cost-effective, or less disruptive opportunity to build underpasses, certainly not within the 50-75 year expected lifespan of the reconstructed bridges." - David Watson, Executive Director, MassBike (testimony presented to the MassDOT at the September 7th board meeting)

 

“Our campaign for a citywide bike network for commuters and families works to address the need for safe, enjoyable bikeways in all the neighborhoods of the city of Boston. We envision a Boston that is world renowned for year round cycling, a place where people ride for fun, exercise, and transportation.” - Pete Stidman, Director, Boston Cyclists Union

 

"The paths along the Charles River are an important resource for the residents and employees of Beacon Hill and Back Bay. They are an extension of the Esplanade and encourage people of all ages to enjoy the beauty of the river while using an uninterrupted path for both exercise and commuting" -Stephen Young, President, Beacon Hill Civic Association

 

"It is important to plan for the future now. Our heavy dependence on oil is not sustainable and alternate means of transportation must be encouraged. Pedestrians and bicyclists embody the best of this effort. The underpasses for the Charles River bridges would enable pedestrians and bicyclists to be safe while engaging in environmentally friendly modes of transportation. This chance will not come again for 50 to 75 years." -Marcia Cooper, President, Green Decade

 

" It is important to have a place where parents and teachers can take children and give them a safe place to bike – the underpass allows for a continuous pathway where this would be made possible for several miles. Parents or school buses can bring kids to Herter park, with bikes on board and then use the pathways, giving them a beautiful experience along the water." -Julianne Idlet, Executive Director, Cycle Kids

 

"We support the creation of underpasses because public infrastructure needs to take into account the importance of inclusive design, and the role design has in expanding opportunity and enhancing experience for people of all ages and abilities. Including underpasses for the bridge renovation now creates opportunities for a variety of residents and visitors for decades to come including people with disabilities and older people. The underpasses would communicate a sense of welcome and opportunity for everyone to enjoy this precious public resource." - Valerie Fletcher, Executive Director, Institute for Human Centered Design

 

Timeline:

October 5th: The Conservancy briefed the MassDOT board about adding underpasses at the Anderson, Western Avenue, and River Street Bridges.  CRC suggested combining the three bridge rehabilitation projects into a single design-build contract. Although deadlines for the bridge rehabilitation projects are tight, CRC continues to push MassDOT for creative strategies to include underpasses now or facilitate their construction in the future. 

September 7th:  Conservancy President Renata von Tscharner and other advocates testified at a September 7th meeting of the MassDOT Board of Directors.  Click here to read her testimony.  Three (of five) MassDOT board members have requested a meeting to brief the board on the opportunities to add underpasses to these bridges as they are being renovated under the DOT's Accelerated Bridge Program.

May 18th: Boston City Council adopts resolution “that the Boston City Council encourages the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to consider all users of the Anderson Memorial Bridge, both on and off the water, and to include pedestrian and biker underpasses through the abutments in the scope of the restoration of the Anderson Memorial Bridge” (Resolution 0723 - City Councilors Arroyo, Ciommo, Connolly and Ross).

March 21st: Cambridge City Council adopts resolution "that the City Manager is requested to confer with MassDOT to add the underpasses in their proposal to rehabilitate the Anderson Bridge and request that MassDOT work with the Cambridge Community Development Department and the Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department to refine and implement this plan." (POR 2011 #120 - Vice Mayor Davis, Councillor Cheung and entire membership)

March 11th: MEPA's certificate did not require MassDOT to include the underpasses in their plans for the Anderson Bridge.  While the news is disappointing, we will continue to push forward with our advocacy efforts, namely by broadening our focus to include the Western Avenue and River Street Bridges.

March 4th: The Charles River Conservancy submitted a letter to EOEA Secretary Richard Sullivan for the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) review of MassDOT's Anderson Bridge restoration proposal.  The Conservancy's letter urges MEPA to request MassDOT to add the underpasses.

Click here to read our letter to MEPA

 

Supporters:

29 elected officials, 33 organizations, and over 600 individuals support for the Anderson Bridge underpasses - join them!

Supporting elected officials include U.S. Representative Michael Capuano; State Senators Sonia Chang-Diaz, Sal DiDomenico, Anthony Petruccelli, Cynthia Stone Creem, and Steven Tolman; State Representatives Ruth Balser, William Brownsberger, Jonathan Hecht, Kevin Honan, Kay Khan, Michael Moran, Denise Provost, Frank Smizik, Marty Walz, and Alice Wolf; Cambridge Mayor David P. Maher, Cambridge Vice Mayor Henrietta Davis; Cambridge City Councillors Leland Cheung, Marjorie Decker, Craig Kelley, Kenneth Reeves, Sam Seidel, Denise Simmons, and Timothy Toomey, Jr.; and Boston City Councilors Felix Arroyo, Mark Ciommo, John Connolly, and Michael Ross.

Organizations who support the underpasses are the Allston Brighton North Neighbors Forum, Allston Civic Association, Bay Circuit Alliance, Beacon Hill Civic Association, Bike Newton, Boston Cyclists Union, Boston Preservation Alliance, BU Student Union, Cambridge Running Club, Cambridge Sports Union, Cambridge Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department, Charles River Alliance of Boaters, Charles River Watershed Association, Community Running Association, CycleKids, Emerald Necklace Conservancy, The Esplanade Association, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Friends of the Community Path, Green Cambridge, Green Decade/Newton, Greenport, Green Streets Initiative, Inline Club of Boston, Institute for Human-Centered Design, Livable Streets Alliance, MassBike, Massachusetts Sierra Club, MIT Triathlon Club, Walk Boston, Watertown Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, the Environmental Task Force of WCES (Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety), and the Boston Society of Architects.

 

Rendering of Anderson Bridge underpass looking downriver on the Boston side by Tom Gastel

 

Underpasses in the Press:

Underpass Images:

Image at left - Underpasses & Pathways: view looking southeast towards the Anderson Memorial Bridge showing the pathways alongside the Charles River.  On either side of the bridges, the 60' underpasses flow below and through the bridge to join the main pathway.

Image at right - Parklands & Pathways: view looking southeast towards the Anderson Memorial Bridge where North Harvard and John F. Kennedy Street cross over the Charles River.  The unimpeded flow of pathways alongside the river is made possible by the separation of modes of transportation with bridge underpasses below the Anderson Bridge, creating a continuous network of pathways for bicycle commuters, runners, roller bladers, and walkers.