#BUCPUA students engage public leaders on BU Bridge replacement
On June 2, students in Urban Affairs course 510, Special Topics: Transit-Oriented Development in the 21st Century, attended the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) meeting on the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge (BU Bridge) Replacement project. Adjunct faculty member Doug Johnson (MET’15), a community organizer for the Boston Cyclists Union, encouraged his students to observe the traffic design elements and participate in the community discussion.
“It’s great to attend public meetings, even if it is on our own evening free time. As future planners, we need to recognize the difference in opinions from various stakeholders. Understanding and learning new concerns will broaden our knowledge and horizon on different aspects of planning. These lessons can be incorporated into our designs and plans for later on,” shared Raymond Teoh (MET’17), a candidate in the Master of City Planning program.
The BU Bridge will be renovated for approximately two weeks each during the summers of 2017 and 2018 using the Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques. Although portions of Commonwealth Avenue will be closed to vehicles during the construction period, bus service, emergency vehicles, bikers, and walkers will continue regular transits along Commonwealth Avenue. Not only will the BU Bridge be replaced, but of equal importance, intersection traffic patterns adjacent to the BU Bridge and Commonwealth Avenue will be redesigned to ideally support safer, more efficient pedestrian, biking, and public transit modes.
As Shawn Bailey (MET ’16) explained, “I believe it is important for planning students to attend public meetings because we will gain a better understanding of how they function and will learn about an ongoing project that involves our community. We can ask any questions we may have regarding the project and can address any issues or comments that may arise during the presentation. Public input is a major part of urban planning and the more public meetings we attend, the better we will be as planners when we participate in public meetings for our jobs.”
More than 65 people attended the meeting, including representatives from various biking and walking advocacy groups, such as LiveableStreets Alliance and WalkBoston. Questions fielded centered on the new traffic design patterns affecting vehicles, transit buses, pedestrians, bikers, and the MBTA Green Line. Will people have more time to cross Commonwealth Avenue on foot? Will cyclists receive improved lane design and signal priority over cars?
Bailey, who is slated to receive his Master of City Planning degree this August, continued, “Most of the visuals that were in the presentation are not on MassDOTs’ website for the project. Being present at the meeting to see the updated designs and clips of the construction phases was definitely beneficial in understanding the construction process of the project. The website also does not discuss how each side of Comm Ave will function while the other side is under construction; attending the meeting cleared up that potential confusion. Finally, knowing where to go during the construction is also a crucial piece of information that commuters will need to know; they had detour maps on the pamphlet and in the presentation as to where cars and trucks will go during the three-to-four week construction process of the 2017 and 2018 summers.”
“As a student, sometimes it can be intimidating to ask questions in a room full of seasoned planning professionals. However, I asked the MassDOT representatives about the online availability of the project’s environmental impact statement and traffic management study. The project leaders stated they would contact me individually about these report requests. So, I felt really good about bringing this question to their attention, as others may have been wondering the same thing,” said Courtney Thraen (MET’17), a candidate in the Master of City Planning program.
– Courtney Thraen (MET’17)