Commonwealth Conversations: Transportation

Salisbury: Gillis Rail Trail Connector Opens

MassDOT Highway Administrator Frank DePaola joined state and local officials, as well as bicycling and walking advocates to celebrate Bay State Bike Week 2013 with the opening of the Gillis Rail Trail Connector in Salisbury. The connection links existing bicycling and walking paths in Salisbury and Newburyport.

“MassDOT is pleased to promote the healthy transportation modes of walking, bicycling and transit. The growing network of shared use paths in this region make it easier for residents and visitors alike to walk and bicycle in comfort and safety, and to connect with transit, such as at the Newburyport MTBA Commuter Rail station,” said Administrator DePaola.

The completion of the $1 million project adds a new piece to the Bay State Greenway, which is a growing network that hopes to establish 788 miles of bicycling facilities across the Commonwealth. So far, more than 150 miles have been established.

The project also supports MassDOT’s GreenDOT and Mode Shift policies, as well as the Healthy Transportation Compact. The policies and initiatives work to balance the needs of all transportation users, expand mobility, improve public health, support a cleaner environment and create stronger communities.

Later this year, MassDOT will begin construction to replace the Whittier Bridge on Interstate 95. While construction will use innovative, accelerated techniques to better accommodate vehicle traffic, the project also allows for the construction of the first separate shared use path for pedestrians and bicyclists on an Interstate in Massachusetts and will provide a direct bicycling and walking link to the park & ride facility on Route 133.

MassDOT McGrath Highway Recommendations

MassDOT has recommended that the McCarthy Overpass portion of McGrath Highway be grounded and the roadway developed into a Boulevard that reconnects East Somerville, Union Square and Brickbottom.  Project managers released the recommendation during a May 15 public meeting in Somerville to discuss the Grounding McGrath Study.

A multiyear planning study examining multiple alternatives concluded this approach best balances local and regional needs in the McGrath Highway corridor and area neighborhoods.  The recommended plan preserves continuity at Washington Street, while enhancing pedestrian and bicycle connections. This option will also create a new connection from McGrath Highway northbound to Somerville Avenue and Union Square, providing full access in all directions at that location. The removal of the overpass will allow for wider sidewalks, bicycle paths, added green space that will help spur redevelopment and enhance existing uses along the corridor. 

“Our decision to go with the boulevard option reflects the strong desire to integrate more, and healthier, modes of transportation into our highway network,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Frank DePaola.  “Investing public dollars into projects like this will catalyze private development, which creates jobs and economic activity, which will benefit Somerville for the next generation.”

MassDOT worked with the Cities of Somerville and Cambridge, community leaders, advocacy groups and elected officials to develop recommendations through the involvement of the Grounding McGrath Study Working Group.

A Health Impact Assessment in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health concluded that the Boulevard option offers a great opportunity for mobility and access.

The study’s recommendations also support other efforts adjacent to the Route 28 Corridor, including the MBTA Green Line Extension to Somerville and Medford; the Somerville Community Path; the NorthPoint development in Cambridge; and the City of Somerville's planning efforts in Inner Belt, Brickbottom and Union Square. 

The Grounding McGrath Study and draft recommendations can be found on the MassDOT Grounding McGrath website.

1st in Nation "Carbon Neutral" Airport Project

MassDOT's Aeronautics Division and Volpe National Transportation Systems Center have announced a pilot program to create the first ever airport with “carbon neutral” ground operations in the United States.

Nantucket Memorial Airport has been chosen to take all steps necessary to implement that designation.

“This truly revolutionary partnership to develop an airport with entirely carbon neutral operations is a shining example of our 'GreenDOT' plan to build a transportation system that is environmentally sustainable, and we look forward to working with the Nantucket Airport on this groundbreaking effort,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard Davey.

“Nantucket has a storied tradition as a community of seafarers, and its whaling fleet was once at the heart of the world’s energy and transportation economies,” said Nantucket Airport Manager Thomas Rafter. “The concept of sustainable transportation is something that makes sense on Nantucket, and is something I feel the community can really get behind and be proud to showcase.”

The Carbon Neutral Airport Pilot Program will assist the Nantucket Airport to implement measures that dramatically reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The program will identify lessons and practices learned to assist other general aviation and large commercial service airports.

MassDOT and Volpe, with the support of a Planning Advisory Group, chose the Nantucket Airport from among five Commonwealth general aviation airports that were eligible to receive Federal Aviation Administration sustainability/low emission funding to support the project.

The program to achieve “carbon neutrality” will move forward in 2013 with data collection and inventory in Phase One, followed by implementation in Phase Two.

MassDOT and the Nantucket Airport plan to rigorously pursue energy efficiency in airport buildings, on the airfield and among fleet vehicles. Efficiency will likely involve major upgrades to retrofit mechanical equipment, lighting systems and other facilities. New automation systems and operational changes will achieve additional energy savings. On-site renewable energy will be generated with the goal of equaling or exceeding energy consumption that cannot be eliminated.

The Carbon Neutral project includes $805,000 in MassDOT Aeronautics funding along with other expected local and federal funding sources.
 

Bay State Bike Week: May 11-19

The Patrick-Murray Administration encourages residents to join their neighbors and colleagues to bicycle during Bay State Bike Week, May 11-19, 2013, which celebrates bicycle transportation. Bicycling organizations, neighborhood groups and local governments have planned hundreds of diverse community-based events across the Commonwealth to show that bicycling can be a fun, healthy, safe and sustainable travel choice. 

“I applaud the bicyclists who ride to school or work regularly, and I encourage more people to give it a try,” said Governor Deval Patrick. "Together, we can make Massachusetts a greener, healthier and more sustainable state by decreasing traffic congestion, cleaning the air and enabling people to get some exercise in the course of their busy daily lives.”

Massachusetts in 2013 has been recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as the 6th most “bicycle friendly” state. In addition, MassDOT remains the only state DOT in the nation to actively organize and lead a statewide Bike Week celebration. MassDOT partners with the statewide bicycle education and advocacy group MassBike, as well as MassRIDES, the Commonwealth’s statewide travel options program.

MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard Davey says “Bay State Bike Week is a great way for MassDOT and MassBike to kick off the springtime riding season, and encourage some new riders to give biking a try. And we deeply appreciate the work that each event organizer and community does to host events throughout the Commonwealth.”

In addition to community-wide events, the 11 Massachusetts Transportation Management Associations are presenting the 18th annual MassCommute Bicycle Challenge, a friendly competition among employers, schools and communities to see who can log the most miles by bicycle.

To learn more about Bay State Bike Week and for information about current bicycling projects in your area visit www.mass.gov/massdot/bike.

North Bank Bridge Honored for Engineering Excellence

The North Bank Bridge and Park project in Boston/Cambridge has received an Honor Award in the 2013 American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Engineering Excellence national competition.

The $26 million North Bank Bridge and Park project funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and completed in spring 2012 provides pedestrians with a safe, accessible and quick route between Cambridge and Charlestown.

The pedestrian bridge is open to biking and rollerblading, in addition to walking or running, giving the public greater access to the parks.

The 690-foot bridge curves under the Zakim Bridge and over the MBTA railway.  The steelwork is metalized rather than painted to minimize maintenance. Energy-efficient LED light strips are installed in the bridge’s railings for aesthetics and public safety.

The ACEC award citation says "a former brownfield site has been transformed into a breathtaking new park along the Charles River Basin."

The firm Greenman-Pederson, Carol R. Johnson Associates, Stantec, and Ammann & Whitney of Wilmington, Massachusetts received the award for the North Bank project.

ACEC's annual Engineering Excellence Awards honor a total of 24 winners nationally as the year's most outstanding engineering accomplishments in transportation and 11 other categories.  The winners are chosen by a distinguished panel representing industry, government, academia and media based on uniqueness, innovation, future value to the engineering profession, and being on schedule and budget.

South Station Expansion Comments, Survey

Posted by Kate Fichter, South Station Expansion Project Manager

Many thanks to everyone who attended Monday's Public Scoping Session for the South Station Expansion project. We were pleased that so many people joined us for the Session, and are grateful for the thoughtful comments.  They will help to make the project a better one.

If you did not attend, you can visit the project website to see the presentation, print the fact sheet, and read up on the latest project news. Comments on the Environmental Notification Form are still being accepted. The document is available on the project website, at the State Transportation Library, and at the Massachusetts State Library. Copies are also available upon request from Joe Grilli at 617-532-2244 or jgrilli@hntb.com.

You can submit comments by mail, fax, or email. Submission information is below:

Secretary Richard K. Sullivan, Jr., Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, MEPA Office, EEA # 15028, Attention: Holly Johnson, MEPA Analyst, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114

Fax: 617-626-1181 Email: Holly.S.Johnson@state.ma.us

All comments must be received by April 9, 2013.

We are also interested in learning more about you and your interests in the South Station Expansion project. Please take a few minutes to complete this quick online survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SSX_April2013.  

We look forward to hearing from you.

Excellence in Commuter Options Awards Announced

The Patrick-Murray Administration today celebrated the efforts of more than 130 Massachusetts businesses to promote healthier, more environmentally-friendly commuting at the Massachusetts Excellence in Commuter Options (ECO) Awards ceremony at Fenway Park.

The Administration recognized employers who have been successful in getting their employees to travel by public transit, carpools, vanpools, bicycling or walking.

MassDOT hosted the ECO Awards in collaboration with MassRIDES, the statewide travel options program and MassCommute, the Massachusetts Council of Transportation Management Associations. MassDOT, MassRIDES, and MassCommute actively support employers across the Commonwealth to reduce drive-alone trips to work sites by using public transit, carpools, vanpools, bicycling, walking, and telework.  MassRIDES and MassCommute together have over 700 employer partners and member organizations that support green and healthy transportation options.

“Today we recognized the efforts of these Massachusetts organizations who champion the value of creating opportunities to travel by healthier modes and helping to take cars off of the roads and lessen our environmental footprint," said MassDOT Secretary and CEO, Richard A. Davey. "These goals are key to MassDOT’s vision for a healthier and more sustainable Commonwealth.”

The awards ceremony at Fenway Park celebrated the efforts of over 130 MassRIDES partners and MassCommute members. Ten employers were recognized for outstanding accomplishments, including:

Leadership in Commuter Options
•    AstraZeneca: Alternative Work Arrangements
•    Axcelis Technologies: Bicycling
•    City of Northampton: Walking
•    EBSCO Publishing: Public Transit
•    Mass Mutual: Vanpooling
•    The University of Massachusetts Lowell: Carpooling

Leadership in Commuter Engagement
•    Davis-Marcus Management: Property Manager
•    Foley Hoag LLP: Employer Transportation Coordinator

Rising Star
•    U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services

Leadership in Innovation
•    City of Cambridge

The ECO Awards Ceremony is presented with sponsorships from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, vRide, ZipCar, NuRide, URS Corporation, 128 Business Council and the Charles River Transportation Management Association.

Signs of MassDOT's Focus on the Environment

MassDOT highway signs are doing double duty in several Connecticut River Valley locations- directing traffic and providing a home for small falcons.

Representatives from Mass Fisheries & Wildlife and MassDOT previously worked together on Peregrine Falcon nesting boxes, and now introduced the idea of using nesting boxes for the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), the smallest falcon in North America.

Highway District Two staff from Bridge, Traffic, and Maintenance worked together on the nesting project, finding locations in the Connecticut River Valley along MassDOT highway corridors suitable for Kestrels.  Fish & Wildlife constructed the boxes. 

District 2 Maintenance this week installed a total of 9 bird houses along I-91 and Route 116. Four bird houses were attached to the back of highway signs, above, and five were installed roadside on posts.

This team effort across state agencies again furthers MassDOT's GreenDOT goals, enhancing the environment along a transportation corridor.

GreenDOT Plan Leads the Way: Sustainable Transportation

Over two years of research, collaboration, and public dialogue have gone into creating the GreenDOT Implementation Plan that provides the framework for embedding sustainability principles into core business practices at MassDOT.  This Plan fundamentally changes our priorities and choices across all elements of our transportation system, from facility operations to future project selection and design. 

The Plan builds off the GreenDOT Policy, established in 2010 with three primary objectives: reduce greenhouse gas emissions; promote the healthy transportation options of bicycling, public transit and walking; and support smart growth development.   The Plan references the many innovations already underway at MassDOT including:

• utilizing low emission transit vehicles,
• investing in hybrid light duty vehicles,
• retrofitting tunnel and traffic signal lights with energy efficient LED bulbs,
• issuing electric vehicle license plates,
• reducing mowing along state highways,
• and repaving roadways with warm mix asphalt. 

At the same time, the plan looks to initiate new ideas and aggressive measures to take our sustainability work to the next level. 

The Final GreenDOT Implementation Plan now includes our visionary statewide mode shift goal of tripling the share of travel in Massachusetts by bicycling, transit and walking by 2030.  With this mode shift goal, MassDOT will foster improved quality of life by enhancing our environment and preserving capacity on our highway network. Increased transit, bicycling, and walking options would absorb travel demand that contributes to highway congestion and limits economic growth.  We will also achieve positive public health outcomes by providing more healthy transportation options for all our communities.

To learn more, please view the GreenDOT Implementation Plan.

GreenDOT: Conserving Water

Facing water shortages from town water restrictions and inefficient methods to fill equipment with needed water, an innovative MassDOT foreman at the Upton Facility in Highway Division District 3 built a cistern system to reduce facility water usage from local water supplies by repurposing materials to capture and store rain water.

By using old deicing fluid tanks to store rainwater, the foreman prevented these old materials from becoming waste and found a sustainable and successful solution to a problem impacting the facilities operations. 

The rainwater storage system includes a mechanism to circulate the water to prevent stagnation and pumps to increase the speed operators can fill their equipment.  There are plans to replicate the system at three other facilities.