Around Whose Collar?
by Arshag A. Mazmanian
Urban Ring has such a nice ring to it, bringing to mind Route 128’s circumferential highway that contributed so much to the “Massachusetts Miracle.” The Urban Ring is expected to bring about a similar economic miracle in a circular fashion along its corridor surrounding downtown Boston, the center of Massachusetts’ universe.
But after much more than a decade, the Urban Ring may be losing its oomph, its élan, its panache. Remember how the BIG DIG was a source of pride in Greater Boston, a humongous transportation project funded generously with federal funds? Now, with the BIG DIG complete, its costs rising from the original $2.6 billion estimate to close to $15 billion, its post construction ceiling tiles and flooding problems and ongoing efforts to sue contractors, the BIG DIG is no longer a matter of great pride. Its cost overrides have served to arm Congress to significantly reduce support for transportation problems nationally.
The BIG DIG Legacy.
The BIG DIG has served as an embarrassment to Boston and Massachusetts as a political boondoggle that Congress will not forget.
Granted, we have the attractive Zakim Bridge crossing the Charles River in place of the crazy Scheme Z to the north of the BIG DIG. But its long ramp connections with the complex highway system navigated there can be pretty scary. The southerly end connecting with the Southeast Expressway and other portions of the highway system is a maze of concrete that is not so attractive, and is confusing. I wonder if years from now engineers looking back might think it was a tad overdone.
Granted the North End now has more open space and less construction dust with the demise of the Central Artery. But this took many, many, some would say too many, years to accomplish, negatively impacting residents and businesses in the area more than any other neighborhood. Mitigation steps during construction seemed to favor downtown Boston businesses to the detriment of North Enders. Sure, the pyramids in Egypt look great; but consider the impact upon the slave labor building them.
The Urban Ring Phase 2 60-foot articulating BRTs (Bus Rapid Transit, an oxymoron) in mostly mixed traffic proposed along its routes is not yet off the ground. It has changed from a ring to a wavering “Q” in shape with the addition of a westerly tail to accommodate dear old Harvard’s soon to be developed Allston campus.
MASCO, the planning arm of the Longwood Medical Area (“LMA”), apparently supports Phase 2 ONLY if tunneled under the LMA. There remains the matter of the Charles River crossing to be resolved. Current cost estimates for Alternatives 3 and 4, each involving extensive tunneling, each look like they will exceed the BIG DIG’s original estimate of $2.6 billion. If these estimates are no better than in the case of the BIG DIG, watch out!
Keep in mind that because of the BIG DIG embarrassment, Congress will not bail out the project, meaning that the Commonwealth will have to come up with very big bucks, which it may not have.
An Urban Crescent?
Perhaps the project should be renamed the “Urban Crescent” and redesigned to accommodate the needs of Harvard, MIT, BU, the LMA and other institutions. Surely the Urban Ring’s panache is in decline even before construction begins, perhaps to suffer the infamy of the BIG DIG or the oblivion (but for reruns) of Seinfeld’s “Urban Sombrero.”
Ned Codd, Manager of Plan Development for the Executive Office of Transportation (“EOT”), recently informed members of the Citizens [primarily institutions] Advisory Committee (“CAC”) that EOT’s Sec’y. Cohen is planning to file a Notice of Project Change for a delay of 6-months for filing its DEIR/DEIS to obtain more accurate demographic assumptions to support adequate ridership projections. In addition, Codd states that “an extension would provide an opportunity for expanded public involvement in the alternatives analysis and evaluation process.”
A Lack of Public Participation.
Despite the fact that the Urban Ring concept has been around for much more than a decade, there has been very little truly public participation. Perhaps EOT (as did its predecessor MBTA project proponent) has relied upon the symbolism of the Urban Ring to sell this project. But as some public persons have become involved, disclosing many concerns with the project, now, finally, the EOT says it want to reach out.
But just how does it plan to do so effectively? Pretty PowerPoint presentations in bright colors won’t do it. What EOT needs to provide the public is a narrative, a story that the public can understand on the ground rather than on a screen.
The media have not addressed the project seriously, merely parroting the colorful brochures provided by EOT. Occasionally an item may appear in the Boston Globe or Boston Herald; but what comes through loud and clear is that the reporters are not clear on the Urban Ring concept, serving merely as stenographers.
The routes of the 60-foot BRTs along the Urban Ring will be much more extensive than the BIG DIG. Mixed traffic portions of these routes may result in traffic nightmares on occasion, perhaps many occasions.
People who reside near the proposed Phase 2 routes should take the time to ride the Silver Line BRTs on Roxbury and the South End’s Washington Street to get an idea of how the BRT system functions in mixed traffic, especially during commuting hours; and contrast this with the tunnel portion of Phase 2 of the Silver Line. People can then evaluate how the BRT system may function in Urban Ring Phase 2 routes in their neighborhoods with existing traffic problems.
Perhaps the project proponents should doff their Urban Sombreros and put on serious thinking caps to consider whether the Urban Ring Phase 2 should be filed alongside the Inner Belt, and skipping to the Urban Ring Phase 3 with its light/heavy rail. Else the Urban Ring may be around the collar of Gov. Patrick’s Administration.
