I-90 Allston Interchange Project
Due to aging infrastructure, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) plans to rebuild and reconfigure the Mass Pike Allston Interchange over the next decade. In addition to addressing critical needs like improving public transit and connecting the neighborhood to the river, this project presents a unique opportunity to increase flood storage and climate resilience, reduce pollution, and restore the ecological integrity of this segment of the river. CRWA serves on the project Task Force and has been advocating for river restoration since 2014 through comment letters, public forums, MassDOT Board hearings, and the press.
Historically, salt marshes and freshwater meadows buffered the Charles River estuary in this area, providing natural flood control by storing excess water volume and filtering out nutrients and pollutants. Today, the area is covered mostly by impervious surfaces. Stormwater drains to a series of outfalls where it discharges into the Charles River, carrying pollution from the land into the river. CRWA is urging MassDOT to employ green infrastructure strategies like constructed wetlands and bioretention systems to treat stormwater runoff, reduce flooding, and improve climate resilience throughout the project area. Learn more.
CRWA is also advocating for creation of a natural “living” shoreline along the river bank. Replacing the deteriorating rip rap bank with a stabilized shoreline made of natural materials (like sand and rock) and planted with native vegetation would restore ecological functions to the river’s edge, enhance biodiversity, reduce flooding, and improve water quality. Learn more.
CRWA has strongly opposed any intrusion into the Charles--such as a road, or fill--during construction or in the final design because of the harm it would cause to the river. The state’s highest-ranking environmental official agrees. In 2020, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides explained in a letter to MassDOT that “any alternative that contains impacts on the Charles River, even temporary, is not only difficult to permit, but should be discounted in favor of alternatives with no temporary or permanent impact.”
There are three designs currently under consideration for the project’s transportation elements in the “throat” area: status quo (continuing with the existing I-90 viaduct); locating all transportation elements at-grade; and placing I-90 at-grade with Soldiers Field Road elevated over I-90 on a smaller viaduct.
While MassDOT has not yet selected a preferred design, the agency announced in Fall 2021 that it is “begin[ning] to focus on advancing” the all at-grade alternative, which was strongly advocated for by the local community. CRWA continues to advocate for traffic lane reduction as a solution that would allow for a project design that has local community support, minimizes adverse impacts on the Charles, and maximizes the benefits of the project in terms of climate resilience, bike and pedestrian access, open space, and more.
HANDOUTs
COMMENTS
- October 29, 2020: CRWA Comment Letter
- February 18, 2020: Oral Comments from Executive Director Emily Norton and General Counsel & Policy Director Heather Miller
- December 12, 2019: CRWA Comment Letter
- November 30, 2018: IRT Comments
- February 9, 2018: DEIR Comments
- December 15, 2014: ENF Comments
PRESS
- August 18, 2020: Getting to yes on the throat
- July 14, 2020: Some would like to see a greener 'throat' in Boston
- July 14, 2020: The Allston Mass. Pike project strikes some critics as too car-centric
- June 29, 2020: I-90 throat options keep coming
- December 19, 2019: Groups slam temporary Charles River bridge
- October 31, 2019: Charles River advocates not on board with Soldier's Field bypass
Medfield State Hospital Settlement
While it was in operation, the Medfield State Hospital dumped its waste on the banks of the Charles, creating a 3-acre site contaminated with asbestos, lead, and other hazardous materials. When the hospital closed, CRWA, along with the Town of Medfield and local residents, advocated for full riverfront and sediment cleanup. CRWA played an instrumental role in negotiations between Medfield and the state that resulted in the largest environmental restoration project in the watershed. In 2015, after years of cleanup, remediation, and ecological restoration, a new riverfront park called the Charles River Gateway opened to the public, providing recreational trails, a canoe launch, and 4.5 million gallons of floodplain storage.
As part of the settlement, the state is required to continue monitoring for potential pollution issues and perform routine maintenance, like mowing grassy areas and removing invasive species. If not properly maintained, stormwater control measures like rain gardens will not function effectively and the ecological integrity of the restored wetlands will be undermined. Unfortunately, over the past several years, the state has fallen behind on its obligations, putting at risk the long-term protection of the river, as well as the safety of people using the park. At the same time, the Town of Medfield, which owns the upland portion of the site where the former hospital buildings are located, has proposed new zoning that would pave the way for redevelopment.
CRWA is committed to the lasting success of this project, which has been touted as a model for future river cleanups. In the fall of 2019, we sent a letter to the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance expressing our concerns about the state’s plan to build a permanent access road near the riverbank, which would further endanger the recently-restored river and wetland ecosystem. We will continue working with the state, town, and local residents to ensure the long-term success of this clean-up effort.
As part of the settlement, the state is required to continue monitoring for potential pollution issues and perform routine maintenance, like mowing grassy areas and removing invasive species. If not properly maintained, stormwater control measures like rain gardens will not function effectively and the ecological integrity of the restored wetlands will be undermined. Unfortunately, over the past several years, the state has fallen behind on its obligations, putting at risk the long-term protection of the river, as well as the safety of people using the park. At the same time, the Town of Medfield, which owns the upland portion of the site where the former hospital buildings are located, has proposed new zoning that would pave the way for redevelopment.
CRWA is committed to the lasting success of this project, which has been touted as a model for future river cleanups. In the fall of 2019, we sent a letter to the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance expressing our concerns about the state’s plan to build a permanent access road near the riverbank, which would further endanger the recently-restored river and wetland ecosystem. We will continue working with the state, town, and local residents to ensure the long-term success of this clean-up effort.