Harvard's plan for a Windom Street bypass road

Last night Harvard presented details about their plans for a new road they expect to build parallel to Windom Street. This road would be the preferred method for drivers using the Mass Pike to get to the planned science center on Western Ave. It also seems likely to be heavily used by construction vehicles as the existing buildings on Western Ave are demolished and the new buildings are built.

Harvard thinks the road should look like
What is wrong with this picture from the Allston point of view?
Harvard owns the trucking yard where the CSX Corporation operates but Harvard is unable or unwilling to negotiate with their tenant to find a way to reshape the property line of the CSX site, so Harvard wants to thread the needle with their new road between the CSX lot and the home at 68 Hopedale Street. Cars and trucks will make more noise as they accelerate and decelerate going in and out of these turns than they would on a straight road.
At the Cambridge Street end of the road, the homes at 6, 8, and 10 Windom will bear the brunt of the traffic on this road. Noise and exhaust fumes await them as the cars and trucks drive past or sit idling waiting at the traffic light. The tight quarters here make it questionable how a 40 or 50 foot truck will be able to turn off Cambridge Street without obstructing traffic.
The red line showing the road is drawn to scale for a 30 foot wide road

Fortunately there are better options
A straight road made possible by an agreement with CSX and re-grading the slope (which is owned by Harvard) on the north side of Cambridge StreetOr a fork from the Mass Pike off-ramp (which is also on land owned by Harvard) that compelely avoids the Cambridge-Windom intersection

Next Harvard Allston Task Force meeting is October 23, 6:30 at the Honan Library

No comments:

Post a Comment