Concerned About the Lack of Clarity and Plans
To Whom it May Concern:
On Monday evening, May 8, MassDot presented to the Jeffries Point Neighborhood Association regarding the upcoming Sumner Tunnel closure. Minutes from this meeting, and the video are posted on our website at www.jeffriespoint.org. We encourage you to review them, the MassDot presentation starts at the 41-minute mark.
After this meeting the JPNA, and the organizations and individuals listed below remain extremely concerned about the lack of clarity and plans. In particular, the lack of care for the health and welfare of East Boston residents.
We believe this will have an outsized negative impact on the East Boston Community.
The focus of MassDot seems to be on moving traffic in and out of the airport, not on ensuring that local residents have access to healthcare and their jobs.
What are we asking for:
A. Reduce the number of people using the Ted Williams tunnel by:
1) Making the MBTA Blue Line free for the length of the shutdown
2) Doubling the number of ferries, so they run every 15 minutes instead of 30 minutes
3) Extending the ferry schedule to 11PM for the weeks that the blue line will shutdown from 6PM to 11PM. This allows people from the Aquarium to connect to the 114,116 and 117 local buses at Maverick Square
4) Running an all-day schedule for the ferry, eliminating the 2-3 hour “lunch break”.
5) Posting accurate, matching signage on the ferry dock and website.
6) Increasing the NONRESIDENT toll cost in the Ted Williams tunnel. An increase to $5 could be used to fund a free T, and encourage residents onto public transportation.
7) Providing parking/transit for airport workers in South Boston. Logan Airport employs 16,000 people. Massport owns a number of surface lots in South Boston. For employees coming from the south, providing parking and shuttle service from these lots would eliminate thousands of trips PER DAY through the Williams Tunnel.
B. Create and implement an incident response emergency plan (IREP) that IS COMPLETE and includes:
1) Guaranteed airflight emergency access when needed
2) Upgrades to the EBNHC Emergency room for next summer, reducing the need for emergency transfers during the next major tunnel shutdown
3) Available State Police escorts for ambulances that need to transfer to downtown
C. Reduce the impact on local residents:
1) Removal of the weekend lane closure in the Ted Williams tunnel, which prioritizes the exiting of traffic from the airport effectively “flushing out” cars and backs up local traffic for residents.
2) Ensure East Boston residents can exit Route 1A North on local exits, specifically Bremen Street Exit
3) Allow residents to access the airport through the Maverick Street Gate, allowing direct access to the Ted Williams.
4) Coordinate Schedules to avoid amplifying the effect of the shutdown. Remove the overlap with the lane closures on the Tobin Bridge. These began the week of May 1st and will continue for three months. Can this be re-scheduled or removed?
We, the undersigned, are East Boston residents and neighborhood associations and ask for the assistance of our elected officials and State Departments to both complete and implement comprehensive planning before the scheduled closure of the Sumner Tunnel in July and August 2023.
Many of the items we ask for can dramatically improve the quality of life for not only our residents, but the surrounding community and greater Boston.
Please let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to continuing to work with all of you.
Best,
The Jeffries Point Neighborhood
Association Board (JPNA)
Orient Heights Neighborhood
Association (OHNA)
Harborview
Neighborhood
Association (HNA)
Gove Street Citizens Association (GSCA)
Maverick Central Neighborhood
Association (MCNA) Eagle Hill Civic Association (EHCA)