A Step in the Right Direction
To the Editor,
Marty Coughlin stood up for the creation of a bypass road to reduce truck traffic from Chelsea impacting our community because it was destroying Day Square and intensifying the negative impacts from Logan Airport on our neighborhood. Massport and MassDOT heard him and others and funded the creation of what became known as the Coughlin Bypass on an old abandoned rail right of way. That was 15 years ago.
But the traffic woes in East Boston have continued and the impacts have strangled residents’ attempts to navigate their own community. Route 1A remains a vital corridor for the neighborhood and the region. While trucks from Chelsea have a route that takes them substantially out of the neighborhood, the far greater intensity of trucks from points north are provided no such alternative. Creative solutions to Route 1A’s problems of congestion need to be considered seriously and without delay.
The Marty Coughlin Bypass should stand as an example of an obvious one. The answer is found by building the suggested Coughlin Bypass extension on the very same abandoned rail right of way that extends all the way up to Revere parallel to Route 1A along Chelsea Creek. The long-abandoned railway bed lends itself perfectly to becoming an important conduit for removing truck traffic and buses from 1A and sending it directly to the airport, thereby alleviating some of the stress that neighbors experience on the highway and along local streets. This abandoned state property also provides the opportunity to create waterfront access and climate resiliency as part of the Coughlin Bypass extension, thereby addressing three major issues: traffic, climate change and open space.
Concerned residents have formed a committee to advocate that MassDOT embrace this concept and that the elected delegation for East Boston work together to ensure that the city and state bring the Haul Road to fruition. MassDOT has been conducting a study of the problems of Route 1A and how to use this remaining abandoned rail property. The findings have not been made public. We are hopeful those findings will support the obvious. We are hopeful our elected officials will see the obvious. It’s not that creative or even new. Marty Coughlin and his friends saw it long before. Let’s help bring their vision to fruition.
We are certain this won’t solve all the traffic problems. However, it is a step in the right direction. We applaud the grassroots efforts and we wholeheartedly support their much needed vision.
Mary Berninger