LETTER: Councilor Concerned About Impact of Proposed Closing of Little Greenough Blvd.

NOTE: The original letter by Councilor Angeline Kounelis was sent to State Sen. Will Brownsberger when a petition was circulated in August calling for the closing of Greenough Boulevard between North Beacon and Arsenal streets. The Town Council is considering whether to ask the Department of Conservation and Recreation do a pilot program closing “Little Greenough” on weekends this spring, summer and fall. Will,

Many thanks for taking the time to share the petition, addressed to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), that is being circulated to permanently close “Little Greenough Blvd.” to vehicular traffic. I was not aware of the petition. 

Open green space and recreation are the ideals that all communities strive to encourage and implement.

Draft of Bike & Ped Plan to be Discussed at Public Meeting; New Path Behind Library

The draft of Watertown’s new Bike and Pedestrian Plan will be discussed at a public meeting in December, and the Town has a new section of the Community Path near the Watertown Library. Watertown Transportation Planner Laura Wiener sent out the following information:

New Bike and Ped Plan will Pave the Way for more Biking and Walking.  

Public Meeting December 7. The Town is undertaking a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, to show the way toward roads and sidewalks that welcome bikers and pedestrians, along with cars. Partnering in this endeavor are the Town Council, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, the Department of Community Development and Planning, Public Works Department, and McMahon and Associates.  This effort has been ongoing for about a year.There will be a public meeting to review the Draft Plan, on Monday evening December 7, 2020, at 7:00PM via Zoom. The meeting is hosted by the Town Council Committees on Economic Development and Planning and Public Works. The consultant, McMahon and Associates, will present the draft plan and its recommendations, and then take questions and comments from Council members and the public.The Draft Plan, and other information is available on the Town website, HERE.  Click on the Flyer link for a link to the presentation and the Zoom meeting.Bike Ped Plan Project Goals

Increase opportunities for bicycling and walking, and thereby reduce the number of vehicle trips in Watertown.Increase safety and access for bicyclists and pedestrians, to promote biking and walking.Create a road map for future improvements to the Bicycle and Pedestrian network. 

Quick Build Community Path Extension in Watertown Square

Have you noticed some changes behind Town Hall and the Library?  The Town received funding from a MassDOT program called Shared Streets/Shared Spaces, to fund quick-build projects that support Covid-friendly outdoor activities.

MBTA Proposed Service Changes Could Impact Some Watertown Routes

An MBTA bus in Watertown. With ridership significantly down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MBTA has proposed a series of changes to the system, including altering and consolidating bus routes, and reducing hours of service on subways and the Commuter Rail. The plan has been dubbed Forging Ahead by the MBTA. The T will host a series of online meetings where the changes will be discussed from mid-November to early December. The MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board will vote on the changes on Dec.

Parking Plan with High-Tech Meters, Pay by Card & Phone Approved

Watertown’s current parking meters will be replaced with “smart” meters that offer a range of payment options. Watertown’s parking lots will be getting new meters which allow for paying by credit card and with cell phone apps in the parking plan approved by the Town Council on Tuesday night. The Parking Management Plan was the result of studies that go back to the fall of 2018. It included studies of how parking is used in Watertown, public meetings and surveys and presentations to the Council’s Joint Committees on Public Works and Economic Development & Planning. Other parts of the plan look at pricing of meters and who sets them, way-finding signage for the municipal lots, looking at finding private lots for the Town to partner with, and even creation of a pedestrian path through the lot near the Watertown Library.

Bluebikes Opens New Station at Arsenal Yards, Officials Say Bike Share Has Had a Good Start

The recently installed BlueBike station outside Arsenal Yards. Bikeshare company Lyft Bluebikes opened its latest docking station at Arsenal Yards with some fanfare last week. It is the fourth in Watertown with three more planned, and Town officials say they have already drawn a lot of interest. The first Bluebike station in Watertown opened in August, as part of a five community expansion, which also included Newton and Arlington. Three of the Town’s stations in are on public land, but four will be located on private property, said Laura Wiener, Watertown’s Transportation Planner.

MassDOT Seeks Input on Redevelopment of Railroad, Mass. Pike in Allston

The following information was provided by MassDOT:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing that an information matrix is now posted online that compares available information about key aspects of the alternatives under consideration for the “throat” area of the Allston Multimodal Project: https://www.mass.gov/doc/allston-multimodal-project-summary-analysis-of-throat-area-options-within-the-3l-re-alignment/download. The purpose of the Matrix is to provide additional information to help inform public and agency input on the choice of a Preferred Alternative by MassDOT from among the three Throat Options. This Matrix, which represents MassDOT’s working assumptions on various impacts of the throat options, is a draft by MassDOT and is subject to change after consideration by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Cooperating Agencies. 

The “throat” is the area of the Charles River waterfront where I-90, Soldiers Field Road, freight train tracks, the Paul Dudley White pedestrian and bicycle path, and two commuter rail tracks squeeze through a choke point which is 204 feet wide and is the narrowest section of the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project. MassDOT has opened a round of public engagement and is accepting feedback on how the three throat options compare against both the project purpose and need and the selection criteria.  MassDOT will host a public information meeting on Tuesday, October 20, at 6:30 p.m.  Community members may join the meeting by going to the following link: https://virtualmeeting.link/I90AllstonMultimodal.  The public may also join the meeting by phone: 877-853-5257 (toll free), Webinar ID: 965 1293 2141, Passcode: 710477.  The MassDOT project team will present the new alternative analysis matrix to the public at this meeting and will be available to answer questions. Public comment is being taken until the end of the day on October 30 and can be sent to: I-90Allston@state.ma.us.