Mayor Raps Diversion of Tunnel Traffic

The Boston Globe

December 17, 2005 Saturday
THIRD EDITION

SECTION: METRO/REGION; Pg. B1

LENGTH: 424 words

HEADLINE: MAYOR RAPS DIVERSION OF TUNNEL TRAFFIC

BYLINE: BY STEPHANIE EBBERT, GLOBE STAFF

BODY:

Mayor Thomas M. Menino raised objections yesterday to the idea of diverting motorists onto the Charles River Esplanade when the Storrow Drive Tunnel is being reconstructed by the state, and he questioned the state's ability to handle such a project efficiently.

"I have no confidence in them getting the thing done," Menino said.

The mayor pointed to the state's reconstruction of Boston's Cambridge Street, an ongoing project that has snarled traffic and marred the streetscape for more than three years. "Where's the oversight? Who's going to make sure it's done on time?" he asked.

Yesterday, the Globe reported that the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which manages Storrow Drive, is weighing options for renovating the 1,300-foot tunnel that takes the eastbound lanes below ground between Back Bay and Beacon Hill.

Built in 1953, the tunnel is deteriorating and needs major work. But the job will cause traffic nightmares on a stretch of road that carries 50,000 vehicles a day and that is already heavily congested at peak times.

A consultant has told DCR officials that the fastest way to get the tunnel rebuilt would involve rerouting traffic onto the Esplanade, a popular recreational area. Other options would detour traffic through the streets of Back Bay and Beacon Hill. A DCR spokesman said that the consultant's report was not finished and that he expected the Esplanade alternative to face opposition.

Menino frowned on the idea yesterday and spoke of the need to protect the heavily used parkland.

"I'm very concerned about a project of that magnitude and how it will affect the Esplanade," the mayor said. "What's the plan to put it back in the shape it was today? What's the overall plan?"

He questioned whether the state would have the money to restore the green space to its current state after reconstruction of the tunnel is complete.

"I'm concerned that they would use the Esplanade and say, `We haven't got any money to restore it,' " Menino said.

Other advocates for parks and the environment expressed a reluctant willingness to entertain the idea, acknowledging the difficulty the state will face in rerouting traffic and the need to replace the tunnel.

James W. Hunt, the city's chief of environment and energy, said he received a call from DCR Commissioner Stephen H. Burrington on Thursday night. The two also discussed the issue at a meeting yesterday and agreed to convene their staffs for a discussion. "It's a very early stage," Hunt said. "We stressed that there needs to be a robust community process."

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