Turnpike Authority Delays Surface Artery Plans

BOSTON-The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority put off the process of finding designers for the surface artery here–the 300 acres of land created in this city when the Big Dig puts the highway underground. An official with the project tells GlobeSt.com that the ongoing uncertainty at the agency is the reason for the delay.

“Given the continuing uncertainty about the board,” the Turnpike Authority thought it was best to “wait before proceeding down this fairly important road,” Fred Yalouris, director of architecture and urban design for the Central Artery Project, tells GlobeSt.com. Muddying the waters is an ongoing battle between Governor Jane Swift and two board members at the Authority over retaining their positions. But the controversy over how this piece of valuable real estate would be designed–most specifically the seven acres that run through the heart of the city here–clearly plays a role in the decision to delay the process. “We want to make sure everyone is on the same page,” says Sean O’Neill, spokesperson for the Big Dig. The delay in getting out the request for proposals for the surface artery project does have the potential to impact the budget on the project but notes Yalouris, “we are not there yet.”

The process of designing this swath of land has been going on for the past 15 years. Last year, a master-planning process that resulted in a conceptual design for the parcel was developed with input from community groups, state and city agencies, environmental groups, business owners and property owners in the area. But it is with the plan for the seven acres that interested parties here are finding difficulty agreeing. Those seven acres include two parcels in the North end of the city, five parcels in the Wharf district and one parcel in Chinatown. The parcels in the North end and Chinatown have been designated as neighborhood parks but the four and a half acres in the Wharf district, which are supposed to be used as civic space, have become the focus of controversy as different interest groups vie to define what exactly that means.