Neighborhood Council Clarifies: Rutherford Ave Project Not Up for Vote

Back in May, when Congressman , many residents were left with the impression that there was still a chance to change the project it, halt it or at least slow things down long enough to get some questions answered.

That sentiment was echoed again a few weeks back, when to a public meeting on the project. In a sometimes-heated exchange, residents opposed to the resurfacing of Rutherford Avenue -- and those uncertain about it -- called for more data, more time and more of a voice in the process.

And that same sentiment was discussed by members of the Neighborhood Council at their November meeting, which was held last week. As far as some council members are concerned, the plans for the Rutherford Avenue/Sullivan Square project have been approved by the community and should be on their way to being implemented. The plan is not up for discussion. 

"The purpose [of the meeting] was not to reopen the debate about surface option. .. It was for anyone who had not yet hard about was to come and learn. The point of the meeting was to give you the information," said council member Mark Rosenshein.

"This an educational process, this is not a new vote," he said.

The Rutherford Avenue redesign would turn the Sullivan Square rotary into a grid by adding and extending streets and installing more traffic lights. The proposed design would alleviate traffic jams by allowing drivers to take alternate routes, city officials have said. The plan would also remove the underpasses at Rutherford Avenue and Austin Street. 

At the October meeting on the project, about 150 people crowded into the basement at the Knights of Columbus -- many of them spoke passionately both for and against the project. The scene at the Capuano meeting in May was much the same.

Dozens of people who turned out for the Capuano meeting said it was the first they'd heard of the project. But the Neighborhood Council, in conjunction with the city, had already hosted eight public meetings over an 18-month period to discuss the Rutherford Avenue redesign. The surface option was favored by a consensus in those meetings, and has been endorsed by a majority of the Charlestown Neighborhood Council.

From the city's perspective, officials have done their due diligence, received community support for the redesign plan and the transportation department is ready to secure funding for the next phase of the project. 

One common refrain from opponents is that the city is using data from 2008 to approximate the impact the project will have on traffic. But as Neighborhood Council members noted last week, there is no funding available to update those traffic studies with current data.  

"We are not going to have 2012 or 2011 data until they can go out there and count cars again and they don't have the budget for that," Rosenshein said.

Some council members expressed concern that the work they did over those eight community meetings might be for naught if opponents to the project have their way. 

"We need to get beyond rehashing the same basic principle," council member Judy Brennan said. "

Council member Bill Galvin has been a vocal opponent of the resurfacing plan throughout the process. During last week's discussion, he reiterated that he has questions about the city's proposal and concerns about the impact it will have on local traffic. 

"I have an engineering degree, I'm a numbers guy," Galvin said. "Those plans are extremely difficult to follow and understand."

City officials have offered to answer any questions about the project. They've posted the presentation from at the Oct. 18 meeting on the Transportation Department web site. Other data and presentations on the project are also available at www.cityofboston.gov/transportation/rutherford.