Final Casey Overpass Design Hearing on July 11

Written by Bret Silverberg

The general public will have one more chance to hear updates and weigh in on the Casey Arborway project that will impact multiples Boston neighborhoods.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials will host the Casey Arborway 75 percent design phase hearing July 11 at English High School from 6 to 9 p.m.

Michael Trepanier, senior environmental planner for MassDOT Highway Division, offered via email the following details about the content of the upcoming meeting:

We have significantly advanced the landscape and open space design for the project. In addition, we have initiated design on the new headhouse located in the Southwest Corridor Plaza area and will be presenting that to the public. We are planning holding the meeting in an open house format. The meeting will begin with a overview presentation of the state of the design, what has evolved since the 25% stage, and the final steps to completing project development. After that, we will break to allow for a one-on-one interaction with the project team at variously themed booths or tables.

Trepanier added that this is the last major public meeting on the project, though DOT is anticipating an ongoing Design Advisory Group process, whose meetings are also open to the public.

The Casey Arborway project involves the demolition of the Casey Overpass in Forest Hills, which will be replaced by an at-grade network of roads in 2014. Some in Jamaica Plain have opposed this solution and instead favor the building of another bridge. 

The overpass road continues to Route 203 or Franklin Park, which allows access to Mattapan, Roxbury, Quincy, and other surrounding areas. Forest Hills station serves as the hub for public transportation on the Parkway side for Roslindale, Hyde Park, and West Roxbury.