Help Hold The City Of Boston Accountable For The Northern Ave Bridge

Written by Boston Biker on May 13

From Livable Streets:

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A year ago, the City of Boston invited stakeholders and the public to help “re-envision a community connection” for the Northern Ave Bridge.

Despite majority public support for preserving the iconic structure as a people-centered bridge for walking and biking, none of the four designs currently on the table align with this vision.

These designs ignore not only current public input, but more than two decades of community advocacy around preservation of the bridge.

It’s clear that this has not been a fair and transparent process for determining the future of our public space.

As members of the Northern Ave Bridge Mayoral Task Force, LivableStreets, Boston Preservation Alliance, and other stakeholders have attempted to address these concerns and have been largely ignored, leading me to write this letter to Mayor Walsh. We have yet to receive a response as the City moves ahead with plans to present the final design at the next Task Force meeting on May 23.

Can you help us hold the City and its leaders accountable for a fully transparent process around the Northern Avenue Bridge?

Contact Mayor Walsh and the City Council members listed below before May 23and ask them to:

• Formally and publicly recommit to a neutral and transparent process that prioritizes the community.
• Commit to presenting for consideration a design and analysis of a bridge that is open only to pedestrians, bicycles, and emergency vehicles.
• Commit to working with the historic preservation community to follow required local, state, and federal reviews to demonstrate why a new bridge is the only viable alternative. The new bridge should reflect the spirit of this iconic structure and the historic context of Fort Point Channel.

If the City is going to invest at least $46 million in a new bridge, it would be immensely flawed not to incorporate public input, ongoing development, and established goals from Go Boston 2030. By its nature, the Northern Ave Bridge represents an opportunity for placemaking at its best, and your advocacy is needed now more than ever to help preserve this unique community asset.

For additional background on the Northern Avenue Bridge project, visit our website.

Thank you for taking action!

Tags: City of Boston, northern ave bridge, Take Action
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