By Dan Murphy
The city held its first public meeting at the West End Museum on Tuesday, June 28, to discuss the “North Station Area Mobility Action Plan,” which aims to improve transportation accessibility near the MBTA station.
The study area, bound by Cambridge Street on the south, New Sudbury and North Washington streets on the east and the Charles River on north and west, includes areas adjacent to the station, including the Bulfinch Triangle, the TD Bank Garden, Charles River Park, the Brook Courthouse, Nashua Street and Massachusetts General Hospital.
“Lots of development in the area was the impetus for the action plan,” said Josh Weiland, senior transportation planner for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, which will spearhead the plan in conjunction with the Boston Transportation Department and other city agencies.
Weiland said the plan would develop improvements for all modes of transportation before prioritizing and implementing up to three projects based on “vision, feasibility and cost.”
The centerpiece of the plan is an online “wikimap,” which can be accessed at bit.ly/nsamap2016 and allows users to highlight an issue or note a missing connection in the study area, according to the BRA Web site.
Meanwhile, the city hopes to identify goals and visions for the plan in July and August before using public feedback to develop and analyze potential improvements. A Draft Action Plan for public comment is then expected in January of 2017, with the Final Action Plan set for release the following month.
All questions and comments on the Action Plan can be directed to Josh Weiland of the BRA at 617-918-4431 or via e-mail at [email protected].