[SPEAKER_05]: website listed on the link below on this slide. You can also retrieve that handout by scanning the QR code on the screen. Before getting into the project details, we have a couple of housekeeping slides to share with you. Therefore, I would now like to introduce our producers, Joseph Yu and Christopher Clem.
[Unidentified]: Thank you, Linda.
[SPEAKER_09]: Chris's Zoom just crashed, but we can move on. Before we get into the contents of the presentation, I'd like to just quickly go over some Zoom controls that you'll be utilizing throughout this hearing. You have several ways to ask a question. To utilize the Q&A box, you can press on the Q&A icon and ask a question or share your comments there. You can also press the raised hand function and that will prompt us to unmute you and give you a chance to verbalize any questions or comments you have. You can also press star nine for, people who are dialing in, or you can press Alt Y to also raise your hand as well. If you're unable to access the internet or are having any technical problems, please call into the meeting at the number shown on the screen with the webinar ID shown on the screen as well. Closed captioning has automatically been generated by Zoom, and you can toggle closed captioning on and off by clicking on the CC icon. If you have any trouble with the meeting technology during the presentation, please call the 1-88 number shown on the right hand of the screen. While this virtual public hearing is not being recorded, MassDOT may choose to retain and distribute The images, audio, and the Q&A transcript from this hearing. All parts of this hearing are considered a public record, and if you are not comfortable with being recorded, please refrain from utilizing the Q&A feature, or you may choose to excuse yourself from the hearing entirely. Information from this hearing will be posted on the Mass.gov website. Some other important notes, your microphone and webcam are automatically disabled upon entering the hearing. This hearing will be open to questions and answers at the end of the presentation. There is a survey at the end of this meeting. Please take some time to respond to our survey. Your feedback is very important to the Department of Transportation. On this slide, you can see the notice of MassDOT's policy on diversity and civil rights. All MassDOT activities, including public meetings, are free of discrimination. MassDOT complies with all federal and state civil rights requirements, preventing discrimination based on sex, race, color, ancestry, national origin. religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression, or veteran status. We welcome the diversity from across our entire service area. If you have any questions or concerns, please visit our website to reach the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights. Thank you for joining our meeting, and we appreciate your participation. Back to you, Linda.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you, Joe. Again, my name is Linda Walsh, and I am the MassDOT project manager for this project. I'm also joined by several panelists to help with this evening's presentation that I would like to introduce. We have Daniel Flory from our District 4 office in Arlington. We also have Angela Schofield from our right-of-way bureau. And we have our producers, Joe Yu and Christopher Clem, who will be producing this evening's hearing. We also have Amber Christopherson from the Trails and Greenway Program at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, along with Alicia Hunt and Tim McGivern from the City of Medford. Both DCR and the City of Medford are partners with MassDOT on this project. Most of tonight's presentation will be presented to you by Niche Engineering. the design firm hired by the city of Medford. John Michalak is a lead project manager from Niche Engineering, and he will be presenting with me this evening. Last of all, we have David Frazier from Arlington Typing and Mailing, who will be the stenographer, taking a verbatim transcript of this evening's hearing. Throughout the design of this project, the project team listed on this slide will work closely to fulfill all of the requirements needed to advertise and construct this project. Tonight's virtual design public hearing was advertised in several ways. The design public hearing has been advertised in two local newspapers, the Transcript and the Journal and the Everett Independent. Notification of this virtual design public hearing was also posted on MassDOT's and the City of Medford's websites, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. This hearing notice has also been sent to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, known as MAPC, the Medford Council on Aging, the Partners for Youth with Disabilities, the Welcome Project, the Center for Citizens and Social Responsibility, and WAC Medford. The hearing notice has also been sent to the Mystic River Watershed Association, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Somerville Bicycle Safety, the Friends of the Mystic to Charles, Our Revolution Medford, the Environmental Business Council, the Friends of the Malden River, and the Gentle Giant Rowing Club. I want to give a special thanks to the Mystic River Watershed Association and the Gaming Commission for being active partners in this project as well. For tonight's presentation, we will begin with a project overview. Explore existing conditions, discuss project goals, and the proposed design. Impacts to the environment, right-of-way impacts, and the next steps before we open the hearing to questions and answers and feedback from the public. It is normal practice to ask elected officials to speak first and then open the hearing to the general public. That will be your opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback, or look for clarification on any of the presentation materials. Your feedback is important to us, and we certainly encourage and appreciate your participation. I am now going to turn the presentation over to John Michalak from Niche Engineering.
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: Thank you, Linda. I'm John Michalak, the project manager for this project with Niche Engineering. As Linda mentioned, Niche Engineering has been retained by the City of Medford to perform engineering design for the proposed shared-use path connection and timber boardwalk to provide a safe and accessible connection between McDonald Park on the north side of Route 28 and Station Landing located to the south. I would first like to provide a history of the project and how we got to this point in the project design process. The City of Medford received a Massachusetts Gaming Commission Transportation Planning Grant to initiate the design of the proposed project in July of 2019. In March of 2020, the City of Medford initiated the design process with Niche Engineering as their design consultant. Niche Engineering prepared a preliminary design and submitted plans to the DCR and the City of Medford for review in September of 2020. The project was approved by the Project Review Committee in January of 2021, which made the project eligible for Transportation Improvement Program funding. Niche Engineering prepared 25% design plans and submitted plans to MassDOT for review in February of 2022. The project was initiated by the City of Medford, with assistance from the Mystic River Watershed Association and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to provide a safe and accessible connection between existing paths on the north and south sides of Route 28. The proposed connection had been previously identified on several regional plans. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council Regional Greenway Network, the Mystic Greenways Initiative by the Mystic River Watershed Association, and the 2009 Mystic River Master Plan created by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Project stakeholders have identified several objectives that we want to accomplish through the development of this important project. The following goals have been established for the project. Improve bicycle and pedestrian safety, provide a safer connection between McDonald Park to station landing, minimize environmental impacts, create an accessible shared-use path connection, and connect the shared-use path to the new bike lanes recently installed along Route 28. During the early stages of the design process, several alternatives were considered and presented to the project stakeholders. Alternatives were developed to review various path alignments in order to evaluate impacts to existing trees and vegetation along the Mystic River and determine potential increases to impervious area that would be created through the construction of new asphalt path connections. Through close coordination with the various project stakeholders, a preferred alternative was determined to be advanced to the 25% design level. The preferred alternative was selected to provide path connections for pedestrians and bicyclists to McDonald Park, Station Landing, the new bike lanes on Route 28, and existing sidewalks. A new timber boardwalk is proposed to connect points north and south beneath the existing Fellsway Route 28 bridge over the Mystic River. It was also determined that there's a desire to provide two overlooks along the new boardwalk, one looking south along the river and the other looking to the north. The sketch presented shows the preferred circulation plan. The orange lines represent the new shared use path alignment designed to accommodate both bicycles and pedestrians. The blue lines show proposed connections for pedestrians to McDonald Park and the sidewalks along the Mystic River Bridge and Route 28. Red lines identify the proposed bicycle connections to and from the new bike lanes along 28 and the shared use path connections. The design has progressed from the conceptual design phase where the preferred alternative was selected and the preliminary design has advanced to the plans that we are sharing this evening. The project design is currently at the 25% design level. Several tasks have been completed in order to get to an approved 25% design. Niche engineering began the design process by conducting on-the-ground topographic survey of the project area. Once the project concepts were evaluated and a preferred alignment selected, niche engineering conducted soil borings along the shore and in the river in order to design the structural elements of the timber boardwalk. We also coordinated with the various public and private utility companies to develop a design that minimizes impacts to adjacent utilities. We conducted a permitting analysis to identify environmental permits that will be required to construct the project. All of these elements were incorporated in the development of the 25% design plans that were submitted to MassDOT. The new shared-use path connection is designed to accommodate both bicycles and pedestrians and is proposed to be 12 feet wide with grassed shoulders on each side. One-way bicycle connections to and from the new bike lanes on Route 28 will be six feet wide and pedestrian paths connecting to existing sidewalks will be a minimum of six feet wide and will transition to meet existing sidewalk widths. The proposed timber boardwalk is designed to mimic the existing boardwalk on the south side of the river in Somerville, and will provide a 12-foot clear width between timber railings on each side. The timber boardwalk will be supported on structural helical piles, which are installed into the riverbed, which eliminates the need for excavation within the river. Path lighting is proposed along the new boardwalk and shared-use path connections. This plan shows the proposed project area and path alignment as submitted on the 25% design plans. The timber boardwalk is shown in brown and new path connections in gray. The dark green shows the areas that will be reseeded during construction and the light green represents existing grassed areas that will be maintained. Now I'll turn it back to Linda.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you, John. I am now going to turn the presentation over to Angela Schofield from our right-of-way bureau to discuss the procedures that will be used in securing the necessary right-of-way for this project.
[SPEAKER_08]: Thank you, Linda. When the Commonwealth acting through its Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division indicated it would accept this $4.7 million project for funding, the city of Medford and the Department of Conservation and Recreation accepted certain responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is acquiring the necessary rights and private and public lands for the design, construction, and implementation of this project. My function is to review and recommend procedures that the city of Medford and or DCR will use in acquiring these rights. The procedures used must comply with both federal and state regulations. Affected property owners' rights are protected under our Massachusetts general laws, primarily Chapter 79. And because this project is receiving federal funds, the property owners' rights are further defined under Title III of the Real Property Act of 1970 as amended. At this time, the only needed right-of-way parcels are owned by DCR. DCR will be issuing permits, license, and other agreements as needed for the protection of the federal investment. As the design progresses, if other property owners are impacted by this project, they will be contacted by the City of Medford's municipal officials. They will present the proposed impacts to each owner and discuss the methods with which they may acquire the needed rights for the project. Frequently, municipalities will appeal for donations to minimize the acquisition costs for your community. However, donations are not required, and property owners are entitled to appraisal, review appraisal, and just compensation. Right-of-way documents will be provided to each owner to help them understand the acquisition process and how the project affects their property. I will be available after the presentation to answer any questions you may have regarding the right-of-way acquisition. I will now turn the presentation back to John from Niche Engineering.
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: Thank you, Angela. As I previously mentioned, during the development of the 25% design, Niche Engineering identified several environmental permits that will be required to be filed in order to construct the project. The proposed project is within one mile of an environmental justice community and will require filing of an expanded environmental notification form with MEPA, the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act. The work will also require filing with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. As required by the Wetlands Protection Act and City of Medford's Wetlands Ordinance, we will submit a notice of intent to the Medford Conservation Commission and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. We will also prepare and submit a Chapter 91 water-dependent license to the Department of Environmental Protection. Since the proposed construction will occur on land owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, a construction access permit is required. Proposed construction will occur primarily on the land adjacent to Route 28 and within the Mystic River. Therefore, no roadway closures are proposed during construction. The proposed work zone is highlighted in red on this plan. Temporary traffic construction signs will be installed along Route 28 and temporary shoulder or temporary lane impacts may be required in order to construct new ramps and sidewalks along the roadway. The proposed construction will require the temporary closure of sidewalks and paths in order to construct the project. Advanced construction signs will be installed to alert pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles about temporary impacts and sidewalk closures. Once the project is complete, the new paths and timber boardwalk will provide a safe and accessible connection that will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to travel between the north side and the south side of Route 28 without needing to use the signalized crossing at President's Landing. I will now turn the presentation back over to Linda.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you, John, and thank you, Angela. The next steps will be to address comments that are received at this hearing, and any written comments that are received within 10 calendar days of the hearing will be made part of the public record. The project will then move on to the 75% design stage on or around spring of 2023. Following the advancement of the design in the spring of 2023, the next steps will be to file and complete all environmental permitting in the fall of 23 while moving the design forward to 100% design around the fall winter of 2023 or 2024 with the goal to advertise the project for construction bids in the summer or fall of 2024. Construction will begin in the spring or the summer of 2024. The total project cost is estimated to cost roughly $4.5 million. The Federal Highway Administration will fund up to 80% of the construction cost and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation will fund the remaining 20% of construction costs. The City of Medford and the Department of Conservation and Recreation will be responsible for any right-of-way related costs. There are several ways to reach MassDOT going forward on this project. You can email comments to the email address on the screen. Mass DOT project management at dot.state.ma.us. You could also submit comments by mail to the address shown on the screen with attention to project management and the project file number 611982. That would be to Carrie E. Lavallee, P.E., Chief Engineer, Mass DOT Highway Division, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 6340, Boston, Mass 02116. You can also visit the MassDOT Design Public Hearing website or simply scan the QR code shown on the screen and send your comments electronically. You can also mail your written comments to MassDOT using the form included in the handout packet. All of this must be done or postmarked within 10 business days of the hearing to become part of the official record. I want to thank you for your attention to this presentation. I would now like to turn it back over to Joe Yu and Chris Clem, our producers, to inform you of the hearing procedures so we can begin the question and answer session this evening. It is standard practice to invite elected officials to have the opportunity to speak first. This hearing will remain open until 8 p.m. or until everyone has had an opportunity to ask their question. Now I'd like to turn it back to our producers and open the hearing up to the public.
[SPEAKER_07]: Thank you very much, Linda. To ask a question verbally, use the raised hand icon and we will give you access to unmute your microphone. If you prefer to type your questions, please use the Q&A box and we will read your questions out loud. Please state your name for your questions and try to ask only one at a time so everyone has the opportunity to participate. To ask a question on the phone, dial star nine and we will call out the last four digits of your number and unmute your audio. Lastly, please take a few minutes to complete a brief survey that will appear after you exit the meeting. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. First, I would like to welcome Alicia Hunt, Director of Planning, Development and Sustainability from the City of Medford to read a statement from Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn.
[Alicia Hunt]: Thank you very much. Thank you for having us this evening. Mayor Brianna is very sorry she couldn't be here this evening, but she wanted me to convey to you that she's deeply appreciative of MassDOT and DCR of moving this important project forward, and she provided me with this statement to read from her. As we all know, Route 28 is a difficult road for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross, particularly along the stretch between Wellington Circle and the Mystic River. Having this underpass to allow people to connect between the apartment buildings, hotels, and businesses at Station Landing and the T Station to McDonald Park will make visiting this large park easier and more inviting. Additionally, we really like the inclusion of the overlooks that will allow people to enjoy the river and get a closer look at some of our beautiful wildlife. Thank you to the staff at MassDOT, DCR, the Mystic River Watershed Association, and of course, the City of Medford staff and our consultants at Niche Engineering for all of the work on this important project. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_07]: Thank you very much, Alicia. We are now open for questions. I will start with the raised hands. I see Christopher, you can unmute yourself and ask your question.
[SPEAKER_16]: Hi there, I'm sorry, I had a hard time understanding like what is the surface of the path going to look like as it approaches the part that stretches around the water? And then as the kind of the part that is the deep loop, what will the path surface be made of?
[Unidentified]: John.
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: Sure, so the proposed path surface is going to be asphalt and the timber boardwalk is proposed to be constructed of Ipe decking, which is the same hardwood that was used by the DCR on the timber boardwalk on the Somerville side. So the intent was for this this path and boardwalk to mimic what was built on the South side of the river in Somerville.
[Unidentified]: Thank you, John, and thank you for your question, Christopher.
[SPEAKER_07]: I'll move to the questions in the written box. I do want to acknowledge a question that was somewhat answered. From Lynn asks if we can please show relevant plans during the Q&A. So I will ask the project team if there's a specific slide you'd like to return to, please just ask. Next, from Sharman, during construction, will temporary walkways be maintained?
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: Don? Yes, thanks for the question. We will maintain temporary access for pedestrians and along the paths. We'll be developing more detailed construction phasing plans and detailing how those temporary paths will be maintained during construction during the next design phase, and they'll be included in the final design plans that will be submitted to MassDOT.
[Unidentified]: Thank you, John, and thank you for your question.
[SPEAKER_07]: We have another question in the Q&A box, actually, from Charmin again. The question is, what entity is responsible for maintaining the pedestrian and bicycle paths? When there is snow, the Route 28 bridge never gets plowed and becomes treacherous. Any consideration to include the maintenance of the sidewalk on the bridge?
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm happy to take a stab at this and I'd like to, I may be calling on some of my panelists to also help out to answer your question about maintaining the pedestrian and bicycle paths. The paths themselves that are going to be on DCR property will be maintained by DCR. The roadway, which is under the jurisdiction of the state, MassDOT would be controlled in maintained by the state. So when there is snow on Route 28 bridge, if it's on the bridge structure itself, the roadway, that is under the control of MassDOT. If you have any questions or concerns during snow emergencies, please reach out to our District 4 office in Arlington. So any considerations? DCR will not be maintaining the sidewalk on the bridge or neither will the city of Medford. If Medford has anything to add to this, Tim, or anybody from DCR, please feel free to jump in. But this is a state infrastructure and the state will be handling that.
[Unidentified]: Linda, you have that correct. Right.
[sBk_gQcj4fU_SPEAKER_13]: Yeah, I was just going to say the same thing. DCR will plow the boardwalk structure that goes over the river and the paths around it, but not the bridge itself, the vehicular bridge.
[Unidentified]: Great, thank you. Thanks for your question.
[SPEAKER_07]: Thank you everyone. We have another raised hand from the crowd. Zachary, you can unmute yourself and ask your question.
[SPEAKER_06]: Hi there, I just have a question about where the path meets the Fellsway. Can we go back to that slide for a minute? So, I mean, from my experience of being on a bike and getting onto there, so right now you have to get onto the sidewalk and then basically dumped out onto a highway right there. with very little protection. Is there any, is it within the scope of this project to add like Jersey barriers right there to protect the bike lane a bit? I mean, I feel like there should be Jersey barriers the entire way on Route 28 to protect the cyclists. But I mean, especially where the bikes are coming out onto that path, seems like a potential area where a car doesn't see you right away and then now you're there.
[SPEAKER_05]: John, do you want to add anything? answer that question.
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: I know that the bike lanes were installed as part of a separate project that was funded. I believe it was initiated by the city of Somerville. I'm not sure if they've installed yet, but I believe they're supposed to be those plastic stanchions that separate the bike lane from the travel lane. I'm not sure if Tim's more up to speed on the status of that project being completed.
[SPEAKER_05]: Yeah. So it sounds like it's outside the scope of our project, but there is another project that potentially could be addressing this concern. So I'm going to actually let Tim answer and see if he has anything to add.
[Tim McGivern]: I don't have much to add other than we, Medford is advocating to try to keep the bike lanes there and improve these. This is outside of Medford's jurisdiction, so we're advocating for that. The engineering division has been working closely with Somerville on that particular project and we continue to do that and continue to take feedback and make improvements.
[Unidentified]: Thanks, everyone, and thank you, Zachary.
[SPEAKER_07]: And we do have another comment in the Q&A box. This is again from Charmin. Keep them coming. They say, I have lived in the 10 Hills neighborhood for close to 40 years. Route 28 bridge has never been cleared from snow.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately, that's outside the purview of this evening's hearing, but I will ask the District 4 staff that's on the call this evening to relay that information back to District 4 snow and ice engineer. And again, if you, you know, if there are issues during a snow emergency or even before the snow emergency, please reach out to District 4. I'm not sure if anybody, I'm not sure who the snow and ice engineer is in district four. Dan, do you, do you happen to know who that is? So we can relate, give that name to Charmin.
[SPEAKER_10]: Hey Linda, this is Dan here. Actually, Brett Lushen is a good person to contact and also I can also take, I can take information from that person and reach out directly to them so I can give them not only email, also a telephone number to contact.
[Alicia Hunt]: Okay, great.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you, Dan. And again, I apologize. This is, it's just, it's not, it's not really a part of the discussion this evening, but you know, obviously we want to help you and help alleviate some of your concerns if we can. So please reach out to the District 4 in Arlington office, like Dan had suggested.
[SPEAKER_07]: Thank you, Dan. Thank you, Linda. And thank you, Sharman, for your comments. We appreciate the perspective from someone who has lived in the area for so long. I don't see any raised hands or questions at this time, but please don't be shy. The project team is eager to help. Oh, right on cue. Ryan, you may unmute yourself and ask a question.
[SPEAKER_11]: Hey, everyone. My name is Ryan O'Malley. I'm with the Malden City Council. I just want to thank the project team for making this project come to fruition and really looking forward to it. Thank you.
[Unidentified]: Thank you, Councilor. We appreciate your support. Thank you for the comment, Ryan. We have another raised hand from Lynn.
[SPEAKER_07]: Oops, I clicked on the wrong person. Sorry about that. One second. Lynn, you may unmute yourself.
[SPEAKER_13]: Thank you. This is Lynn Weissman with the Friends of the Community Path. So it's super exciting to see this project being designed. You know, even though the community path is kind of on the other side, somewhere, we're always looking for regional path connections. And this is a pretty key node. I was wondering, I had a few kind of questions. I mean, one is I'm wondering if you know, in terms of people being able to cross Route 28, what the walkability options will be during the construction, just so that people aren't kind of walking on the highway or biking on the highway, and if there'll be adequate, some way of adequately crossing so that people aren't just deciding to to walk along Route 28 unprotected. I'm wondering if the width is 12 feet on the other side as well. And I'm really glad to see you added overlooks in the design. That's pretty key. And I wanted to note that, you know, I think there was supposed to be like a Jersey barrier project. I thought over Route 28, um and that you know bicycle bollards really aren't enough to protect cyclists along that area. People go very fast and there's a lot of traffic and you know a bollard might alert some drivers but it is it is not ample protection and so we would ask I guess, mass DOT and the city of Somerville to kind of coordinate a little bit on this to potentially save some lives and use Jersey barriers there and not just simply bicycle bollards. I wasn't sure if that was only on the Somerville side or if it was both on the Somerville Medford side too, that some sort of protection was going to happen. My three questions are about width, what are the ways pedestrians and cyclists can get across during construction, and just sort of taking another look at Jersey barriers for bike protection there. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_05]: Well, thank you, Lynn, for your comments. Before I ask John from NICH to respond to some of those questions, and maybe, Tim, given anybody else to jump in, I did want to remind you that you can write in and send your comments, questions, or concerns to us within 10 business days, and we'll be also happy to respond to them. You did have a lot of questions there, so I'm going to ask John to try to answer them. You talked about width, you talked about crossing Route 28, and you talked about Jersey barriers. So, John, if you could maybe try to address Lynn's concerns, and also Tim, if you have anything to add, please feel free to jump in.
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: Sure. The first question regarding the width, yes, this is going to be the same width as the boardwalk and the path approaches on the Somerville side. So that was 12 feet, and this is going to be 12 feet. So that gives you an idea of the width that this is going to provide. As far as the crossing, right now, in order to cross 28, people have to cross at the crosswalk across from President's Landing. So that would still be in effect for people to cross.
[SPEAKER_13]: Oh, I actually been crossing from Assembly Square over. I didn't know where you were saying there would be, will there be disruption crossing Route 28 from Assembly Square to the Wellington area or something else?
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: There might be while we're working on the sidewalk, but as I'd mentioned, we'll make sure that there's a temporary access to get around any sidewalk work. But most of the work is going to be occurring on new path alignments. And as I said, we'll maintain pedestrian access. So they may need to go around or have a temporary bypass of that portion of the sidewalk when we're tying the path into the existing sidewalk, because they'll have to pour some new concrete panels along the sidewalk. And then they usually take a day or two to dry before people can walk on them. And as far as protection more than the plastic bollards, I'm not aware of what that project entails or whether they are doing something in Somerville. So I'm sorry, I don't know if anybody else on the panel knows more about the progress of that project. I know that that project had minimal funding and it was really just to get the bike lanes try to get that space for bicyclists to be able to use traveling over the bridge, but I'm not sure of any other major safety improvements.
[Tim McGivern]: That's correct, John. I was just going to chime in to say I wasn't aware of any additional improvements like Jersey barriers, but that is excellent feedback. I've rode my bike over this bridge as well. So I know what you're talking about. And as I stated before, we're always interested in hearing feedback and seeing if we can make improvements and advocate for solutions.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thanks john and Tim I just wanted to add as well so you know I'm your concerns about you know sidewalks being open and access during construction. You know we are, we are required by law to provide access and accessibility to the public during construction on any of our projects. There will be a resident engineer assigned to the project when the construction begins from MassDOT and that person will always be available to address any of those concerns. Also, a lot of that will be worked out when we bid the project for construction and whoever the contractor is that receives the bid, they have a responsibility to provide the means and methods. to construct any project. So you can rest assured that a lot of time, thought, and effort will be given to making sure that it's accessible at all times and open to the public and safely as well. So thank you for your comments. I hope that answered all of them. I'm not sure if anybody else has anything to add, but You can always, after, reach out to the appropriate city or town that you may have concerns with. I know that this project borders several cities and their hair being represented, and we've been working with them in partnership. But again, this particular project is in Medford, so Medford can really only answer for what they're doing in their own city. But thank you. I think we have a couple more questions, Chris.
[SPEAKER_07]: We do. Thank you, everyone, for answering. And thank you, Lynn, for your comments. And we encourage you to submit those in writing as well, using the information on the screen. Next, we have another comment from Charmin, who says, the boardwalk on the south side of the bridge is great. Thanks for doing it on the north side.
[SPEAKER_05]: We appreciate that. I think it's going to be a great, great addition. I've been out there several times myself and I'm really impressed. And then I do think by adding the outlooks, it's really adding an additional great feature to, you know, this particular, this boardwalk as well. So, but thank you for your comments.
[SPEAKER_07]: We have another comment from Chris. They say, just as an aside, I'm so glad it's an asphalt and wood surface on the boardwalk structure, as opposed to the softer material closer to the Alfred Bridge on the Somerville side. That softer rubber material is really hard to bike on. My tires cut into it, and it's already degrading, unfortunately.
[SPEAKER_04]: Thanks, Chris, for your comments. We appreciate it.
[Unidentified]: Thank you, Chris. Lynn asks if she can see the plan again, please. I'm not sure what plan she's referring to.
[SPEAKER_07]: One second. Lynn, if you'd like to specify, I can give you access to unmute your mic again.
[SPEAKER_14]: Hi, I'm just the one you showed just before with the overlooks. I think it's just helpful. Yeah, thank you.
[Unidentified]: I think that. Thank you. So we will keep it on the slide for as long as you all like.
[SPEAKER_07]: We have another question in the chat. Karen says, Permeable services are important, but the technology and costs are not quite accessible.
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm a little unclear on what, if it's a question or just a comment. I think it's just a comment. Yes, so thank you.
[SPEAKER_07]: Thank you for your comment, Karen. Feel free to keep them coming, folks.
[Unidentified]: We appreciate all of your feedback, all your participation.
[SPEAKER_07]: As a reminder, you do have 10 business days to submit written comments and questions via email or via snail mail. You can go to our website, mass.highwaysdesignpublichearings, and find the design public hearing page for this particular project. So we do have another question from Charmin. They ask, what is the timeframe for construction?
[SPEAKER_05]: There is a slide as far as, I guess I'll defer to John as far as how many construction seasons do you expect that this is going to take?
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: I would think it depends on what time of year it gets advertised. Typically, a project like this could be done in one year, but there have been supply chain shortages, and I'm not sure what the construction environment is going to be like when we try to start construction in 2024. Hopefully, there are no issues. Ideally, we advertise it in the winter, give the contractor enough time to order his materials so that he can get started right in the spring. And if that's the case, then I would anticipate it could be done in one construction season.
[Unidentified]: Thank you, John. Thank you for your question, Sharman. Appreciate your participation.
[SPEAKER_05]: I just wanted to remind everyone that it is 748 and we will be here until at least eight o'clock to answer your questions. We're obligated to stay on until at least eight o'clock, so please feel free to ask any additional questions. We'd really like to help you understand the project and answer any questions, receive any feedback, comments. Again, if you have any, you know, if you don't feel comfortable tonight speaking, feel free to send in your written comments to us. If they come in within 10 business days, they become part of the record. But that doesn't mean that, you know, you can't send them. I mean, we're here, we're available, we're willing to answer any of your questions as things come along. Like I mentioned, I'm the project manager on this project. I will be involved in this project from this point forward and even through construction. But District 4 in Arlington is the district that oversees this area, and they will have a resident engineer on site during the construction who's a person who's going to be there to answer any residents' concerns or questions during the construction of the project. Hearing no questions, I just didn't know, does the city or DCR have anything that they want to add tonight?
[sBk_gQcj4fU_SPEAKER_13]: I'd like to add one comment. Again, this is Amber from DCR. I just saw the question about the path by Alford Street. We are aware of the condition of that path and working on it. It's a partnership with the T. we understand that there are challenges on that path.
[Alicia Hunt]: Thanks, Linda. I know I read the statement from the mayor, but Amber and I started this project together several years ago with the Gaming Commission grant, and we've had a MassTrails grant to advance the design work on this. So I personally am very excited to see this actually moving into the MassDOT stream and seeing it move into the construction phases. It's very rewarding to see a project That we've thought for a long time should exist and then on grant funding to get design going to actually seeing it move forward. So we're really excited about this. We appreciate it. Now we'll continue to be around as far as long as people, you know, mass stop whatever you need for to move this forward.
[SPEAKER_07]: Thank you for your comments, Alicia and Amber. We do have one more question in the chat. It is, again, from Lynn. Lynn asks, please describe any directionality of the lighting over the boardwalk at the river, in parentheses, or beyond, so as to minimize impacts on wildlife in the area.
[SPEAKER_05]: Great question. I'm actually going to ask John to pick up on that, and I think that also is going to come into play with our environmental permitting as well.
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: Correct. We haven't decided on the actual light fixtures yet. That happens during the final design phase. Since this is a DCR structure and it's going to be on DCR property, we're going to work closely with the DCR. But questions about the lighting and reduction and uplighting have been brought up by the stakeholders. So that's something that will be considered when we choose the fixtures. But I'm sorry, at this stage in the design, we haven't chosen the fixtures yet. So that's a good question.
[sBk_gQcj4fU_SPEAKER_13]: I can just add on behalf of DCR, we are committed to dark sky principles when we can and reducing the impact of lighting while maintaining safety. So as John said, we'll work through those details in the coming year.
[Unidentified]: Thank you, John and Amber. Thank you very much for your question, Lynn. We have another question from Joan.
[SPEAKER_07]: Joan asks, will there be trash receptacles so folks don't toss trash in the water?
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm going to guess yes. But I'm going to ask maybe Amber to speak to that as far as what DCR's policies and procedures usually are on trash receptacles.
[sBk_gQcj4fU_SPEAKER_13]: Yeah, we have had an evolving policy on trash receptacles. So as of now, they are not provided on projects like this. It's a carry in carry out, which I know can be challenging in urban environments, but there will not be any in this vicinity.
[Unidentified]: Lamber.
[SPEAKER_07]: Thank you, and that is a great question john Thank you. We have a question from Councilor Winslow in Malden welcome Councilor Thank you for joining us i'm very excited to this long expected connection. At one point, I thought presidents landing in Medford was contributing are they contributing question mark.
[sBk_gQcj4fU_SPEAKER_13]: I'm actually answer that because I saw an initial design from 2005 that was funded by national development and it didn't go further than that. So they're not now, but there is a reason why you think that.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you, Amber. Yeah. As far as I know, there's no, there's no money involved in it that I'm aware of. So this is. This is 80% federal funded and 20% state funded. And then there's a lot of grants to pay for the design as we indicated throughout the presentation. And Steve, I'm happy to see you. I've known Steve for a really long time. So happy to see you're still around and very involved in the bike community. You've been a great advocate.
[SPEAKER_07]: Thank you very much for your question, Councilor. We have another question in the chat from Joan. Joan asks, will Medford or the nearby property owners provide some trash receptacles outside the DCR property before and after the pathway?
[SPEAKER_05]: Joan, I don't think we're in a position to answer what other property owners will do, unfortunately. I think that's something you should follow up with the city of Medford and see if they can maybe help broker a discussion regarding that.
[Unidentified]: Thank you, Linda.
[SPEAKER_07]: We have another question from Charmin. I thought I was done asking questions. Keep them coming, please. The engineers might want to take a look at the south boardwalk where it runs under 28. Pigeons roost on the bridge beams, and there's always poop on the walkway and railings. Can screenings be installed to deter pigeons?
[Unidentified]: John, I'm going to defer to you on that.
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: I would say that's a good comment. We haven't discussed that yet, but we can talk to MassDOT. It is their bridge, and if there's something that can be done and what recommendations either they would have or our structure engineers would have to try to address that problem. But thanks for bringing that up. That's not something that had been mentioned before.
[Unidentified]: Thank you, John, and thank you for your comment, Sharmin.
[SPEAKER_07]: We have another comment in the chat from Lynn. They ask, any solar-powered lighting in this project? Also agree on the need for recycling and trash receptacles that are regularly emptied, better that than in the river.
[SPEAKER_05]: I'm not sure on the solar powered lighting. I'm not sure if we've gotten that far in the design, but John, do you have anything to add or Amber? And again, I'll defer you back to the city on the trash receptacles and the emptying of those. I think that you could reach out to the city regarding that, but John, do you mind answering?
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: There are existing electrical connections already for like poles one or two on the north side and there was one on the south side at one point. So the plan right now is to use the existing electrical connections and we've coordinated with the utility companies. But we can talk to the DCR if there's a desire to go solar. We have done that before on other projects.
[sBk_gQcj4fU_SPEAKER_13]: Yeah, I think that's something that could be explored and fits in with our climate mitigation goals and we're trying to pilot more solar lighting, particularly in places without electrical conduits already. But you're right, there already are some here. So I think we'll just have to kind of weigh the cost benefit on that. But it's a great question and something that we're trying to start incorporating into our normal practice where possible based on, you know, relationship to the sun and solar gain and all that.
[SPEAKER_04]: Thanks, Amber and John.
[Unidentified]: I'm sorry, thank you for your comment, Lynn.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you. Chris, I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna, we're gonna definitely leave it open if anybody has any more questions, but I'm going to give everybody maybe another minute, you know, minute or so to ask any questions, hands raised, and then we can begin to close out the hearing if nobody else has any questions. But again, you know, we're here until your questions are answered. But um,
[Unidentified]: I see one now.
[SPEAKER_07]: Yep, there's one more from Lynn. They ask, any wayfinding signage in the project?
[SPEAKER_04]: John, you want to answer that?
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: So we have talked to the DCR, especially the landscaping and parks department about what type of signage. It hasn't been designed yet. We have talked about how to tie this in and make people aware of McDonald Park since this is essentially one of the entrances to McDonald Park. But it's a smaller area, so I'm not sure how much signage we'd actually get, but we are working with DCR on any amenities and signage.
[sBk_gQcj4fU_SPEAKER_13]: Yeah, the thinking right now is maybe a kiosk at the entry into McDonald Park and potentially interpretive signage on the overlooks, we need to figure out what communication, what we would communicate and where it would go, but.
[Alicia Hunt]: If I might add to that, while it's not directly part of this project, Medford has been piloting a wayfinding signage project for bikes and pedestrians, mostly in the area of Medford Square. And we're very much taking feedback on that and we would be very open to receiving input about what sort of wayfinding would be helpful down in this area, because we we are looking to expand pedestrian and bicycle wayfinding, you know, the kind that says how far, how long it'll take to walk and how long it'll take to bicycle to various locations. So I do actually encourage you to send that. And if you wanted to send something like that directly to my office, that's not related to this project, my office's email account is the letters OCD, it used to be Office of Community Development, so OCD at medford-ma.gov. And we also have a newsletter that where we put out information about programs like this, and programs like the way finding and other things and this kind of meeting. You're welcome to email us to be added to the newsletter it's the easiest way for me to tell you right now in this meeting.
[SPEAKER_04]: Right. Thank you, Alicia amber john everyone. I see another question.
[SPEAKER_07]: We have one question from Dave. Dave asks, are there existing or planned water bottle filling stations adjacent to the planned work?
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm not sure if Amber wants to answer this or John.
[MCM00001698_SPEAKER_06]: I mean, I could say at this time we haven't discussed what types of amenities, if any, would be installed along this section of path and I'm not sure the DCR's policy is and how often they install these?
[sBk_gQcj4fU_SPEAKER_13]: Yeah, it's a good question. We haven't discussed that yet, but it's not just an initial cost, it's an operations question, so we'll have to look into that.
[SPEAKER_05]: Great. Thank you. I just want to remind everyone that this plan is at 25% design and a lot of your questions and comments will be considered as the design advances forward. They're very helpful and useful comments. The purpose of the hearing tonight is to gather all these comments and then take them back and see what can be implemented. You know, like you said, it's DCR property, a lot of a lot of the policies will be driven by DCR policies in conjunction with MassDOT approvals and federal approvals as well. So we do really do have a great partnership here of working together with many groups, the city, DCR, MassDOT, and we really appreciate your comments this evening and Sorry, we can't give you definitives on some of them, but they're definitely good comments and the design is at 25%. We still need to go to 75%, then 100%, and then what we call PS&E, which is plan, specs, and estimates, and that's when we advertise the project for construction bids.
[Unidentified]: Thanks, Linda. That's all excellent information.
[SPEAKER_07]: We do have one final comment from Lynn, says signage to the Northern Strand Path and Assembly Square slash Darrell 7 will be great. Path etiquette signage would be good too.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you, Lynn, for your comment. I think that that's a question and a comment to be sent to Alicia. I encourage you to reach out to her after this hearing and provide her with, you know, your Your comments regarding signage and way findings and hopefully that you can work into her program sounds like an exciting opportunity and something that would really be beneficial.
[Unidentified]: I want to thank everyone once more for their questions and comments.
[SPEAKER_07]: All been great participating this evening. We are past eight o'clock. So at this time, unless there are any last second questions, I will pass it back to Linda to finish with our closing remarks.
[SPEAKER_05]: Great. Seeing none. Thank you, Chris. Thank you, everyone, this evening. Since there are no further questions, we'd like to thank you for your time and interest in this project. When the hearing closes this evening, you will receive a survey. It would be very helpful if you could complete that survey. As previously mentioned, we encourage you to submit any feedback or comments in writing or by using the email address previously provided. This concludes our hearing for the evening. I hereby declare this evening hearing closed at 8 0 5 p.m. Thank you and have a wonderful evening.