MEPA Certificate for the I-90 Allston Interchange Project Environmental Notification Form ABC Summary January 12, 2015, revised February 25, 2015 On October 31, 2014, MassDOT filed a 172-page Environmental Notification Form (ENF) with the Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office for the I-90 Allston Interchange Project (Project). The MEPA Office is under the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEA), and the ENF is the first of what for large projects is often a three-stage environmental review process. The EOEA completed its review of that ENF and issued a (so-called) Secretary’s MEPA Certificate for the Project on December 24, 2014. The Secretary’s Certificate at 39 pages contains a wide range of findings and determinations, suggestions and requirements for MassDOT to consider as it takes the Project forward in the environmental review and final design process. A Better City has reviewed the Secretary’s Certificate and has prepared the attached Table of Contents and Summary. The Secretary determined that the project requires preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) because it exceeds the thresholds that trigger this requirement. The Certificate provides a project description, summarizes environmental impacts, describes jurisdiction and permitting requirements, reviews the ENF, outlines the scope required for the EIR, and lists the authors of comments received by the MEPA Office. The most critical part of the Certificate for future actions by MassDOT, the project proponent, is the scope for the EIR. Our summary of the scope follows the outline of the Certificate and is keyed to references in the Certificate that include the exact language of the Secretary’s letter. Two comments submitted by ABC are specifically attributed to ABC: . We commented on the Urban Ring proposed alignment that crosses the project site, and the Certificate states that the DEIR should discuss the design and funding status of the Urban Ring and how the proposed I-90 project can accommodate or not preclude potential implementation of the Urban Ring. We recommended construction staging strategies, and the Certificate requests that MassDOT evaluate the feasibility of these recommendations. Many other comments submitted by ABC and also other commenters were also included in the EIR scope. MEPA Secretary’s Certificate for I-90 Allston Interchange Project Page 2 of 13 ABC Summary TABLE OF CONTENTS TOPIC PAGE 1. MEPA Review…………………………………........................................................ 1 2. Project Benefits…………………………………...................................................... 1 3. Note on Project Funding………………………........................................................ 1 4. Project Description……………………………........................................................ 1 5. Project Site [and Ownership]…………………........................................................ 2 6. Environmental Benefits ………………………........................................................ 2 7. Jurisdiction and Permitting...…………………......................................................... 2 8. No-Build Alternative…………………………......................................................... 3 9. Project Elements Needing Further Evaluation and Analysis..................................... 3 10. DEIR Scope: A. General........................................................................................ 3 B: Alternatives Analysis.................................................................. 4 C: Land Impacts............................................................................... 5 D: Traffic and Transportation.......................................................... 6 E: Air Quality [Including Noise and Vibration].............................. 8 F: Wetlands, Waterways and Tidelands........................................... 8 G: Stormwater.................................................................................. 9 H: Water Supply and Wastewater.................................................... 9 I: Greenhouse Gas Emissions.......................................................... 9 J: Climate Change Adaptation and Resiliency................................ 9 K: Historic Resources...................................................................... 9 L: Hazardous Materials.................................................................... 9 M: Construction Period................................................................... 9 N: Mitigation................................................................................... 10 MEPA Secretary’s Certificate for I-90 Allston Interchange Project Page 3 of 13 ABC Summary Topic Summary 1 MEPA REVIEW This Project requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report. MassDOT should submit a Draft EIR (DEIR) in accordance with the Scope set forth in this Secretary’s Certificate. See Page 1, Para. 1. 2 PROJECT BENEFITS This Project offers a tremendous opportunity to address longstanding transportation capacity and safety issues, increase access to transit, expand and enhance parkland and support redevelopment of a large swath of Allston into a transit-oriented mixed-used development. See Page 1, Para. 2. 3 NOTE ON PROJECT FUNDING The current state of transportation funding threatens our ability to maintain safe roads and bridges, and major new projects will be difficult to advance with available funding. The ability to deliver this Project is likely linked to the ability of MassDOT, the City of Boston, and Harvard University to work cooperatively to identify a fair share of responsibility for construction and maintenance costs, and to develop public-private partnerships for financing. See Page 1, Para. 3. MassDOT proposes to fund Project by Metropolitan Highway System (MHS) Funds and other non-federal aid funding. See Page 7, Para. 1. 4 PROJECT DESCRIPTION The project has the following components: a. I-90 Highway Re-alignment Upon removal of the Allston toll plaza (under a separate MassDOT construction project), the highway will be realigned to the south on a new, large radius. Within the interchange itself, the four-lane I-90 in each travel direction will drop a lane for the exit to Allston and then add a lane for traffic entering the highway. See Page 2, Para. 1. Also see Page 8, Para. 2. b. I-90 Viaduct MassDOT proposes to complete reconstruct 2,500 feet of viaduct to modern interstate design standards, and to increase the viaduct width to accommodate four travel lanes, shoulders, and a breakdown lane in each direction. The viaduct will be completely removed and replaced with a new viaduct in approximately the same location. See Page 2, Para. 2. Also see Page 8, Para. 2. MassDOT proposes that it has concluded that I-90 traffic must be maintained within the viaduct corridor during the construction period and cannot be detoured. See Page 8, Para. 3. MassDOT proposes that because of existing railroad lines under the viaduct and underground utilities, it has dismissed reconstructing I-90 at-grade or in a shallow tunnel due to unacceptable project risk, schedule impact, and implementation challenges. See Page 8, Para. 3. c. Soldiers Field Road Re- MassDOT proposes cantilevering the new viaduct over Soldiers Field Road alignment (SFR) eastbound, which could facilitate moving a portion of SFR away from the Charles River resulting in the creation of additional parkland along the Charles and Paul Dudley White bike path. See Page 2, Para. 2. Also see Page 8, Para. 2. d. Allston/ Brighton MassDOT proposes an urban-style interchange reconfigured to meet modern Interchange interstate highway design standards. Three interchange variants will be explored as part of the DEIR. These variants known as Alternative 3J, differ in MEPA Secretary’s Certificate for I-90 Allston Interchange Project Page 4 of 13 ABC Summary Topic Summary their final design of Cambridge Street and its connections to/from I-90. See Page 2, Para. 3. e. West Station MassDOT will design and construct a new MBTA commuter rail station along the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail tracks. West Station will also accommodate potential future two-track service along the Grand Junction Railroad branch into Cambridge. MassDOT proposes this station will have local connections to its south for pedestrians and bicycles to Malvern Street and Babcock Street, and to its north a busport with connections to the I-90 interchange via an elevated loop road. See Page 3, Para. 1. Also see Page 8, Para. 2. f. Commuter Rail Layover MassDOT will construct a commuter rail layover facility, and though included Facility in this Project this facility is intended as part of the South Station Expansion (SSX) Project. The facility will provide storage for up to 20 eight-car train sets and include a pit track, a wheel truing facility, crew quarters, a train car wash, power substation, and crew parking lots. See Page 3, Para. 2. See Page 8, Para. 2. g. Cambridge Street MassDOT will rebuild Cambridge Street in accordance with MassDOT and City of Boston Complete Streets Guidelines. MassDOT proposes sidewalks on either side of the street separated by a planted buffer from a proposed cycle track, a separate parking lane (with bus stops in spots), and travel and/or turning lanes as needed. See Page 3, Para. 3. h. Multi-Modal Improvements MassDOT will incorporate bicycle and pedestrian access including: bicycle and pedestrian accommodations on new Cambridge Street, new roadways south of Cambridge Street, and new roadways to West Station. See Page 3, Para. 4. A new bicycle and pedestrian bridge