July 1, 1946 To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives in General Court 'Assembled: The Massachusetts State Planning Board herewith submits its re­ port for the' fiscal year ending June 30, '1946. One change occurred during the year in the Board membership. Richard H. Edwards, who was appointed to fill the unexpired term occa­ sioned by the death of Frederic H. Fay in 1944, rendered brief bu.t con­ structive service until October 1945 when he was succeeded by Robert C. Nordblom who was appointed for the six-year period ending September 18, 1951. For purposes of- convonience in carrying fonm,rd its dotailed studies, the Board has divided tho State into sevon planning regions as follows: 1. Berkshire Region including all of BerkshJre County (two cities and thirty towns) 2. Connecticut Valley Region including all of Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden Counties (f:'ve cities and sixtJ-~our tmms) 3. Worcester County Region includi~ all of Worcester County plus eight adjoining towns in Middlesex County (five cities and sj.xty-three towns) 4. Merr:1mac Region (throe cities and twenty-four towns) 5. Massachusetts Bay and Environs (nineteen citiefl and eighty-one towns) 6. Bristol-Plymouth Region (five cities and twenty-seven towns) 7. Cape Region including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Is lands (twenty-three towns), These seven rogions together comprise the thirty-nlne cities and three hundred and twelve towns totaling threo hund.red and fifty-one muni­ cipaJJ,tios in the Commonwealth. Within these regiono studiea are being carri~ covering all the elements of a comprehonoive plan. A report has been issued on an Airport Program for Region #5 - Massachusetts Bay and Environs. This is discussed in the> Aviation section of the repor't. A comprehensive report was issued on tho Worceotor County Region in 1940. TRANSPORT Higlmays , 'Threo staff members have continued to serve with the Engineers' Committee of the Post War Highway Commission in its development of a pro­ gram of traffic reliof for the State [In(i in particular for the Boston Metropolitan District. In this connection further studies of tho prp -2- \ < posed Boston Central Artery and related projects have been carried on. The lif,e of this commission was extended and its scope extended by Chapter 91 of the Resolves of the current year. The Commission caused to be prepared legislation which was finally enacted as Chapter 562 of the Acts of 1946 providing for the creation of the Mystic River Bridge Authority, authorized and empowered to construct, J maintain, repair and operate a high-level toll bridge over the Mystic Riv­ er and the tracks of the Boston and Maine Railroad between Boston and Chel­ sea. The proposed structure will be the first high-level bridge in Metro­ politan Boston and will be financed fram tolls without cost to the state or to the municipalities involved. Legislation providing for the construction of a stmilar bridge was ; recommended by the Division of Metropolitan Planning in 1941 • . The bridge has been the subject of cont:J.nu1ng study in the intorvening years. In the present instance the Board collaborated by furniehing plans, esttmates and technical infonnation to the Post War Highway Commission, a.t the same ttme carrying on studies of new highway routes as approaches to the proposed structure. Legislation was introduced by the Board providing for an addition­ al traffic tunnel to East Boston to supplement the already over-crQwded Sumner Tunnel. This resulted in enactment of Chapter 567 of the acts of the current year which authorizes and directs the Department of Public Works to provide for the preparation of the necessary plans for the additional tube, with the further provision that arrangements should be made to have the Boston Transit CommiSSion, acting under the supervision and in behalf of the Department of Public Works, p-arfonn the work authorized'. It is fur­ ther provided in order to meet the cost of such plan preparation that a sum not exceeding $500,000 may be a.ppropriated in equal amounts during the next two years. This insures the first step toward the completion of this very necessary project. Studies of the proposed East Boston express highwa.y .recommended by the Board aD a part of its legislative program in 1945 were continued end conferences were arranged with interested agencies looking towa.rd the cor­ relation of this project with the proposed traffic tunnel, the Logan Air­ ~ort development, the rapid transit extension and the proposed recreation­ al areas in the East Boston district. Legislation authorizing the appropriation of $150,000 for the prep­ aration of plans by the Metropolitan District Commission for the parkway ~ along the Boston side of tho Charles River Basin from Embankment Road to a point west of Ch[~lesgate was enacted in the form of Chapter 572 of the Acts of 1946. This project has been the subject of consideration by State and City agencies for the last twenty years. It was the subject of spe­ cial investigation by the Ch arles Ri·ver Basin Commission in 1928 and laner , by the Division of Metropolitan Planning, by the State Planning Board and by its ongineers working in cooperation with sub-committeos of the Post War Highway Commission. All of tbis material will be made available to the Metropolita.n District COImJ1ission for its information. Tho'· following log101o.t1vo .'lcto prov1do for'traff10 .rc11of 1n Boo· ton c..nd tho b1+lb on wb10b the;r 'Woro br.acd b~d the' [',pprovn1 and ·cctiv:o GUp­ port of the Bo c~rd: .' , -3- Chapter 294 - An act autborizing the city of Boston to lease space for an und_erground garage for the park­ ing of motor vehicles under Boston Common, Charles Street and the Public Gardens. Cbapter 474 - .An act authorizing off-street parking facil­ ities in the city of ~oston. Neponset Rive.r. Valley The Legislature) by Chapter 48 of the Resolves of the current year, directed the Board to make an investigation relative to providing for tbe improvement of the Neponset River Valley between Hancock Street in Q.uincy and Green Lodge Street in Canton for re.cr~ational 3IJ.d other pUl1 poses. The study will involve an invest:l.gation as to tbe feasibility of :uuproving tbe Neponset River Valley by tbe constrnction of a parh.--way and related im­ provements. Cooperation with tbe Metropolitan 'l'ransit Recess Comm:i.iils:i.on bas been continued in connection with its stu.dies of rapid transit develop­ ment in the Boston Metropolitan Dis·trict. rfhe life of this commission wa.s extended and the scope of its in>.~estigatlons and stud:i.es increased by Chapter 54 of the Resolves of' tho current year. As a result of furtl1er investigation of tbe proposed Ea.st Beston rapid transit extension the Cba:trmnn fUed, on bebalf of tho Boord, a bill provid:i.ng for further extension of the route to Orient Heights. Chapter 692 of the Acts of 191~5 provided for that portion between Maver­ ick Square and Day Square at an ostimated cost of $5,(00)000. The bill for the further extenSion) introcllwed. by the Board, W!:lS enacted as Chap­ ter 494 of the Acts of 191~6. It prov:1.des for the carrying of the work to Orient Heights at a total estimated cost of $8,500,000. The Board continued its studies of the a1rport needs of the Com­ monwealth, cooperat:tng with the Massachusetts Aerona,utics Cormnission and keeping its contacts .,ith tho CivU Aerona.utics Administration. Some stat istica.l reports .Iere prepa.red. at the request of munici­ palities and the Massaclmsdtts Aeronautic8 Commission to show .,by cer­ ta.in municipal"jtjes should have airp.ort facilities. stuqJes were made of various 10c3ttons in response to requ.ests by several towns and as the result of conrerenees with returned veteran flyers. Conferenccs have been att ended at which the Civi.l Aeronautics Ad­ mtnistration program for the State ha.s been discussed. Federal fupds will shortly be available to a.id in the State I s airport development. A report was prepared {3,nd published) entitled "Airport Program for Massachusetts Bay and Environs") in which a forecast is ma.de indi­ cating the future owner8hip of private planes in the one hundred cities and tmms including and surrounding Bo£ton, and suggesting the need and locations for new airp:)rt sites to care for the growing demand in the next ten years. 'rhJs l'8port contains cleven malls, several charts and about forty paGes of text and is availa.ble to thODe interested in a.via.­ tion. -4- WATER . FloOd Control Of the twenty flood control dams and reservoirs recommended by the Army Engineers in 1937 and authorized by Congress in 1938 for the protec­ of the Connecticut River Ba.sin, five are in Massachusetts, as follows: 1 - Knightville Dam and Reservoir on the Westfield River in the town of Huntington. This has ·been completed. 2 - Birch Hill Dam anci Reservoir on the Millers River in the towns of Wtnchendon and Royalston. This has been complete. ed. 3 - Tully Dam and Reservoir on the M:lllors River in the town of Royalston. Fund.s for the construction of this reservoir have been appropriated. by the Fed.oral Govern"nent. 4 - Barre Falls Dam and Reservoir on the Ware River in the towns of Barre, Hubbardston and Rutland. 5 - West Brookfield Dam and Reservoir on the Quabog River in tbe town of BrookfJeld. Of the seven flood-control dams and reservoirs recommended by the Army Engineers ::i.n 1940 and authorized by Congress in 19l~l, for tho protec­ tion of the Tlwmes River Bas:Ln, four are jr1 Massachusetts, as follows: 1 - East Brimfield Dam and.