Everyone knows that transportation is a nightmare from the South Shore. However, transportation improvement can increase growth and have detrimental consequences for the environment and our natural resources if it is not planned for properly. As such we believed it important for the voice of the rivers be heard during decision making regarding the Route 3 expansion project.

In the 2000,.the NSRWA became a member of the Route 3 Land Development Task Force. The Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD) described the purpose of the Task Force to participate as follows: "The Task Force will make recommendations for strategies to preserve the livability of the affected communities, in coordination with the capacity improvements proposed for Route 3 South." The comments of the Task Force are to be considered and incorporated into the Environmental Impact Review being conducted by the MBTA for their proposed expansion of Route 3. The Environmental Impact Review is forthcoming. Look Here For Updates! For the Final Report of the Route 3 Land Development Task Force please contact us at the watershed office.

Recommendations of the Land Development Task Force

While the Task Force did not endorse the project, they did reach consensus of the following issues:

1) The primary goals of the project, whether it be relief of congestion or safety improvements, need to be clearly articulated by the Massachusetts Highway Department (MHD).

2) More comprehensive study is required to justify the project.

A) Quantified and clear measures are needed to prove through objective analysis that the proposed project will meet MHD's goal of increasing capacity. There needs to be proof that the project will indeed increase capacity.

B) Quantified and clear measures are needed to prove through objective analysis that the proposed project will meet MHD's goal of increasing safety. There needs to be proof that the project will indeed result in increased safety.

C) Impact of the present condition of the Braintree split needs to be Included in the needs analysis.

D) The traffic model and analysis should be updated to include the impacts of the most recent versions of future major commercial and residential developments.

3) Towns need more assistance for sophisticated planning to prepare for the impact from major transportation projects.

A) Master Plans for all of the affected communities must be completed and the Commonwealth should take an active leadership role in ensuring that this task is completed.

B) A comprehensive Transportation plan, which includes all forms of transportation, should be agreed to by the state and local communities so that future master plans and zoning can be made in anticipation of future transportation developments. Regional coordination must come from and be further encouraged by the Commonwealth.

4) More emphasis should be given to increasing implementation of transportation alternatives. Other alternatives, including rail expansion, busways, commuter boats and mixes of modes should be given full consideration during environmental and project review.

5) Towns within the Route 3 corridor need to identify and prioritize parcels that can be purchased and/or restored by the Commonwealth.

6) If Route 3 South is expanded, there is unanimous consensus that the construction be done with proper consideration to:

A) Stormwater Management;

B) Improvements to offsite intersections and feeder roads that that can be expected to be impacted by increased traffic on Route 3;

C) All Route 3 interchanges must be upgraded and improved;

D) HOV lanes should be analyzed and considered;

E) Aesthetic impacts of the project must be mitigated with emphasis on preserving the median strip, protecting important vistas and creating and implementing a comprehensive landscaping plan

F) The North River bridge and vista should be given special consideration

7) One of the major impediments to accomplishing the primary charge of the Task Force was a lack of effective, sophisticated planning tools to forecast land use, growth and development impacts of the proposed project. We believe that more sophisticated planning tools should be used in the preparation of the Draft Supplemental EIR to examine the probable impacts of the proposed widening of Route 3 South on future land use, growth and development when evaluating possible project alternatives.

8) A Citizens Advisory Committee should be created and utilized by the design team during preliminary and final design of the project.