To: Thomas Menino, Mayor, Boston, entire City Council, Boston, MA., Richard A. Davey, MA. Secretary of Transportation, The Massachusetts State House, The Massachusetts State Senate, and Governor Charlie Baker
Stop the Bowker Overpass Rebuild and Restore the Charlesgate Park in Boston
We petition the Mayor and the City Council of Boston; the Governor and the Senate and House of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and the Massachusetts officials in the U.S. Congress to stop the massive "rebuild" of the Bowker Overpass in the historic Charlesgate Park of Boston slated for 2014-15. Instead, we ask you to authorize only minimum repairs for safety with the ultimate goal of removing the Bowker in the near future and restoring the blighted wetlands beneath it to urban parkland once again.
Why is this important?
The Commonwealth of MA. Dept. of Transportation has recently announced formal plans to rebuild-in-place the Bowker Overpass in Charlesgate Park, Boston, beginning in early 2014. The Overpass, which was constructed in 1967, slices through and destroyed the Charlesgate Park, a key section of the Olmsted Emerald Necklace (a National Registry of Historic Places site); destroyed an essential & fragile wetlands, the Muddy River basin where it meets the Charles River; and creates a strong negative impact on the quality of life in the surrounding historic and revitalizing neighborhoods of Back Bay West, Kenmore, and Bay State Road. We are asking the Commonwealth to cease and desist from this massive project; to perform minimal repairs to keep the Bowker safe and operational until the issue of Removal is addressed in a meaningful way (and not in the 10-20 year framework DOT is suggesting.) The DOT could save millions in ongoing repairs if the Bowker was removed and the roadway brought to grade. Removal would help reestablish the fragile wetlands and parkland of the Charlesgate/Muddy River basin (now a stagnant and polluted wasteland); would facilitate further economic revitalization around the Kenmore section of Boston; and would re-emphasize the historic nature of this beautiful residential neighborhood as well as give us back our beautiful parkland. A rebuild would exacerbate all the negative elements mentioned and, while pandering to the economic pressures of MASCO and other business powerhouses, is ultimately not in the best interests of the City of Boston or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Please help us make our state and federal officials know what a terrible idea the Bowker rebuild project is and demand its removal now. (For more in-depth information on the Bowker Overpass & the Charlesgate park, please look at our website: cgatepark.com