Politics & Government

Menino on Casey Arborway Project: "You Better Be Prepared for the Second Big Dig"

Mayor Thomas Menino came out publicly against the "at-grade" plan for reconfiguration of the Casey Overpass area. He would have preferred a smaller bridge with a greenway beneath it.

 

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino isn't happy with the state's plan to tear down the Casey Overpass and replace it with a network of ground-level streets.

Instead, he said he'd like to have seen a rebuilt, smaller Casey bridge with a greenway beneath it connecting the Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park.

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"Be a little creative," said Menino, who has been mayor for 19 years. "Sometimes you've got to think outside the box."

Asked how a big project like this could go against his wishes in his own city, he pointed to state authorities.

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"It's their project, not my project," Menino said during a lunch meeting with reporters from local community news outlets.

He said a project like that might cost a little more than the approach chosen by the State Department of Transportation, but that it would be worth it.

Further, he warned Forest Hills residents to brace for serious disruption of their lives during construction.

"You better be prepared for the second Big Dig," said Menino, referencing the epic project that tore down the Central Artery and put it underground.

In other comments about Forest Hills, the mayor said Forest Hills MBTA station should be turned around so that it opens onto the business district. The closed-off way the station is designed sends people right from the subway onto their buses without encouraging stopping into any local restaurants or shops.


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