State Chooses At-Grade Option for Jamaica Plain for After Casey Overpass is Razed

The state has made its choice about the configuration of Forest Hills once the Casey Overpass is torn down. It will be a network of streets without a bridge, according to a statement by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The decrepit Casey Overpass has been reduced to one lane in each direction for safety reasons. It will be torn down. The question was what will replace it.

The state had originally said it would make its decision known in December, but delayed that for further traffic studies.

The state had told State Rep. Liz Malia, D-Boston, that it would make a decision by the end of February. But it missed that deadline, too, while responding to questions from skeptics of the "at-grade" solution.

The debate has divided Jamaica Plain. Supporters of a new bridge say the "at-grade" plan . Supporters of the at-grade solution say it will knit JP back together and .

The attached video shows a simulation of how traffic and people will flow without a bridge.

Pasted below is the statement from Transportation Secretary Richard Davey:

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has selected the at-grade alternative for the Casey Overpass, which carries Route 203 over Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain.  The decision was made after an extensive public outreach campaign consisting of five public meeting and 12 Working Advisory Group meetings over a nine-month period.

That process has led us to determine that the at-grade alternative reconnects the neighborhood, provides more open space, incorporates more design elements that are pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, and allows for more efficient bus movements through the area. 

The existing Casey Overpass is in the advanced stages of deterioration and is at the end of its serviceable life.  Moving forward, the design process will undergo a series of steps to reach completion; MassDOT expects construction to begin in October 2013.

For an archive of coverage of this important issue, see our Casey Overpass topic page.