The recent public meeting held by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) yielded many pro and con responses from those in attendance.

By C. Scott Morris

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) drew praise and criticism from the public during a meeting last Tuesday, Sept. 9, about a new construction project.

In the meeting, DCR said the Memorial Drive Phase Three project would begin the following day. From Eliot Bridge to John F. Kennedy Street on Memorial Drive, the state-funded project spans slightly over a mile. It’s part of the DCR Parkways Master Plan, creating walkway and bikeway improvements across the region, including parts of Somerville.

Green Transportation Director Dan Driscoll, who led the meeting, said it will cost roughly $1.3 million to complete. With a two-year construction schedule, the project will eliminate two of the four traffic lanes across 70% of the project, according to Driscoll.

Some improvements include creating three new road crossings and an 11-foot shared-use path for bikers and walkers. It will also make a 5-foot unpaved path exclusive for pedestrians. They aim to plant new London plane trees and native plants across the site. When complete, the project will expand the parkland by 1.16 acres, according to the presentation.

Lawrence Adkins, with the group Principles Impacted Riverside Residents (P.I.R.R.), voiced concerns about the project’s single lane operation impacting traffic, air quality, and the neighborhood’s density.

“I think DCR has a selective process for engagement because it’s not everybody,” he said. Moving forward, he added, “I will most expectedly think and hope that you will vigorously reach out to the impacted neighbors, neighborhood leaders, organizations, and get them at the table of decision.”

Denise Haynes added that P.I.R.R. “has brought a lot of things to light but has not been a part of the conversation.”

“We did have years of outreach, and we’re sorry you missed it,” Driscoll told Adkins. “We have a record of thousands of comments that aren’t from the groups you listed.” He added, “We’ll try to include you moving forward.”

A self-described Ash Street resident with the username Judith Dortz said Memorial Drive already has heavy traffic, and the project could make it worse. “Cars seem to be eliminated from any of this plan,” she said. “I mean, no consideration is to traffic.”

“At certain times, especially rush hour, it may take a little bit longer,” Driscoll said. But, he added, it would only be a slight delay compared to the large public safety improvements.

Driscoll said it was not DCR’s first time reducing lanes. Referencing prior projects, he said, “There was a lot of concerns from people thinking that this [lane reduction] was going to be a traffic nightmare on Greenough Boulevard, and that never happened.”

He added, “We have a lot of success stories doing similar projects. And based on the same kind of traffic analysis and engineering, we take it very carefully and seriously to try to get this right.”

Dan Totten, a Central Square resident, said, “I get that not everybody is completely satisfied with it.” He said, “But I think overall, it’s just going to be such a transformative project for the region, for people who live both in Cambridge and outside Cambridge.”

He said he uses the current path daily for walking and running. He added, “It’s hard to overstate how incredible this day is, and to jump on here and hear that this is beginning tomorrow is like, ‘I’m just over the moon.’”