Keep the park in parkway
THE DEPARTMENT of Conservation and Recreation administers a few parkways, but is chiefly concerned with protecting and improving state parks. It should keep this mission in mind as it decides whether to build a temporary highway through the Esplanade, one of the most revered open spaces in Massachusetts.
City Councilor Michael Ross, whose district includes this Back Bay refuge, calls the Esplanade "hallowed ground." Some of his constituents are still angry that the state took parkland there to expand Storrow Drive into a divided highway almost 60 years ago. Today the tunnels that were part of that project need rebuilding, and DCR has been meeting with neighbors and considering construction options for the last two years.
Under a different administration in late 2005, DCR raised the possibility of a bypass road cutting 40 feet into the Esplanade west of the Hatch Shell. It was ruled out after opposition from park advocates and the Menino administration. But Wednesday night, Richard Sullivan, the new DCR commissioner, ruled it back in during a meeting of a committee advising the department on the project. The bypass is still only one of three options, but it appears to be the favorite.
Each of the three poses a problem. The most extreme -- complete closure of the tunnels -- would force 100,000 cars each workday onto alternate routes into and out of the city for a year and a half. The third option would keep the tunnel open by day and confine construction to the evening, but that would generate construction noise throughout the night for two and a half years. Given those choices, why not detour cars through part of the park for two years?
To appreciate why it shouldn't, DCR needs to think like a parks agency. The Esplanade is beloved throughout the area because its system of waterways and green spaces allows people to get away from motor vehicle bustle. Because the Esplanade is such an inviting place, it attracts charity walkathons, concerts, and other community events.
Moving cars into the park would degrade the space and erode its effectiveness. Any of the three alternatives will cause some intrusion on the Esplanade, but as much of the park as possible should remain intact as a refuge from urban stress.
The worst traffic disruptions occur when something unexpected happens, like the truck bumping into a pedestrian overpass on Storrow Drive yesterday morning. DCR is underestimating the ability of motorists to cope with inconvenience as severe as a complete tunnel closing if they are given sufficient warning and if the rest of the transportation system performs well. The department will undermine its mission to conserve parkland and encourage recreation if it puts a new road on the Esplanade.
