Storrow tunnel, overpass projects set to begin soon
The Department of Conservation and Recreation will soon begin interim repairs on the decaying Storrow Drive Tunnel and an overpass that carries traffic onto Storrow Drive from the Fenway.
The projects should be finished next year and are expected to cost a total of $17.2 million.
"Our first and only concern is public safety," said Richard K. Sullivan Jr., conservation and recreation commissioner. "Therefore we need to move forward with this to make sure roads and bridges are safer."
The tunnel repairs will replace deteriorating concrete in the roof and walls and waterproof roof joints to prevent leaks. The work will begin mid-July and is expected to end in April.
The department estimated the tunnel repairs at $6.8 million last fall, but increased that amount to $11.5 million due to the rising costs of fuel, concrete, and steel, Sullivan said. Also, the department, adhering to wishes of city leaders and residents, decided to connect a storm water collection system in the tunnel to a ground water recharge system along Back Street as part of the project.
Improvements to the Bowker Overpass include replacing the deck, roadway, and streetlighting as well as fixing cement support structures and repairing and painting the steel structure.
Work should begin next month after a temporary floating pedestrian walkway is built in the Charles River around the construction site. Neighborhood residents had raised concerns about losing pedestrian access to the Charles River walkway, which runs around the overpass, during the project. This project should be complete in October 2009.
In the case of both projects, the loudest noise is likely to be produced by cutting concrete. The projects' contractor, SPS New England, of Salisbury, will try to minimize nighttime noise during construction and lane closings, the department said.
The department is still determining how the projects might impact traffic.
A public meeting for both projects has been scheduled for June 4 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Boston Public Library's Rabb Auditorium.
James Vaznis can be reached at jvaznis@globe.com.
