In North Brighton, uneasy passage to river

Though tantalizingly close, the recreational activities along the Charles River feel far out of reach for tipster Lisa D'Souza and many in her North Brighton neighborhood. D'Souza tells GlobeWatch that in order to get to the river, she has to navigate across the congested, sprawling intersection at Leo M. Birmingham Parkway and Soldiers Field Road between the Arsenal Street Bridge and Western Avenue.

"This heavily traveled section of road does not have crosswalks, pedestrian signals, or handicap[ped] accessible ramps, which means that one must determine the sequence of road traffic before trying to cross the multiple roadways from my North Brighton neighborhood to access the river paths or the Arsenal shopping area. Due to the number of roads intersecting at this point, it quite dangerous for a pedestrian to cross at nearly any point during the day," writes D'Souza.

Despite the presence of two MBTA bus stops, few pedestrians or bicyclists seemed eager to cross here given the harrowing challenge of doing so without crosswalks or pedestrian-controlled traffic signals, a Globe reporter observed last week. Crossing the parkway required avoiding seven lanes of traffic governed by two out-of-synch lights, including one lane that allows drivers to turn right onto Western Avenue at any time. The four-lane Western Avenue has two signals controlling traffic at competing intervals, making it possible to get halfway across during one red light, only to be stranded on a tiny median island as vehicles speed by. Ramps to and from Soldiers Field Road feed even more traffic through the busy intersection. Sidewalks and curbs on all sides of the intersection as far as the Arsenal Street Bridge are crumbled from disrepair.

"I have witnessed countless incidents where a pedestrian crosses at the wrong time (no fault of their own since there are no signals) and ends up running or causing traffic to slow as they progress across the street," writes D'Souza. "It is also concerning that the curbs which surround this intersection contain no slopes for handicapped individuals. I was under the impression that this is mandatory. I recently noticed that ramps were created at the intersection of Brooks Street and Nonantum Road, which like the intersection noted above, provides Brighton residents with access from their homes to the river paths."

The state and city respond
The Department of Conservation and Recreation oversees much of the intersection including both Soldiers Field Road and Leo M. Birmingham Parkway. Although the intersection does not appear to be on the department's "to do" list, "We're going to take a look at that intersection as soon as we can," said Wendy Fox, a DCR spokeswoman. Just what should - and can - be done to improve things and how long that will take are unknown, she said. "It's going to depend entirely on what they see there."

Although owned by the City of Boston, according to Boston Transportation Department officials, Western Avenue where it meets Leo M. Birmingham Parkway is under the purview of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, said Jennifer Mehigan, a city spokeswoman.

WHO'S IN CHARGE
Rick Sullivan, commissioner
Department of Conservation and Recreation
251 Causeway St., Suite 600
Boston, MA 02114-2104
617-626-1250