Details, Details, Details

In today’s Reporter and Sun Chronicle:

• Town, State back $9m Bridge
• MPO Approves Plan: 13-1

We’ll have a pedestrian bridge that the State owns and NPS, LLC/Kraft Group will be responsible for performing routine maintenance on and servicing the two elevators at either end of the span.

Glass enclosed with two elevators and stairs, will there be anything else included (sellers of sundries, post game or concert sales, advertising, coffee-snack bar, vending machines, information kiosk)? The bridge should improve safety and provide handicap accessibility, both great things! How does the seemingly (to many) large pricetag compare to other pedestrian bridges – is $9million a fair pricetag? Hopefully this will also help the growth of the economic district and economy as predicted.

Onwards to the disputes about the police details…..

$9million Is Coming To Town!

According to the news
(Sun Chronicle and Boston Globe) it’s a $9 million footbridge that is coming to town.

How will this and the ongoing development along Route 1 including the Massachusetts backed 1.6 million square-foot Bio-Tech Office Complex proposed across from the stadium, Chestnut Green (and the propsed changes to their approved plans) and at Patriot Place dovetail with Kraft Group’s propsal to buy the spur that serves these locations and currently ends at Gillette Stadium?

What about the ongoing State/Police/Stadium security personnel issues – who will staff the area and P10 and P11 if there is no need to stop traffic because the visitors will have to take the 24′x135′ pedestrian bridge?

While part of the stimulus funding is for infrastructure projects, is this one of the State’s priorities? What about some dams, crumbling auto bridges, roadways, heck, even the Edwards Road area could use a bit of the money to improve infrastructure and increase public safety! Guess we couldn’t make it a $.50 per person each way toll pedestrian bridge until the $9million is repayed (but, then it could end up like Mass Pike and its tolls….)?

“Kraft Group submits plans for office park” (March 5, 2009)
Tech park offers promise of 4,000 jobs (March 12, 2009)
BOS Meeting Minutes – SEMass Commuter Rail
7:05 pm comments by James Oliver, Foxborogh representative on the Task Force of Southeastern Massachusetts Commuter Rail Task Force
“Local sites protected in rail planning effort” (August 13, 2009)