 Newsletter #39September 24, 2024. https://alewife.org |
| This ASG Newsletter includes the following updates: MBTA proposes Hi-Rail Access Tunnel at Alewife Station – Will improve T service –Possible environmental dangers and other negative impacts -Community has been left out of important decisions Part 1: What is happening? MBTA (T) proposes Hi-Rail Access Tunnel construction at Alewife Station See September 16 Press Release T will hold a Public Meeting on September 30, at 6pm, on Zoom, about the Hi-Rail project. Register for the meeting See Part 2 below for more information. ASG Supports adding a second Hi-Rail access point on the Cambridge side of the Red Line. We agree with the reasons in this T Press Release, However, there are serious and complex issues at the location chosen by the T, and problems with the T’s public engagement so far. Issues: The proposed location is heavily contaminated with asbestos, very close to busy youth playing fields, in the 100 year floodplain, in a nature preserve, and crosses an important new bike-pedestrian path. See Part 3 below for more information. Lack of Community Input: The T chose the location of the Hi-Rail Access Tunnel without any community input. See Part 4 below for more information. Questions? Contact ASG at contact@alewife.org Look for updates on this situation in ASG Newsletter #40 later this week. Part 2: September 30 Meeting T will hold a Public Meeting on September 30, at 6pm, on Zoom, about the Hi-Rail project. For more information and to Register This is the first of maybe only two public meetings about this project. It is important that we have a large turnout to show the community’s interest in this project, learn about it, and tell the T about any problems with the plan and their process. Also, plan to attend the Conservation Commission meeting about this project on Monday, October 21, on Zoom. Registration is not available yet. ASG will share info when it is available. This meeting will be about wetlands and flood storage. Share this info with your family, friends and neighbors. Encourage them to attend the Sept. 30 meeting. More about the September 30 meeting The T’s publicity about the meeting doesn’t say this, but the September 30 meeting is a RAM Plan meeting. RAM stands for Release Abatement Measures, which means how to prevent the release of hazardous waste during the construction. Asbestos in the soil is the key hazardous material at the location the T chose. ASG expects that the T will briefly show the location and plans for the Hi-Rail project. Then, the T’s Licensed Site Professional (LSP) will present the RAM plan, and ask for questions and comments. The LSP is an environmental consultant. This T meeting will begin a 30-day period, until October 30, for comments on the RAM plan, either at the meeting, or by mail or email after. The T will then revise the RAM Plan and submit it to the Massachusetts Department of Environment (MassDEP) for approval. Here is the link to the T’s draft RAM Plan, including 16 pages of text, 7 pages of figures (maps and plans), 5 pages of tables, and almost 300 pages of logs. The tables and logs show the results from asbestos testing of the soil where the tunnel will be dug. ASG has created maps that show the test results, shown below in the Asbestos section. Part 3: Issues The proposed location is heavily contaminated with asbestos in the 100 year floodplain, in a nature preserve, very close to busy youth playing fields, and it crosses an important new bike-pedestrian path. Location: Hi-Rail vehicles would take the Alewife Loop Road to the back entrance of the IQHQ site. A new driveway would fork to the right from the IQHQ driveway, cross a new bike-pedestrian path, and then slope into the ground to meet the Red Line Tunnel. For more details, see the maps on the RAM Plan and in this newsletter. Asbestos The T chose a location for the Hi-Rail Access tunnel that is heavily contaminated with asbestos. In June of 2024, the T took 147 samples from 64 locations. More than 57 percent of all locations tested positive for asbestos. ASG created the map below to show results of asbestos testing by the T in June. It also shows the results of earlier asbestos testing on the W.R. Grace, now IQHQ, and where IQHQ has replaced the top 12-18” of soil with clean fill.  This map is composed of several maps on top of each other, with Whittemore Ave on the left and Rindge Ave on the right.1999, Haley & Aldrich map: Every red dot is an asbestos hit, a location where there is enough asbestos that the nearby community could be harmed by dust from any soil released from this location. Every black dot is a non-detect of asbestos. 2024 IQHQ map: 18” of clean replacement soil is colored green Fall 2024 of the planned T access tunnel: (center-ish, depicted with two parallel curved lines). Every dot between the parallel lines represents a test for asbestos. Every red dot is an asbestos hit. The blue are non-detects. Protection from Asbestos and other contamination The T’s notice about the September 30 meeting says, “The soil at the construction site is contaminated with asbestos, semi-volatile organic compounds, and potentially metals. To keep the surrounding neighborhood safe during construction, crews will: -Excavate soil under a plan approved by the )Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP -Transport contaminated soil off-site immediately after excavating -None of the T’s documents mention the Cambridge Asbestos ordinance (APO). ASG believes that the APO applies to the T’s project, including requiring tenting and venting (with HEPA filters) over all areas where the soil will be disturbed below the top 6”. IQHQ has followed the APO, including tenting and venting where required, on its entire 27-acre site. The City of Cambridge followed the APO, with tenting and venting on a few locations where required, when it completely rebuilt Russell Field in the early 2000’s. This project will require the excavation of a very large amount of soil. The T RAM Plan estimates 8,000 cubic yards of soil will be removed, of which about 3,250 cubic yards are contaminated by oil or other hazardous materials. This might be 800 truckloads of soil removed, maybe more. And that soil is close to where many children, from all over Cambridge and beyond, play at both Russell Field and the small playground next to the Alewife T parking garage. Go here to read the Cambridge Asbestos Protection Ordinance. It is a few pages long. The IQHQ site has an Activity & Use Limitation (AUL) deed restriction, negotiated between W.R. Grace, ASG, and MassDEP in the early 2000’s. Go here to read About the AUL. For more information about the history and issues at the W.R Grace, now IQHQ site, go to the ASG website alewife.org Compensatory Flood Storage and Saving Trees The T’s proposed location for the Hi-Rail Access is in the 100 year floodplain. Therefore, any loss of flood storage from this project will require replacement flood storage of equal amount, at the same elevation, connected to the lost flood storage, and on the same property. Nature Preserve The T’s proposed Hi-Rail access is in the 4-acre meadow that IQHQ committed to provide as part of receiving their Special Permit from the Cambridge Planning Board. IQHQ worked closely with ASG, Friends of Jerry’s Pond, Mass Audubon and many others to make plans to restore the ecosystem and habitat in this 4-acre meadow. New Bicycle-Pedestrian Path The proposed road to the Hi-Rail Access Tunnel would cross the new Bicycle-Pedestrian Path that IQHQ has built, at the request of the community, to better connect the Linear Park Path to the Minuteman, Fitchburg Cutoff, and Discovery Park paths, and rescue bicycle traffic on Russell Field. How would this new road impact the new bike-ped path? Part 4: Lack of Community Input -ASG recently found out that the T has been discussing this project with the City of Cambridge since July 2023. -On March 31 of this year, ASG first heard about the project from another member of our neighborhood. -On April 2, ASG then discussed the project with IQHQ, which owns the land the T wants to use for the project. -IQHQ recommended to the T that they engage with ASG about this project, because of ASG’s deep knowledge of the site and issues. -On May 2, the T’s public relations sub-contractor emailed ASG to offer a survey or a meeting. -On May 3, ASG replied requesting a meeting and documents. -It then took 3 ½ months for ASG to get a meeting with the T’s public relations sub-contractors, and then another 5 weeks to get a meeting with some T management and technical staff. This meeting will be on September 24. -In the meantime, the project reached the 75% design stage in June without any community input. For questions or comments about issues in our community, contact ASG contact@alewife.org ASG NewsletterASG will send email updates as needed during the development of the IQHQ site.Click here for previous ASG Newsletters Anyone can sign up (or unsubscribe) for this newsletter by completing the Contact Form at the bottom of the ASG home page: alewife.org We also welcome your questions, comments, ideas, and offers of help! |
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