So more snow is on the way and evidently it’s going to be a lot of snow. Marty Walsh and the City of Boston have declared a snow emergency and parking ban beginning at 10pm on Saturday, February 14th. Also, in order to help out with the current driving situation in Southie, a new South Boston Emergency Transportation Reconfiguration (ETR) will go into effect at 10pm on Saturday night too. This new ETR will end on April 1st, 2015.
So what does this mean? Well, the numbered streets will become one way – either westbound or eastbound depending on the number. See below:
| South Boston ETR Impacted Streets | |||
| Westbound Streets | Eastbound Streets | ||
| Away from City Point | Toward City Point | ||
| E 2nd St | Farragut Rd – Dorchester St | E 3rd St | G St – Farragut Rd |
| E 4th St | Farragut Rd – Dorchester St | E 5th St | G St – Farragut Rd |
| E 6th St | Farragut Rd – G St | E 7th St | G St – P St |
| E 8th St | O St – Dorchester St | Marine Road | I St – N St |
| W 4th St | Dorchester St – D St | W 5th St | D St – Dorchester St |
| W 6th St | Dorchester St – D St | W 7th St | D St – Dorchester St |
Thank goodness! This should alleviate some traffic issues as well as public safety issues too! This also affects the bus schedule so visit http://www.mbta.com for more information.
Here is the mayor’s full press release:
Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced today the South Boston Emergency Transportation Reconfiguration (ETR) will go into effect on Saturday, February 14, 2015 at 10 p.m. to reconfigure several streets in South Boston to one-way only in an effort to improve public safety. The ETR will end on April 1, 2015.
In advance of the upcoming blizzard, a snow emergency and parking ban in Boston will also go into effect today at 10 p.m. Ticketing and towing will not begin until midnight.
“Boston has seen unprecedented levels of snow over the past few weeks, totaling nearly 80 inches, and more is expected,” Mayor Walsh said. “Boston’s Public Works Department has been working around the clock to remove snow from the neighborhoods, however this emergency reconfiguration will help assure the safety of residents and drivers, and improve access to roadways for public safety officials.”
The Walsh Administration met with local elected officials on Friday to develop the ETR plan.
“I applaud Mayor Walsh for working with South Boston’s elected officials to facilitate a plan to get our neighbors around in the safest manner possible,” City Council President Bill Linehan said. “We’ve had historic amounts of snow in a very short period of time. Sub-zero temperatures and potentially 15 more inches of snow on the horizon require creative measures. We should always sacrifice convenience for safety.”
“I have heard several concerns from constituents about traffic and congestion in the neighborhood, which affects response time of police, fire, and emergency vehicles,” City Councillor At-Large Michael Flaherty said. “Public safety is our first priority, and I support the Mayor’s decision to redirect traffic in an effort to restore order and improve accessibility on South Boston’s streets.”
“The city’s public safety officials have decided that, due to these unprecedented conditions and the cumulative snow fall, this is a necessary measure. We ask for the public’s cooperation during this effort in what we all hope will be a short term solution,” State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry (D-Dorchester) said.
“As elected officials, public safety is our #1 priority,” State Representative Nick Collins (D-South Boston) said. “I applaud Mayor Walsh and his team for coming up with a bold and innovative strategy to make our streets in South Boston more accessible in the aftermath of the unprecedented amount of snowfall this winter season. I ask that residents remain patient as this process unfolds and as the city and state work together to improve transportation and safety conditions.”
“As the Police Commissioner and a lifelong resident of South Boston, I support the Mayor in implementing this temporary traffic reconfiguration,” Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said. “Public safety is my first priority and this plan will assist my department in delivering effective services. “
“This reconfiguration will enhance the public safety response in South Boston,” said Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn. “Minutes count for firefighters and alleviating congestion on the side streets allows for a better response to those who need our help.”
“This effort will have a significant impact on access to the side roads in South Boston and help Police, Fire and EMS when they are in an emergency situation,” Boston Transportation Commissioner Gina Fiandaca said. “BTD will be working in the neighborhood all day to ensure that appropriate signage is up before implementation so residents are aware of all changes and how it might impact their travel.”
“Nobody knows the city streets better than Mayor Walsh and nobody knows better how to keep them safe,” Suffolk County Superior Court Clerk for Civil Business and South Boston resident Michael Donovan said. “It takes a great leader to take this step and, once again, Mayor Walsh is getting out ahead of the next impending storm.”
Even numbered streets will be west-bound and odd numbered streets will be east-bound. Main arterials will remain two-way streets. Streets that are currently one-way streets will maintain their original direction.
Boston Transportation Department will place “Do Not Enter” signs and barricades at 7 a.m. in advance of the emergency reconfiguration going into effect at 10 p.m. City employees will be in the neighborhood beginning at 8 a.m. to discuss the change with residents and provide detailed information.
Boston Police Department will have an increased presence in South Boston to help with adoption of the emergency program.
For updates on how the ETR will impact MBTA bus routes in South Boston, please visit http://www.mbta.com.
5 Comments
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Good job Marty! Maybe now you can plow the rest of the snow emergency roads!
Great idea only forgot one street L Street. Make this a one way save mirrors on alot of cars.
The need for this plan shows the Big Fail of our elected "leaders". In the mid 90s and as late as 2013 we had larger amounts of snow descend upon us, and the leaders in charge then knew they had to actually REMOVE SNOW FROM RESIDENTIAL STREETS, after a certain amount was received.
Remember when one side of the street would get their notice to remove cars, and that side of the street would get completely cleared, and then the following day the other side would get the same treatment?
The solution to remove snow for limited "Main Streets" hasn't worked nearly as well as they hoped and makes current leaders look clueless and unprepared. They are using a one size fits all approach of large plows going down the middle of the street and piling up every corner as they go. Relying on melting a city's worth / size of snow using 2 machines for snow removal?!
Why are we not prepared to use / dump at Moakley, M street and Farragut parks? Use smaller trucks and machines built for efficicient snow removal in the neighborhoods? Big Businesses and Downton Boston have received snow removal priority, but how does that benefit the majority of neighborhoods where residents cannot safely cross streets / can't walk their neighborhood to get to the mom and pop shops?
Big Fail, politicians, Big Fail. You are the only ones patting yourselves on your backs.
Anyone who has been up E 6th street can see that whoever came up with this plan has never actually been in Southie. Let's make a one way going up a steep hill, and then not plow it! What could go wrong?
The 11 city point bus is still driving eastbound on East Eighth ST. This reconfiguration is not working at all. MBTA needs to get on board.