Final Environmental Impact Report - Whittier Bridge/I-95 ...

Whittier Bridge/I-95 Improvement Project FEIR
Chapter 2.0: Response to Comments on the Environmental Assessment/Draft Environmental Impact Report
impacts in excess of 40 square feet at Wetland I would result in the need for a Variance from the
Wetlands Protection Act for the project. The timeline for a Variance would push the project outside of
the Accelerated Bridge Program funding schedule.
MassDOT has determined that the requested acquisition of the former railroad ROW under I-95 to
enable a future connection between the Powow River trail in Amesbury and the Ghost Trail in
Salisbury is beyond the scope of the Whittier Bridge project. The proposed widening and
reconstruction of the I-95 bridges over the railroad ROW will not impede future development of a
connection between Powow River and Ghost trails. The connection of the Powow River and Ghost
Trails is an independent project that can be subsequently pursued by the municipalities through
regular project development process. It would not be precluded by this project.
CTC-2: The connection between Salisbury's Ghost Trail and Amesbury is critical to public safety. The Ghost Trail
now terminates only a few yards from I-95 and the Salisbury/Amesbury town line. The connection can be made easily
by using the three abandoned railroad underpasses beneath I-95 that are part of the same abandoned railroad line
as is used by Salisbury's Ghost Trail and Amesbury's Riverwalk. The connection would allow people walking or
bicycling between Salisbury and Amesbury and those using the Ghost Trail and Amesbury's Riverwalk to do so
safely by avoiding two extremely dangerous crossings of the I-95 ramps on Route 110. The connection was shown in
Drawings C-10 and C-11 of the project's Shared Use Path Feasibility Study.
Unfortunately, the railroad right of way beneath the I-95 underpasses was sold to a private party years ago. We
request that you require MassDOT to acquire a segment of the right of way beneath and near the underpasses that
would permit making the connection shown in the Feasibility Study. This would permit Amesbury and Salisbury to
design and construct the connection. Owning this segment of the right of way would also facilitate widening the
highway over the underpasses which is part of the project as well as MassDOT's long-term maintenance of the
highway and the underpasses.
Response: MassDOT has determined that the requested acquisition of the former railroad ROW
under I-95 to enable a future connection between the Powow River trail in Amesbury and the Ghost
Trail in Salisbury is beyond the scope of the Whittier Bridge project. The proposed widening and
reconstruction of the I-95 bridges over the railroad ROW will not impede future development of a
connection between Powow River and Ghost Trails by Amesbury and Salisbury. The connection of
the Powow River and Ghost Trails is an independent project that can be subsequently pursued by
the municipalities through regular project development process. It would not be precluded by this
project.
2.5.2 Foundation for Resilient Societies
The Foundation for Resilient Societies (FRS) submitted a letter dated December 21, 2011.
FRS-1: The Whittier Bridge Replacement Project involves the addition of four lanes northbound (plus shoulder), then
the building of additional lanes southbound. When this Project is completed circa the year 2016, the replacement
Whittier Bridge will increase the capacity of Interstate 95 as one of the region's primary emergency evacuation
corridors. With contraflow evacuations, using shoulders as well as travel lanes, there could ultimately be at least 9 of
10 lanes available for contraflow evacuation in an emergency. This is at least a 50 percent increase from the present
flow constriction at the Whittier Bridge, six lanes without operable shoulder lanes.
Response: The comment is noted.
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