Save the Esplanade

To:  Governor Deval Patrick

We the undersigned strongly oppose the use of Boston’s historic Charles River Esplanade as a by-pass road during the construction of the Storrow Drive Tunnel project.

The “temporary” use of the Esplanade for a by-pass road would cause irreparable, permanent harm to the park, including the loss of over eighty mature trees. Post-construction mitigation measures can never restore these trees and, even if mitigation measures are promised, the Commonwealth has demonstrated its ability to renege on such commitments for policy and financial reasons.

We believe that an alternative solution can be developed to manage traffic on Storrow Drive during the project’s construction phase. We request that the Commonwealth work with interested parties, including the Storrow Drive Landscape and Transportation Advisory Committees, to develop a regional traffic plan that better serves area drivers and does not adversely affect the Esplanade.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Save the Esplanade Petition to Governor Deval Patrick was created by The Esplanade Association and written by Patrice Todisco (ptodisco@esplanadeassociation.org).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.