The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) recently conducted a study to evaluate the feasibility of a freight corridor with rail and roadway elements along the Mystic Wharf Branch railroad right-of-way in Charlestown. The haul road/railroad corridor is intended to improve truck and rail access for the industrial businesses in and near the Charlestown portion of the Mystic River Designated Port Area (DPA) and to enhance neighborhood quality of life by increasing the separation between neighborhood residences and the freight related traffic in the area. This feasibility study defines the role of the haul road/rail corridor in the context of the adjacent transportation network and it identifies and evaluates potential haul road/rail alignments. The study was funded through a grant from the Seaport Advisory Council Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

Massport is seeking public comment on the Feasibility Study and intends to bind them with the final project documentation as a permanent record of public input to the project. Public comments will be used to inform the future decision-making process for the project and should be received no later than Friday, September 30, 2005. Comments can be e-mailed to ahargens@massport.com or mailed to:

Andrew Hargens
Senior Planner/Project Manager
Economic and Planning Development Department
Massachusetts Port Authority
One Harborside Drive, Suite 200S
Boston, MA 02128-2909

To view the Feasibility Study Executive Summary click here.

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