19
May
2011

Study Says Hazmat Trucks Too Dangerous for Waterfront

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TONIGHT: A community meeting on this Hazmat routing study has been scheduled for tonight, Thursday, May 19th at 7pm at the Nazzaro Center. The address for the meeting is 30 N. Bennet Street, and all are encouraged to attend.

The public safety study on the hazardous material, Hazmat, trucks has finally achieved recognition at Boston’s City Hall. According to Boston city officials, the hazardous materials study supports the banning of these trucks from going through any Waterfront and North End streets in Boston. The analysis also further recommends that these trucks be routed completely outside the city.

hazmat ban study revealed for north end and waterfront

Gasoline Tanker Truck in the Waterfront / North End area

This study was contacted by Boston in Spring 2010 after the FMCSA forced the city to stop the daytime ban of trucking routes, which was done in response to trucking companies petitioning that Boston failed to properly analyze truck routes after the Big Dig. Before the Big Dig, hazmat trucks traveled on I-93, and were not allowed to travel inside tunnels or surface streets.

This ban elimination occurred in May 2010, which caused an uproar in the Waterfront and North End neighborhoods, where countless residents have submitted letters and signatures in order to pressure State officials to resolve the situation.

The study has not currently been made public, but it implores the Federal and State authorities to stop these hazmat trucks from traveling through Boston unless they have business with the city, such as gas station deliveries. This restriction would cut down the significant traffic that these trucks represent in the city, which is hundreds of trucks per day.

For our neighbors and clients in the Waterfront and North End, this could potentially eliminate hazmat trucks entirely from Cross Street, Atlantic Avenue, Commercial Street, and N. Washington Street from the Greenway to the Charlestown Bridge.

The results of the study will be revealed and discussed at the community meeting tonight, and city officials are anticipating a positive neighborhood reaction from residents who have long-protested the trucks. So be sure to attend at 7pm tonight!

Source Article: Study Says Hazmat Trucks are Too Dangerous for North End / Waterfront