News

On-Ramp Impacting Proposed Back Bay Station Redevelopment To Close Permanently

Photo credit: Courtesy of the Boston Planning & Development Agency
Rendering Of Boston Properties' Approved 1.2M Sf Proposal To Redevelop Back Bay Station

A high rate of vehicle crashes is causing Massachusetts transportation officials to close an Interstate 90 access point in Back Bay.

The Clarendon Street on-ramp to I-90 will close Sept. 3, MassDOT announced Tuesday. The westbound access point has about 75% fewer vehicles per hour than nearby ramps on Arlington and Dartmouth streets, but more crashes, according to MassDOT.

“This on-ramp has limited sight distance for drivers, meaning they have little visibility of other vehicles when they are merging onto the highway, and it is too short for vehicles to accelerate to the appropriate speed at the access point,” MassDOT said in a statement.

The transportation agency had been in talks with neighbors for more than a year on whether to close the ramp. Back Bay Association President Meg Mainzer-Cohen said the move will make Clarendon Street safer to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.

It will also give Boston Properties the potential for more developable area with its planned Back Bay/South End Gateway project. The 1.2M SF proposal includes a 618K SF office tower, but it would have lost 12K SF if the ramp remained open.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Boston Newsletters
Related Stories

JVP Development Is Betting $37M Of Its Own Money That Frisco Is Ready For Spec Office

Hedge Fund Bids $88M For Spirit Airlines' Former HQ

Boston Property Owners Raise Alarms About Cost Of Electric-Building Push

Oyster Point's Second Phase Half-Leased As Kilroy Navigates Soft Lab Demand

BXP Closes In On Next D.C. Office Development As It Shrinks Assets

Clarion Under Contract To Sell 18-Story Seaport Office Tower

Oil Company Expands Again At Cash Register Building

BXP's 343 Madison Lands $1.2B Loan, Nears Deal With Equity Partner

D.C. Sues To Block HUD Headquarters Move To Virginia

Ken Griffin Completes Takeover Of Brickell Block, Setting Stage For $2.5B Megaproject

How A New Financing Model Helps Spur More Mixed-Income Housing

Law Firm Relocating To South Station Tower: The Boston Deal Sheet