DCR

Somebody at the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation has quite the sense of humor

adamg — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:20:40 +0000

At the brand-new crosswalk installed by the DCR on the Jamaicaway at Jamaica Pond, Carol Garfield ponders how, exactly, the state wants her to get across the road.

Photo by Steve Garfield posted under this Creative Commons license. Tagged as universalhub on Flickr.

CARE ABOUT YOUR STATE PARKS? GO TO THE EOEEA FY 2011 BUDGET HEARING THIS MONDAY

Boston Park Advocates — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:06:28 +0000

Do you care about basic services in your DCR parks in Boston? Go to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs' FY 2011’s budget hearing with Secretary Ian Bowles on Monday, November 23, 2009, from 3:30 to 5:00 pm at 100 Cambridge Street, 2nd floor, Conference Room B. Submit written comments prior to the hearing, or up until November 30, 2009. Bring a picture I.D. for security.

So when is somebody going to get bonked in the head by one of the dead trees along the Charles?

adamg — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:16:29 +0000

Mike Mennonno notes somebody was recently critically injured by a rotted-out tree limb that fell from a tree in Central Parks and that the DCR has been ignoring him for more than two years when he calls to complain about dead trees along the Charles River bike path. He posts photos from a copse of tree corpses:

... As I rode by this morning I realized there were actually three dead or mostly dead trees in the space of a few hundred yards along this well-traveled portion of the path near the new work-out station. I also noticed that each of the dead trees seemed strategically placed where a large overhanging dead limb could best fall on someone: over a park bench, above a water fountain on the main path, at the intersection of the main path and a pedestrian overpass. ...

Longfellow Bridge sidewalk reopened

Ron Newman — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 00:36:31 +0000

According to a press release that I received from the DCR yesterday, the upstream (south) sidewalk of the Longfellow Bridge reopened yesterday.

Here's the full text of the press release:

Wait a minute, what happened to Massport?

adamg — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:12:28 +0000

Remember when Massport was going to eat up the turnpike authority and solve all its problems? Now the state Senate is looking at a proposal to create a super-duper Massachusetts Surface Transportation Authority to gobble up the turnpike (which includes the Harbor tunnels), the MBTA, DCR parkways and the Tobin Bridge (now owned by Massport).

State Sen. Steven Baddour explains the proposal on Blue Mass. Group (with more details here), says the thing would be called MassTrans. One interesting idea: turn the current state highway fund into a "Surface Transportation Trust Fund." So those new gas taxes could help subdidize the T?

Baddour says reorganization could save up to $6 billion (over 20 years) in reduced overhead. Cool, no? And we'll just pretend for a second that the state has an outstanding record with creating authorities and commissions that run well and cost effectively (hey, there's always the MWRA).

But what happened to Massport in all this? Perhaps this is all for the good - without the Tobin, that authority can get back to doing what it's supposed to: Running the port of Boston.

Damn you, DCR: You made her miss brisket

adamg — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:56:20 +0000

Nothing should stand between a girl and her Chanukah brisket, especially not the crappy, axle-cracking condition of Charles River Drive in Watertown, a grumpy Mels grumps.

Best DCR press release EVER

Ron Newman — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:16:20 +0000

TRAFFIC ADVISORY
CIRCUS ANIMALS WILL SLOW TRAFFIC
ON SEVERAL DCR ROADWAYS

Expect delays Monday evening

WHAT: Elephants, zebras, and horses from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will walk along several Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) roadways to the TD Banknorth Garden where they will perform with the circus during the week. As they are led to the Garden, Massachusetts State Police and Cambridge and Boston police officers will provide a rolling roadblock behind them, which will slow traffic for the duration of their walk.

WHEN: Monday October 6, 2008
Beginning at 8 p.m.

WHERE: The animals will begin walking from the train yard near Vassar Street in Cambridge. They will head south on Massachusetts Avenue, turn left on Memorial Drive eastbound, continue straight on Land Boulevard, turn right on Msgr. O'Brien Highway, cross the Charles River Dam onto Martha Road in Boston, and turn left on Nashua Street to the Garden.

State agency finds way to enhance revenue in Fenway

adamg — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:57:57 +0000

Steve S discovered the hard way that the state Department of Conservation and Recreation has figured out it can put up "No Parking" signs on Park Drive near Beacon Street and then start towing away reams of cars:

... I talked to the woman at the tow lot. she says the sign is brand new and they towed something like 20 cars on one day this weekend, probably Saturday. While we were there, the tow operator came over the nextel... "Towing two cars at the corner of Park and Beacon"... two more suckers. ...

Apparently, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts does not own a bolt cutter

adamg — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:45:39 +0000

Everybody agrees it's wrong that those brand-spanking new fields along the Charles River are padlocked most of the time, yet nobody can agree why, let alone simply send out a guy with a bolt cutter to end the problem.

Do you have your passport?

Kaz — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:07:26 +0000

On June 28th, DCR kicked off it's new Park Passport, a stamp book with stamp stations placed in 76 parks across the state (15 parks in the Boston area, including John Paul II, Castle Island, and the Southwest Corridor). Each park has a different stamp, so you have to go to all of the parks if you want to collect all of the stamps. When you complete any one of the 5 regions, you can use the completed passport at the regional office (starting August 15) to receive a t-shirt with the stamp pictures on it for that region.

It's slow speed ahead for the Red Line on the Longfellow until further notice

adamg — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:14:24 +0000

For the same reason trucks have been banned from everybody's favorite rusted-out hulk of a bridge. Ron Newman asks; Joe Pesaturo at the T answers: It's 10 m.p.h. for Red Line trains until the Department of Conservation and Recreation tells the T otherwise.

Longfellow Bridge reduced to one lane each way

Ron Newman — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 22:53:18 +0000

A brand-new press release from the DCR:

DCR CLOSES INSIDE LANES OF LONGFELLOW BRIDGE TO ALL TRAFFIC

Agency also bans large trucks from the bridge

Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) officials today announced that effective Saturday morning, June 28, the inside lanes in both directions on the Longfellow Bridge will be closed to all traffic.

Also, all large trucks will be prohibited from the Longfellow, and will be detoured to other bridges across the Charles River. Cars, buses, and light trucks will continue traveling on the outside lanes of the bridge.

State closes Longfellow Bridge sidewalk

Ron Newman — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 22:55:39 +0000

I just got this press release from the Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR):

DCR CLOSES LONGFELLOW BRIDGE SIDEWALK
Bridge to be closed to spectators on the Fourth of July

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) today closed the sidewalk on the west side of the Longfellow Bridge until further notice, after an inspection late Thursday night discovered a support beam in need of immediate repair. Pedestrians will be detoured to the opposite sidewalk, which remains open.

The inspection was conducted by DCR engineers after a consultant’s report determined that load distributions on the sidewalks should continue to be evaluated. The DCR inspection revealed that the upstream sidewalk (the side carrying Cambridge-to-Boston vehicular traffic) needed to be closed to all pedestrians due to serious deterioration of a steel support structure under the sidewalk.

Two bridges too far

adamg — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:18:59 +0000

Longfellow Bridge is falling down, falling down? Sorta, but not really, state says. Which, as Michael Pahre recalls, is what the state said about the BU Bridge upriver:

Few people would likely disagree that the DCR (and its predecessor agencies) has a poor record in maintaining their infrastructure, although some blame could easily be pointed at the State Legislature and/or Governor for failure to allocate sufficient funding. But the DCR should do a better job at recognizing and reporting the condition of the infrastructure under their control, rather that making public misstatements or engaging in peculiar reporting practices. The public statements of DCR officials about the current condition of their bridges is straining their credibility.