The City of Boston Mayor’s Office issued the following release:
MAYOR THOMAS M. MENINO REQUESTS EXPEDITIOUS IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM BOSTON’S HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ROUTING STUDY
In a letter to the Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Jeffrey B. Mullan, Mayor Thomas M. Menino has requested that the state quickly begin the process necessary to implement the recommendations of the recently released Hazardous Cargo Routing Study. The study was implemented after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a preemption decision on the hazardous cargo route, developed by the City of Boston.
“With the current routes deemed a more than 50% higher risk than the Route 128 alternative, it is time to take action”, stated Mayor Menino. “This risk is an unacceptable burden for the city, particularly its North End and Waterfront communities, to bear.”
The City of Boston released the results of the Hazardous Transport Study on May 13, 2011. The results of the study determined that hazmat trucks traveling through Boston at any time presents an unacceptable level of risk in accordance with federal government standards. The report strongly recommends that only hazmat vehicles with drop-off or pickup locations within Boston should be allowed to travel within city limits, all others must use alternative routes outside the city
The recommendations of the study can not be implemented until the Massachusetts Department of Transportation completes their review of the study, and engages in a process to implement them.
The City of Boston presented the study to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation on April 26 and is currently working cooperatively with the Commonwealth toward implementation.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino has also informed Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator, Anne S. Ferro of the city’s intent to move forward in identifying alternate routes for hazardous truck carriers. “Public safety is our first priority and I am grateful for your willingness to work with our local officials to achieve that goal.” stated Mayor Menino in recent correspondence with Administrator Ferro.
The City urges concerned citizens to contact the Federal Motor Carrier Administration and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to support the swift implementation of the study’s recommendations. Letters can be sent to:
Anne S. Ferro, Administrator
Federal Motor Carrier Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E.
Suite W60-300
Washington, DC 20590
Jeffrey B. Mullan, Secretary
Department of Transportation
Ten Park Plaza, Suite 3170
Boston, MA 02116
