To the Editor:
I am writing on behalf of the town of Lincoln and the Lincoln Board of Selectmen with regard to statements made by Neil Feinberg in his article entitled “Incorrect Thoughts,” published in the March 6 edition of the Lincoln Journal. Mr. Feinberg stated the following with respect to the imminent commencement of more active construction of the Crosby Corner flyover bridge: “Route 2 traffic will be (gulp) diverted through town.” He went on to predict massive traffic tie-ups through the town center.
Mr. Feinberg’s statements were truly, and regrettably, “incorrect.”
The contract between the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT) and its highway contractor explicitly requires that all four lanes of traffic remain open during peak commuting hours (6-10 a.m. and 2:30-7 p.m., Monday through Friday). During non-peak hours, there are occasional closures of one lane in each direction.
Public safety officials from Lincoln and Concord have gone on record with DOT about the importance of strict adherence to this requirement. Thus far in the project, DOT has complied with this requirement and has otherwise been exceptionally responsive to the town’s concerns and requests.
Moreover, during the most recent biweekly meetings between DOT and town officials, DOT and the contractor have confirmed that they plan to move the four travel lanes slightly northward and westward during construction of the bridge, so that four lanes will continue to be available for through-travel at all times (except occasional closures of a lane in each direction during non-peak hours).
In short, they have no plans to divert Route 2 traffic through our town center.
A project of the scale and scope of the improvements to Route 2/Crosby’s Corner comes with many challenges—traffic safety and traffic management prominent among them. To this end, town officials meet with DOT and the contractor regularly and have established a beneficial working relationship, which we expect to continue throughout the project.
Untrue, misleading statements by Mr. Feinberg that could unnecessarily alarm the public are unhelpful.
Sincerely,
Selectman Peter Braun, for the Board of Selectmen
16 Trapelo Rd.
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic. They may be edited for length, grammar/punctuation, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.