IN THIS ISSUE:

On September 11, 2011 the Veterans Memorial Bridge was dedicated and opened for business.  

Since 1966, the replacement of the Brightman Street Bridge, or as it was optimistically dubbed in 1908, the "Everlasting Bridge," was a topic of conversation among many state transportation and local officials.  It was also in the 1960's that a Comprehensive Transportation and Arterial Study identified the Brightman Street and Slade's Ferry Bridges as "unreasonable hazards to navigation to nautical and vehicular traffic." 

By 1975, transportation officials requested a study from SRPEDD to evaluate the crossing of the Taunton River.  In 1980, the Taunton River Crossing Corridor Planning Study determined the best solution was for a new double bascule bridge to be located at a point north from the existing Brightman Street Bridge.  A presentation was made to local residents by a then new SRPEDD employee, Roland Hebert, who in his second week on the job, was forced to become the bona fide expert on the new bridge.  Little did he or anyone else know at that time, this would be Roland's legacy as the spokesperson for what became the Veterans Memorial Bridge. 

On September 11, 2011 the Veterans Memorial Bridge was dedicated and opened for business. Although work still continues on the bridge, the connections to Route 79 in Fall River and to Routes 6 and 138 in Somerset are now fully open to the public.  More recently, the Private Michael E. Bouthot Bike Path that travels along the north side of the bridge was opened to the public.  Private Michael E. Bouthot, of Somerset, was killed in action in Iraq in 2006.

For SRPEDD staff, the opening of the bridge brings closure to a project that began over 30 years ago when Roland, a Navy Veteran of the USS Intrepid, took a plan for this bridge under his arm and began the exhaustive campaign to build it. Public sentiment did not always agree with the construction of a new bridge, but numerous closings of the Brightman Street Bridge gradually changed public opinion to support what we see today.  Although Roland never got to see its completion, he did get the opportunity to witness the bridge's construction and he would be proud.

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In the fall of 2010, Governor Patrick issued Executive Order 525, which provides for the implementation of the South Coast Rail Economic Development and Land Use Corridor Plan. This Order represents an unprecedented linkage between state investments and geographically identified priority protection and priority development areas. The Executive Order calls for "state agencies to review their policies, actions and investments to support and implement the recommendations of the Corridor Plan.  State investments in infrastructure and land preservation, whether made directly (such as constructing new buildings or office leases) or through grants and loans to municipalities, will be consistent to the maximum extent possible with the Corridor Map set forth in the Corridor Plan. Investments include, but are not limited to, water, wastewater, transportation, housing and economic development funding and land preservation funding."

In addition to tracking state activities, actions taken at the local level will also be tracked. Beginning at the spring Town Meetings in 2008, data will also be collected on local zoning actions and other investments. The actions that will be tracked include new zoning bylaws and updates, land preservation, housing and subdivisions, commercial and industrial projects, Community Preservation Act (CPA) funded projects, as well as locally funded plans.

An Interagency group composed of senior managers from relevant agencies has been formed to guide the implementation of the Executive Order. The state actions and investments assessed in the two-year retrospective and those that will be made in the future will be published in a publically-accessible, interactive map to ensure that policy decisions are transparent. This map will provide a simple way to visually assess the alignment of state investments with the priority areas. 

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Unified Planning Work Program Studies for 2012

The Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) documents the annual transportation planning activities that are to be undertaken in the SRPEDD region.  These activities, including tasks and studies, support the goals, objectives and actions established in the 2012 Regional Transportation Plan (T-Plan). The UPWP is developed by the SRPEDD staff with input from a myriad of sources, including the Joint Transportation Planning Group (JTPG), local governments, regional transit providers, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), the SRPEDD Commission and residents of the region through our public participation process.

One of the major elements of the UPWP is conducting studies recommended in the T-Plan. These will include pedestrian and intersection safety studies and intersection congestion studies throughout the entire region. Other environmental and transit projects are also planned. Some of the major efforts planned for the upcoming year are as follows:

The "Octopus" in New Bedford: This configuration of roads, at the juncture of Route 6, Mill Street, Purchase Street, Pleasant Street and Foster Street is a safety problem for vehicles and for pedestrians, as well as a congestion problem. This study will entail an extensive evaluation of crash reports, traffic operations and existing and future land use and their impact on this intersection. Several improvement alternatives will be considered including the feasibility of a roundabout for this intersection.

Route 44 (Dean Street) in Taunton: This section of Route 44 between Arlington Street and Route 104 near the Raynham line is a bottleneck and has safety issues due to access management (a great number of business driveways) and the intersection with Longmeadow Road. This segment also experiences flooding which resulted in road closure last year. This study will also examine pedestrian and bicycle facilities in conjunction with the proposed Arlington Street station for the South Coast rail project. 

Flood Hazard Reduction: This collaborative effort with Save-The-Bay will provide an assessment of road runoff vulnerability and water quality impairment in the upper Narragansett and Mount Hope Bay watersheds. This effort expands on SRPEDD's ongoing Geographic Roadway Runoff Inventory Program (GRRIP).

Mobility Management: This will involve the inventory of all transportation resources and providers, the development and promotion of transportation service coordination, planning, implementation and administrative support. This effort will create a one-stop transportation information resource to provide information on all transportation modes and how to make connections.

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SRPEDD Mapping Transit on Google Earth

SRPEDD's Google Earth map of the GATRA service area

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GATRA launches Google Transit

Google Transit directions from the Silver City Galleria Mall to the GATRA bus terminal in Taunton

One of the latest innovations in public transportation is Google Transit. Google Transit is a free computer application tool that enables anyone to plan a trip with step-by-step transit and walking directions. Google Transit features maps, street views, photographs and bus stops. It is available worldwide and in hundreds of cities and is now available for mobile phones. With the assistance of SRPEDD, the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) launched their data on Google Transit this past August.  More and more transit agencies are compiling their data into Google's Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) to be available to their users.

GATRA users can now go to Google Maps and search for directions just as they would by car, except that users can now click on the bus icon to search directions by transit.  The result will show upcoming departures and the route.  Step-by-step directions for the entire route including transfers and travel times are available in text and on the map. 

Google Transit will only work if the transit agency has submitted their GTFS data to Google and has been launched successfully.  SRPEDD is currently working on the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority's (SRTA) GTFS data.  We hope to see SRTA on Google Transit within the coming months.

Google transit and Google maps make public transportation easy!  Try it for yourself at maps.google.com.

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SRPEDD Leads HUD Application to Create a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development in Southeastern Massachusetts

Population analysis from SRPEDD's recent HUD/DOT/EPA application  

Can one agency plan for our region's land use, economic development, utilities, fair housing, workforce development, community well-being, transportation alignment, natural resources, sustainable water infrastructure, climate change and disaster readiness - all while placing a premium on civic engagement and project implementation?  Not without partners!

That's exactly why SRPEDD recently teamed with six core organizations and over thirty supporting members to apply for a $1.75M Federal grant that, if successful, will produce a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development for Southeastern Massachusetts (RPSD) over the next three years.  The RPSD would integrate all planning initiatives described above and represent the first comprehensive plan in our region's history.

SRPEDD's core partners include: (1) the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Center for Policy Analysis, a well-respected indicator policy tracking organization; (2) the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth Center for Campus and Community Sustainability, a regional voice on sustainable development, climate change and alternative energy; (3) South Shore Housing, a strong regional fair housing advocate and non-profit developer; (4) the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts, a well respected community advocate and social justice philanthropic organization; (5) Bristol Community College Center for Community and Workforce Education, which advances job-training and economic development initiatives; and (6) YMCA Southcoast, which brings its expertise on public health and community well-being to the RPSD.

The nation-wide Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program is cosponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  While we acknowledge the tough competition, we also believe we submitted a strong application.  Our RPSD proposal responded directly to the HUD/DOT/EPA program's requirements while advancing a vision that builds on our region's unique New England character and the great potential of its communities, environment, and economy.

Please click this link to access the Grant Program Notification of Funding Availability, the Application Narrative, Forms, and Appendices - and keep your fingers crossed!

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Where is Stacy in this photo?  The first of SRPEDD's Facebook Friends (a person who "Likes" SRPEDD) to correctly respond on our wall wins a free SRPEDD Mug.

Hi, my name is Stacy Sousa and I work as the Homeland Security Compliance Grant Assistant here at SRPEDD and maintain our website. I started here as an intern and now enjoy working on various projects with the Homeland Security staff.

I currently live in Taunton and am engaged to be married. When I'm not at SRPEDD, I spend time with my fiancé and family, at the gym or shopping. I have 5 nieces and nephews who keep me pretty busy. I also like to travel. I have been to Portugal, Las Vegas and to the Caribbean. My dream trip would be to go to Italy and sample all of the local cuisine.

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SRPEDD's Facebook Page "Turns 100"!

SRPEDD's social media efforts center on our Facebook page, which recently gained its 100th member (people who "Like" SRPEDD).

While SRPEDD enjoys taking advantage of social media's lighter side (mug giveaways and our bike ride and ball game photos), we hope to exploit the platform's more serious applications by sharing pertinent articles, inviting comments on our work, and generating interesting and timely discussions.  

If you've yet to join us, please do!  And check out our other social media efforts on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube!

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