CSX Readville Yard Boston

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Fri Aug 16, 2024 6:40 pm Interesting. Glad they are pulling this off. I still remember back in the Menino days when truck drivers were being harassed and fined for using the Neponset Valley Parkway as a way the NIMBYS tried to kill any plans to run such a truck centric operation out of that facility. It was a very antagonistic situation that could have potentially destroyed any future use of that property.

That wouldn't be the City Nepnset Valley Parkway is owned by DCR and being a Parkway tractor trailers are not allowed. Maybe the facility should have done their research on truck routes before moving in?

Red Wing wrote: ↑Sat Aug 24, 2024 3:33 pm

bostontrainguy wrote: ↑Fri Aug 16, 2024 6:40 pm Interesting. Glad they are pulling this off. I still remember back in the Menino days when truck drivers were being harassed and fined for using the Neponset Valley Parkway as a way the NIMBYS tried to kill any plans to run such a truck centric operation out of that facility. It was a very antagonistic situation that could have potentially destroyed any future use of that property.

That wouldn't be the City Nepnset Valley Parkway is owned by DCR and being a Parkway tractor trailers are not allowed. Maybe the facility should have done their research on truck routes before moving in?

No quite that simple. Way back when the parkway was owned by some other entity it was transferred to the MDC with the stipulation that trucks would be allowed. And trucks did operate on the Parkway for years. When the Stop & Shop facility closed, the City of Boston ignored that fact and used the law that "trucks aren't allowed on parkways" to hamper any use of the facility for industrial use. The City of Boston wanted residential housing built there. However, half of the property is actually located in Dedham although it is not physically connected to the town. Dedham wanted no part of developing an orphan piece of property and had no desire to spend money on bringing in expensive infrastructure and provide school services to an isolated non-contiguous neighborhood.

So the new residential neighborhood plans were rejected and the site's future was in serious jeopardy. There was even a proposal to build a haul road along the tracks to 128 if necessary.

Although I don't know the exact court proceedings, I assume that somewhere along the legal challenges, the City was informed of the original parkway transfer deal and had to give up it's very public obstruction tactics.

So congrats to whoever held in there and fought what was a tough legal battle and also to Abextrans, the company there now, who is building a great rail-served facility which is probably saving Readville Yard.

Following the parkway on Google Maps Street View, the Parkway is signed as a truck route through Milton even though there is a sign on the parkway east stating every truck must go into the Boston Business Park (where Abex Transport is one of eight tenants). Looking at the Massachusetts legislator, someone seems to be perpetually attempting to get school busses and trucks banned from the Parkway in Milton and that petition seems to perpetually die in committee.