Central Artery Environmental Oversight Committee (Anne Fanton) records

Anne Fanton served as executive director of the Central Artery Environmental Oversight Committee (EOC) from 1992-2009. The EOC was an independent advisory group established to monitor progress toward implementing the air quality, traffic management, transit, and open space commitments made by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in connection with the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T). The Central Artery/Tunnel Project, known as the “Big Dig,” was a Massachusetts Department of Transportation construction project aimed at reducing traffic congestion and improving the environment in Boston, Massachusetts. Initial planning and environmental impact studies began in 1982. In April 1987, the United States Congress approved federal funding for the project, allotting $755 million for fiscal year 1990. Construction started in September 1991, and the first major milestone was reached in 1995 with the opening of the Ted Williams Tunnel to commercial traffic. Substantial completion of the project was reached on January 13, 2006: the deteriorating six–lane Interstate 93 John F. Fitzgerald Expressway had been replaced with the eight–to–ten–lane state of the art Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel, the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill and Leverett Circle Connector Bridges over the Charles River were added, Interstate 90 was extended to Logan International Airport and Route 1A with the addition of the Fort Point and Ted Williams Tunnels, and more than 300 acres of open land reconnecting downtown to the waterfront was created as a result.

In addition to monitoring the progress made by the project, the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction (EOTC), and the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA), the EOC's mission also focused on the resolution of challenges which arose in accomplishing mitigation and public outreach. Appointment of the EOC was included in an agreement signed on June 6, 1991 by Secretary Richard Taylor of EOTC, Secretary Susan Tierney of EOEA, and the leaders of the environmental organizations Move Massachusetts 2000, 1000 Friends of Massachusetts, and Boston Greenspace Alliance. The agreement included a statement that CA/T would prepare an implementation plan containing a list of all the air quality, traffic management, transit, and open space commitments that had been made, including the names of those responsible for completion of each commitment and appropriate milestones. CA/T undertook the development of a Commitment Tracking System (CTS) to fulfill the agreement, and a mandate in its federal Record of Decision. The CTS consisted of a comprehensive database and reporting mechanism to track and record all the commitments required in the project's many approval documents. Early drafts of this plan that preceded the development of the CTS took the form of Commitment Status Reports, and listed broadly-stated commitments with their major source documents. These reports were critical to the project's success in implementing its commitments and for the EOC's ability to oversee them.

EOC members included representatives of environmental, planning, business, and community interests, supported by the agencies responsible for undertaking and enforcing mitigation. In 1992, EOC member organizations included the Boston Greenspace Alliance, 1000 Friends of Massachusetts, Move Massachusetts 2000, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Advisory Board, Artery Business Committee, (Charles River Crossing) Bridge Design Review Committee, and the Spectacle Island Park Advisory Committee. The Ex-Officio member agencies included the Executive Office of Transportation, Massachusetts Highway Department/CA/T Project, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, and the Boston Transportation Department. Public meetings were held approximately once a month, allowing citizens to express their grievances and gain assistance for resolution. The EOC's successes include informing CA/T about commitments, tracking key commitments, facilitating modifications to commitments when necessary and appropriate, and influencing the outcome when commitments were not fulfilled.

1982

Planning and environmental impact studies begin

1987

Congress approves funding and scope

1990

Congress allocates $755 million to the project

1991

Central Artery Environmental Oversight Committee established

1991

Ted Williams Tunnel construction begins

1992

$1 billion in design and construction contracts in progress

1995

Ted Williams Tunnel opens

1998

Charles River Crossing construction begins

2002

Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge completed

2003

Interstate 93 Northbound and Southbound opens

2004

Interstate 93 John F. Fitzgerald Expressway dismantled

2005

Interstate 93 full opening

2006

Substantial completion

2006

Spectacle Island Park opens to the public