Hearing on Safety of Light

Poles, Bridges & Public Infrastructure on April 4th

PAX East at BCEC Expected to Impact Traffic March 23 - March 26, 2023; Local Parking Limited

From Thursday, March 23 through Sunday, March 26, 2023, PAX East will be taking place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC). This event has a large number of local and regional attendees who are expected to impact traffic in downtown Boston, and especially around the South Boston Waterfront.

City Council President Ed Flynn and Councilor At-Large

Michael Flaherty refiled a hearing order to discuss the safety of light poles, bridges, and other public infrastructure in the City of Boston. This hearing is now scheduled for Tuesday, April 4th at 2 pm at the Boston City Council Iannella Chamber. Residents are encouraged to participate and testify in person or via videoconference by reaching out to shane.pac@ boston.gov. The hearing will be broadcasted live on Xfinity 8/ RCN 82/ Fios 964 and streamed at: boston.gov/city-council-tv.

This hearing was originally filed in September last year, when a pedestrian crossing the Evelyn Moakley Bridge in the South Boston Waterfront was struck and injured by a falling light pole. At the time, the Public Works Department swiftly inspected all city bridges in the area and removed 23 of the light poles that were deemed not completely satisfactory, with two additional poles having already been previously removed. It is critical that the city continues to ensure our city’s public infrastructure is safe and structurally sound, and there are routine inspections and systems in place for maintenance and repair.

“Unfortunately, this incident shed light on our aging infrastructure, light poles, and bridges - especially against the harsh New England weather, sea air and salt water.” Council President Flynn said. “Councilor Flaherty and I look forward to receiving an update from our city and state partners on the inspection and audit of all light poles, bridges, and public infrastructure, and any relevant plans to make all necessary repairs in a timely manner. We must work with our bridge engineers and design consultants to prevent an incident like this from happening again.”

Councilor At-Large

Flaherty said, “We, as a city, have a responsibility to make sure that we regularly inspect roads, bridges, light poles and street signs as a matter of public safety. We live in New England and our area is subject to harsh weather conditions that tend to deteriorate building materials and fixtures quicker than other places.”

For more information, please contact Council President Flynn’s office at 617-635-3203 and Ed.Flynn@Boston.gov.

Traffic in the area is expected to be heaviest between 8am-5pm, Thursday-Sunday.

Please note that the MBTA has scheduled a shutdown of the Red Line from Harvard to JFK/UMass on Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26, resulting in a large contingent of shuttle buses.

Attendees, as well as local employees working in and around the South Boston Waterfront, are encouraged to allow additional time for their commute as travel across all modes of transportation is expected to be heavy for this event.

Parking in the South Lot of the BCEC is expected to fill quickly for this event. Additional parking will be offered at off-site lots in the South Boston Waterfront area. Signs will direct attendees to off-site parking. Police details will be in place to help direct traffic and pedestrians.

Phil Crohan, MCCA, 617-954-2081

Senior

Manager of Communications & External Relations

Massachusetts Convention Center Authority

415 Summer Street, Boston MA 02210

Tel. 617.954.2081 www.massconvention.com

Continued from Page 1 Evacuation once again to the public. Bob Allison, the President of the South Boston Historical Society, gave a short talk on the actual events on Evacuation Day in 1776, including several facts and figures about that day. According to Bob, 11,000 people fled Boston that day, including around 8,000 soldiers. Our elected officials spoke briefly about this uniquely South Boston day. The annual Essay Contest winners were announced and their certificates awarded to them at the end of the talks. Many students and faculty from St. Peter and St. Brigid Schools were on hand.

A solo bugle solemnly blew TAPS. The colonial military contingent volleyed, followed by a volley from the costumed

Minutemen. A shouted cheer of “HUZZAH!” ensued. SBCA’s President Tommy McGrath remarked, “We are a historic neighborhood”, and closed the ceremonies by laying a wreath at the stone marking the American Redoubts on Dorchester Heights.