Officials working with a state-led commission charged with planning future improvements to Morrissey Boulevard met with members of the public last Thursday (March 20) to get feedback on the panel’s recently released draft report for reconfiguring the roadway from South Boston’s Preble Circle to Neponset Circle in Dorchester.

The two-hour event at the Hilton Inn Express hotel next to South Bay Mall was billed as a chance to solicit input during an ongoing, 60-day public comment period that is set to close on May 5.

Another meeting is expected to be scheduled after the close of the comment period, according to MassDOT officials.

The 181-page draft report, published on March 6, outlines the findings of the commission, which began meeting by legislative mandate in November 2023. There have been eight public meetings held in that time frame, with many hours of public discussion and explanation by engineers about potential infrastructure improvements and cost projections. The commission is expected to submit a final report in the coming months.

Last week’s meeting, however, drew immediate criticism from some attendees over the format, which was run as an “open house,” with maps laid out on tables and yellow “Post-It” notes offered to attendees to offer comments.

Bill Walczak and Don Walsh, both members of the Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association (CSHCA) were disappointed. They had a list of suggestions and critiques they hoped to share publicly in response to the draft final report but were not given the opportunity due to the open house format.

Jake Wachman, a member of the commission who also serves as an active member of the civic association, agreed, adding that “Dorchester deserved better.”

“During the November 2024 meeting, MassDOT acknowledged its fundamental misunderstanding of its own responsibility as the Commission chair to coordinate city and state resources for comprehensive planning,” he said. “At last Thursday’s eighth meeting and after a year of not engaging with the community on substantive issues, MassDOT checked the box of community feedback.”

The Morrissey Commission study held its eighth meeting on March 20 to review the draft final report issued earlier this month, but many neighbors were put off by the open house format. Seth Daniel photo

In a statement, a MassDOT spokesperson said: “We value community input and recognize the importance of incorporating local voices into our designs. An open-house style format with large, printed graphics was intended to provide the public with an opportunity to view the work and interact more directly with members of the study team on climate resiliency alternatives developed by the study, while also allowing the public to ask questions or provide feedback on the study’s draft report. Through ongoing engagement, we aim to create safe, accessible and efficient transportation solutions that enhance the quality of life for all residents.”

Wachman said that he and others feel that the commission and MassDOT have focused too narrowly on roadway engineering and not other elements that are associated with modernizing the area.

“The community is disappointed in MassDOT and Secretary Tibbits-Nutt for deliberately ignoring the law that created the commission,” said Wachman “MassDOT narrowly focused on what it knows best—roads—rather than comprehensively planning for the future doubling of the population along the Morrissey Corridor. MassDOT even ignored Kosciuszko Circle, which was part of the Commission’s name and legal mandate.”

The Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association took a vote of “no confidence” on the Morrissey Commission process last October and leaders have suggested that they would likely vote against supporting the final report.

Maria Lyons of Port Norfolk said that she was confused about the plans to add bike lanes on either side of the road, adding that trying to put green space under the highway was “a waste of time and money.”

“They should be focusing on putting the bikes to the Greenway that we just built,” she said. “The bikes can travel on the Greenway instead. It makes no sense to put them on the roadway where it’s dangerous. Why did we just spend millions for the Neponset Greenway and then tell the bikes to go on the roadway?”

Other concerns for Port Norfolk were a decision on making Conley Street a signalized intersection that allows crossover. Lyons and neighbors from the Pope’s Hill area have raised concerns about the proposed elimination of a heavily used U-turn at the Dunkin Donuts plaza.

“Those of us in Port Norfolk would have to go all the way to Freeport Street and turn around to get to the Stop & Shop,” Lyons commented. “If they are taking that away from us, they have to provide an opportunity to cross over at Conley Street.”

The public can review the full draft report here.