OWNERSHIP
CONDITIONS
CONTEXT
HISTORY
DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
PLANNING PROCESSES
TESTIMONIES

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OWNERSHIP:
Metropolitan District Commission (MDC)

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CONDITIONS:
The Casey Overpass is a four lane, high-speed east/west road that arcs over the land surrounding the Forest Hills MBTA Station and offers views toward downtown Boston. The Overpass is a massive metal and concrete structure. It provides an alternative to navigating the Arborway/ New Washington past the Forest Hills MBTA Station, Hyde Park Avenue, and Washington Street.

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CONTEXT:
The Overpass breaks up the continuity of the Emerald Necklace in its final stretch between the Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park. On the other hand, the highway offers an orienting view of the entire area. It is possible to see the connections between Forest Hills to downtown Boston via Washington as well as the clock tower at Forest Hills Station.

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HISTORY:
Historical photographs show that before the Casey Overpass was built, the Arborway was a true green connector between Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park. The Casey Overpass was built in approximately 1955 by Modern Continental and was named after Monsignor William Casey, who was a Great Depression-era priest of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Jamaica Plain (Jamaica Plain, Boston 200 Neighborhood History Series).

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DESIGN and ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES:
The Casey Overpass looms above the Forest Hills area and creates deep shadows across the land that discourage use of the area as a civic space. The rusty metal structure overpowers the impact of the trees, shrubs, and grass planted along the MBTA Station.

The Overpass is vehemently disliked by many green space advocates, particularly those in Jamaica Plain, because it breaks the continuity of the Frederick Law Olmsted's Boston Park System. The Arborway is seen as a "missing link" in the Emerald Necklace and has been a target of such groups as BikeBoston and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.

For bikers or pedestrians traveling on the Emerald Necklace, access to the Overpass requires crossing a two-lane exit ramp with no crosswalk. On the north side of the overpass, the sidewalk dead-ends. Biking on the walkways along the Casey Overpass is difficult and sometimes dangerous due to the build-up of sandy material. When bike tires hit the sand, they can spin out and cause the cyclist to loose control.

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PLANNING PROCESSES:
The Arborway Master Plan, which is in process in 2002, will impact and be impacted by the Casey Overpass. The Plan, which will complete the Emerald Necklace Master Plan, is being developed by the Parks Department, the Arborway Coalition, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and others.

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TESTIMONIES:
"Will we be able to remove Casey Overpass? I'm not sure that growing up I'd say that Kelly Rink would move out of the historic landscape. But it has. So I'm not willing to say that anything is impossible" (Margaret Dyson, Arborway Master Plan Meeting, April 4, 2002).

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