FROED One Government Center Fall River, MA 02722-7700 Tel 508-324-2620 Fax 508-677-2840 info@froed.org		ROAD TO THE FUTURE: City mulls Route 79 changes to spur development The Herald News, Monday, June 23, 2008 - Page A1 Fall River — Plans to turn Route 79 and Davol Street/b> into a pedestrian-friendly boulevard are moving forward, and project planners are seeking public input on how to complete the task. For the past year, a group of city officials and transportation experts have studied a series of options for turning the two roads into one passable route they hope will improve access to the waterfront and foster development near City Pier. The Fall River Office of Economic Development is holding a public meeting tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the City Council hearing room to share information about the project and answer questions. FROED Executive Vice President Kenneth Fiola Jr. said the meeting will give the public the latest news on the project’s evolution. “We believe the demolition of Route 79 and the constriction of eight lanes into four or six will enhance our ability to develop the land along the waterfront,” Fiola said. The Project Advisory Group — made up of officials from the city, Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic and Development District, and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation — has been meeting to discuss options for the busy roads. Their work has narrowed the number of options for redeveloping the thoroughfares. Group members have suggested three potential alternatives that could go on to the environmental review process. One option is to take no action. Another is to demolish Route 79 and build a four- or six-lane roadway with a landscaped median and turning lanes. A third plan under consideration is to eliminate the Route 79 infrastructure and recreate it as a limited-access freeway to the east of the existing road. That option would include a new connection from Davol Street at the driveway of the proposed commuter rail station. One option the group ruled out was supplementing the existing roads with pedestrian and bicycle accommodations and transit service to the waterfront. Planning documents suggest the proposed changes could spur waterfront development, with the possibility of a 200-room hotel, a 5,000-square-foot restaurant, 10,000 square feet of retail space and a 100-berth marina. Converting the roadway into a four- or six-lane route would open approximately 10 acres of land for development, documents indicate, creating the potential for 210,000 square feet of office space. That cost for the changes is estimated at $45 million. The other option would cost about $28 million and develop about five acres of land. Paying for the project will be a little tougher after city officials learned the state had to return $1.8 million of federal subsidies that could’ve been used for transportation projects. Fiola said the money had to be returned because the project was stalled by former Gov. Mitt Romney’s administration. “They kept putting up roadblocks,” Fiola said. “This is $1.8 million we can’t use anymore and that’s money we should have been able to keep.” Back