St. Hilaire Reacts to Public Hearing Regarding Brimbal Ave. / Rt. 128 Project
Vows to reach out and take a collaborative approach as City Councilor
BEVERLY, MA – Today, Matt St. Hilaire, a Beverly native and candidate for City Council At-Large, shared his reaction to last night’s public hearing regarding the Brimbal Aveune / Rt. 128 project. The hearing was heavily attended by residents who listened to presentations by the Mayor and Planning Department and were given an opportunity to express their concerns.
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“Residents are frustrated that there has been a lack of communication and outreach regarding this project.” St. Hilaire said. “As City Councilor I will take a collaborative approach and will reach out to residents to make sure they are informed of what is happening in our city and have an opportunity to be heard.”
Last night residents expressed concern that the proposed development will increase traffic and congestion along Brimbal Avenue. “There is a justifiable concern that this project could lead to major traffic congestion like what we have on Rt. 1A and Enon Street.” St. Hilaire said. “I grew up in North Beverly and I’ve seen the negative impact that traffic can have on quality of life. No one wants to see that situation replayed on Brimbal Avenue and I don’t blame them.”
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Phase I of the proposed project involves relocating and reconfiguring the Rt. 128 ramps and the connector road to improve traffic flow and safety. Several intersections of the ramps and connector road currently receive F safety ratings from the state Department of Transportation. Phase II will create a separate exit off Rt. 128 for Dunham Road and the North Shore Music Theatre. This will allow traffic to Dunham Road and the Music Theatre to completely avoid Brimbal Avenue altogether.
Mayor Scanlon estimated that the proposed development will result in $8M in annual revenue to the city coffers and will create as many as 7,500 new regional jobs. “There is unquestionably an economic component to this project.” St. Hilaire said. “At a time when the city is facing the burdens of paying for a new middle school, the need for a new public safety facility and a $25M backlog in road repair these additional funds could be put to good use to improve Beverly.”
The public hearing will be continued on Monday, September 16th at 8:00pm. “In the meantime I will be reaching out to learn more about the details of the project and the concerns of the residents.” St. Hilaire said.
