Transportation networks in a community are a key stimulator of economic growth. The city of Quincy has direct access to the Southeast Expressway/I-93, four MBTA rail stations, public bus service and commuter boat service to Logan International Airport and downtown Boston. This provides businesses and residents with a comprehensive transportation system that is convenient and accessible to a diverse metropolitan market area.
As this waterfront community seven miles south of Boston continues to grow and flourish, it is essential that existing transportation networks meet current and future demands. This will help preserve and protect the quality of life that makes so many residents and employers choose Quincy as a place to live and work. Through strategic partnerships between local, state and federal transportation agencies, the City of Quincy has leveraged critical private sector investment to incorporate transportation enhancements into several major planning initiatives. From the revitalization of Quincy Center, redevelopment of the Fore River Shipyard and to the expansion of the Crown Colony Office Park, new transportation systems are in place to support current and future growth and development.
One of the critical economic engines for the city is the Crown Colony Office Park and adjoining commercial properties located directly off I-93, Rtes. 3 & 128, at the "Braintree Split". New commercial development in this area had been stalled for years because the existing roadway network was operating at capacity during peak travel hours. Through the leadership and vision of the late Thomas Flatley and The Flatley Company, over $2 million in design funding was raised by Crown Colony Park businesses and property owners to design a new highway ramp system.
As a result, the city was able to secure over $18 million in construction funding from federal and state agencies to construct the new highway access ramp and associated infrastructure enhancements. This new ramp system opened in the fall of 2009, providing the 5,000 employees and visitors of the office park direct highway access. The new ramp not only eases traffic flow in and around the office park, it reduces traffic congestion issues once prevalent in the surrounding downtown business district and residential neighborhoods.
However, the key impact to the roadway investment was its ability to unlock the development potential of the remaining lots in and around the Crown Colony Park. Early returns indicate it is a huge success. BJ's Wholesale Club is currently constructing a new 89,000 s/f store expected to open this spring at the entrance to the Crown Colony while Lowe's Home Improvement is constructing a 102,000 s/f home improvement center adjacent to the park that will open later this year.
Traveling north on Burgin Pkwy. into Downtown Quincy one will find construction of the Quincy Center Concourse well underway to support the $1.4 billion private investment for the redevelopment of the city's primary commercial district. Street-Works LLC, based in White Plains, N.Y., is the city's master developer, and has unveiled a sweeping project that will reinvent downtown Quincy into a vibrant, attractive urban center with new sidewalks, new retailers, additional parking and more than 1,000 new apartments and condominiums.
A crucial feature of the downtown development project is the Quincy Center Concourse, a long-awaited east-west thoroughfare that will allow motorists to drive between Rte. 3A and the Burgin Pkwy. without having an impact on the street network within the downtown commercial district.
Phase III of the concourse entailing the reconstruction of McGrath Hwy. and the removal of all overhead utilities lines is now underway and scheduled to be completed in early summer of 2010.
The design and construction of Phase II of the Quincy Center Concourse (Hancock St. crossing - final phase) is moving forward as a result of $8.2 million in American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding recently awarded to the project by Governor Deval Patrick and Congressman William Delahunt. MassHighway, now known as MassDOT, is expected to award the two-year project in March to facilitate a spring 2010 start.
At the southern end of the city Mass DOT retained the services of STV, a project management, design and engineering firm, to undertake the design and build process for the construction of a new Fore River Bridge. The bridge carries Rte. 3A over the Fore River between Quincy and Weymouth and serves as one of the important gateways to the South Shore. The goal of the project as stated by MassDOT is "to replace the current temporary bridge with a new, movable span that will safely and efficiently meet the needs of roadway users - including motorists, cyclists, pedestrians - and maritime users for the next 75 years." Replacement of the bridge is projected to cost $271 million. 20% of this sum will come from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and 80% will come from the federal government. MassDOT and STV are undertaking an extensive public review process, and anticipate having the 25% design phase completed by the spring of 2011.
The reconstruction of the Fore River Bridge is a critical gateway project for the city of Quincy and serves as an important part of the region's transportation network. Adjacent to the bridge is the former 110 acre Fore River Shipyard, which is anticipated to be under redevelopment in the coming years to restore the commercial property as one of the key economic engines for not only the city of Quincy, but the entire region.
It is no secret that the South Shore is a very desirable area for companies looking for convenient access, public transportation and community amenities at very competitive purchasing and leasing rates. Blending its rich history, cultural diversity and economic prosperity, the city of Quincy has established itself as a flourishing 21st Century urban community that is in high demand for both commercial and residential development.
City and business leaders welcome the opportunity to showcase Quincy's many attributes, including its efficient public transportation facilities, access to major highways, quality workforce, 27 miles of beautiful coastline, diverse population, proximity to Boston and its role as the region's gateway to the Cultural Coast. Quincy is the place to live, work and invest in.
Contact Quincy 2000 Collaborative to receive a copy of a new promotional DVD and see why so many companies call the city of Quincy their corporate home. Quincy 2000 Collaborative and the city administration are eager to convince you that here in Quincy We Mean Business!
Dean Rizzo is executive director of Quincy 2000 Collaborative, Quincy, Mass.