State House Wrap:  The Historic 200 year old State House has a new look this Christmas Season.  Wrapped in a white plastic shroud, Charles Bulfinch’s familiar red brick is hidden from view as workers proceed with a $42 million restoration-reconstruction project.  Over the next 28 months this effort will refurbish tens of thousands of bricks and balusters, replace 1000 drafty windows, patch numerous cracks to halt water damage inside the 1798 structure, and reconstruct the cement steps leading into the capitol building.  Scrimmed on the front wrap is a mural of Boston’s 17th century tri-mount of Pemberton Hill, Mount Vernon and Beacon Hill, which were excavated at the beginning of the 19th century to fill in the Back Bay.  The two top supervisors of the joint venture companies conducting this reconstruction-preservation project are both Marshfield residents and promise the work will be done efficiently and with pride.

The Big Dig:  The Central Artery’s new Executive Manager, Andrew Natsios, recently briefed legislators on the state of this mammoth construction project.  He believes that costs are now under control and will be contained at $14 billion.  Federal government auditors apparently agreed and recently approved the project’s financial plan.  This work is one of the largest in the world’s history; employs 4700 people working in shifts twenty-four hours a day with 180 subcontractors.  It is presently two-thirds complete but will not be fully finished for another five years.  In another 18 months, however, the new defining landmark for the City of Boston will be ready.  The Charles River Bridge will be the widest cable span bridge in the world and will mark a new era in Boston’s storied history.  I recently had the opportunity to tour the Big Dig, measuring its progress and scope of work.  Whether standing inside the cavernous tunnels of the new I90 or I93 or leaning out from atop the platform of the new cable span bridge, beneath the two towers 350’ above the Charles River, the scene and work is impressive and historic.  Patiently, we await its completion so that the antiquated central artery, built in the 1950s to handle 75,000 vehicles per day, will be able to accommodate the over 200,000 vehicles of today, which causes continued traffic congestion and gridlock up to 12 hours a day.

Bridges Update:  Massachusetts Highway Department has awarded a contract to evaluate the nearly 50 year old Union Street-North River Bridge.  The consultant is to report back the best course to pursue – either to reconstruct the bridge on its present footing or totally demolish and build a new bridge.  We should know the out come of this evaluation by late spring.

Sea Street Bridge:  The engineering and design contract was awarded in September, 2000 to Charles Selles Associations.  Design should be ready by September, 2001 with construction of the $3.2 million bridge, linking Humarock to the mainland, to begin in Spring, 2002.

The North River Bridge Project:  This $5.7 million project continues on schedule, despite what appears to have been rather slow going during the summer months.  This was due to requirements prohibiting any construction in the water which might disrupt boating activity and a more difficult than expected process of boring into the river bottom to set the pilings.  According to the Mass Highway Department  the new bridge should be open to traffic sometime late summer, 2001.

Presidential Election:  The recent rapid closure to the post Presidential Election drama is welcomed by all.  The gracious concession by Vice President Gore and the determination by President-Elect  Bush to “find common ground” recalls these words of Carl Sandberg:  “Always the path of American destiny has been into the unknown.  Always there arose enough reserves of strength, balances of sanity, positions of wisdom to carry the nation through to a fresh start with ever renewing vitality.”.

Holiday Season:  This is the time of year when many of us seek to pause from our daily business and professional activities, to be more introspective and reflective, to be less self centered and self absorbed, to reflect more deeply on the meaning of living and the value of family and friends.  My hat is off to those among us who volunteer unselfishly, and largely unnoticed, to make the holidays more meaningful to our neighbors.  We are blessed to have among us people who labor for Community Christmas, the Food Pantries, Habitat for Humanity and other local organizations.  May their spirit of care and concern for others permeate all of us now and be with us all year long. May you and your family enjoy a holiday season filled with joy and happiness.

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